Is It Wise for Single Christians to Use Online Dating Apps?

Is it wise for single Christians to use online dating apps that is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity will hi, I'm Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez.

We pray that you had a wonderful weekend. This is the program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. You can call us right now with your question.

At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673.

You can also post your question on one of our social media sites you can watch Andrew alive right now in the studio on our YouTube channel and you can send him your question through YouTube course you can always email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com first of today April, here's an email from one of our listeners.

This is from Yvonne and she says why are so many churches making their sanctuaries darker and darker looking. Since churches adapted to coveted by having online services.

It seems they've use this as a means to draw in young people. It actually feels they are more interested in doing that then working with the people they have in the sanctuary. Our worship minister says the current darkened atmosphere is necessary for online screening.

What do you think about this God know what they do it at your church, but I've seen this too, and a lot of evangelical churches were it's like you during the time of music in the worship service and of course a lot of people when they hear that word worship there their minds and medially go to the singing portion of the server that the whole service is worship.

It is a worship service, not just the music but II have noticed that for for many churches during that time. It's… Dim the lights light some candles, you know, let's make it.

This sort of intimate quiet experience and I think part of that is is this sense that worship back that musical portion of the singing in the services must be like your own special time. You and Jesus that that real intimate moments your ear connecting with God.

The problem is actually worship gathering together church is not about me as an individual and Jesus and giving me this special experience of Jesus and worship it's it's about the body of Christ being summoned to the Lord through his means of grace through the preaching of the word through the ordinances that is given to the church and together but were singing and worshiping the Lord as as Paul says in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and so is even even the that the singing when were gathered together printer it were were were doing this for the sake of one another. Where addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs that do not just addressing God, you know, in a quiet room in a dark room.

This this kind of moment of intimacy.

My personal time with Jesus. My private time with Jesus. Even though I'm in the church know we are the body of Christ.

So I'm I think you know we should have the lights on and it worked. What were doing when we when we turn off the lights and and you know we we light the candles or whatever is his work were communicating that we think this is really about the sort of private time with Jesus. But that's not what corporate worship is about and so does that mean that's that's my view and I think we really need to recover this. This sense of the importance of the community of faith everything you know for for so many Christians just about me in my personal experience. My personal relationship. And of course we all have to have a personal relationship with Jesus but is not it's not private. It's not me by myself. We have that personal relationship with Christ in the context of the community of faith by which God calls us to be a part of and so I thank you for for that email and that question and appreciate you raising it in and maybe we'll get some some follow-up from some of our listeners on the broadcast. If they turn the lights back on which we have to see if they do that yet they did have to do some on a power bill. If you think about it, that's right. Yeah, maybe.

I mean the subject. Some of these churches. You just need to start giving more to the church so they can start paying the electricity that that might be the issue is. So maybe up bill. Maybe it's saving on the power it. We've always thought the candles were more of an obvious thing, but really it's just know the electricity cost a lot these days so that it could be. Could be. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. Our phone lines are open right now. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. Give us a call. Here's the number it's 833.

The core will be taking calls for the next 15 to 20 minutes or so 833-843-2673 let's go to Diana in St. Joseph's, Missouri Diana what your question for Pastor Israel held that homosexual junkyards will not go to heaven and in fear of the lien are lightweight and agile.

I think the question I think you're referring to first print is chapter 6 where Paul is is bringing this rebuke against the Corinthian church, a Christian church, he says, do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Verse nine. Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor violators nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God's of the list is actually a lot more extensive than just those two things, homosexuality and and drunkenness and here Paul is calling the Corinthians not to be characterized by those things anymore. Why because he goes on to say in verse 11. Such were some of you but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. In other words you used to live in this way.

This used to be who you were apart from Jesus. Your identity was characterized by these things, but now you have been united to Jesus Christ by faith.

Now that does not mean that we won't struggle at times with sin that we won't feel those temptations that we felt may be before we we had confessed faith in Christ and had the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We will struggle and every day as as Christians we continue to sin against the Lord and thought, word, and indeed we don't identify ourselves with with the struggle we had identify ourselves as those who are alive from the dead in Jesus Christ through faith in holy baptism.

This is what Paul says in places like Romans chapter 6 and so is a Paul. Here's a look. Don't be characterized you, Corinthians, don't don't don't don't be characterized by these things anymore, because God has delivered you. God has redeemed you but we do say Diane oftentimes on on the broadcaster anyway.

Sometimes I think people are looking for, you know, real simple answer. You know it.

If you're Christian, that means you're not can have the struggles and that's evidence that you're saved if you do have the struggles and then you must not be say that I don't think that that's the case at all mean the people of God is very clear from the Bible, Old Testament and New Testament that the people of God, redeemed by the Lord do have intense struggles at times with the flesh, but but were confident by the grace of the Holy Spirit.

God doesn't leave us in that struggle that he's at work in sanctifying us and so we trust in him and and we seek him and and those who have faith in Jesus. Genuine faith in Jesus Christ, even if they have struggles are indeed saved. But then there are. I think many people who have deceived themselves sale yeah I you know I sure am a Christian. II believe in Jesus, but that with the reality is they don't really truly embrace Christ by faith. They just want to continue to live the way that they want to live. They reject the gospel and I think we have to take it by a case-by-case basis and an address individuals wherever they are and say hey you know this is this is what the word of God says to you, and so Diana tie-dyed approaches question just to give you a chance to to follow up. Are you talking would you say just about a believer who is struggling with the thing or somebody who is is is. Maybe you know professing faith in Christ but but they live a lifestyle that's totally contrary to the gospel exactly what going on okay yeah and so when that's happening when when it's only professes faith in Christ and their living in a way that's totally contrary to the gospel. I think this is where church discipline is important. We have to heed what Paul said earlier in first Corinthians chapter 5 where he says in verse nine I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people, not all meeting the sexually immoral of this world or the greedy and swindlers are idolaters. Does anyone need God.

The world, but now I'm writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed or is an idolater revile her drunkard or swindler, not even to eat with such a one so there. Paul is talking but it is not just the struggle that individuals have with sin. But someone who calls himself a brother calls himself a Christian and yet there characterized so much by the ways the world is as it will do actually really believe this, and this is where the church needs to come in and and where church discipline needs to happen we call individuals to live in light of what they profess to believe Diana, thank you for your question and may the Lord bless your day. So April, just a follow-up question for you based on what you just said, how then should we view gay affirming churches who are telling people yes you can be a Christian, and yes you can live a homosexual lifestyle. I think we would should view those churches is dangerous and a threat to the souls of the people that are going to those churches and and I say that because any any quote unquote church that is telling you that's not a big deal for you to continue to live in ways that are in rebellion to God that that that's not a church right that that's that's a being.

You can call yourself a church, but if you're just rejecting God's word out right then what you're doing is you're leading people astray. Your leading people to perdition and over and over again in the Old Testament. One of the things that characterized the false prophets was that they said peace peace where there was no peace.

They didn't point out the sins that were killing the people of God.

In fact, they confirm them in their sins and God has some pretty harsh words for the heart, the false prophets in the Old Testament.

I think he has harsh words for those churches today that have rejected his law and those so-called ministers were telling people know it's it's fine for you to continue to live in your sin, whatever it is in God's not can adjudge you now that I could be homosexuality that could be greed rhyming the work we don't want to just limited to one thing that could be drunkenness, whatever it is, but what were called to repentance not to revel in our sins so well said this score Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. Our phone lines are open.

If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. We would love to hear from you.

You can call us for the next 10 minutes or so. Here's the phone number it's 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 we receive a lot of calls from listeners who ask about the assurance of salvation. On this program and we actually have a free resource on that topic that would like to make available to you today. That's a record Christianity.com and it's called nine ways to know you are really a Christian and this bill said it is completely free, is one of the most frequent questions we receive on the broadcast. How can I know that I'm saved that I belong to Jesus, especially for for those of us you know of sensitive consciences and was struggling with sin, sometimes feeling cold and apathetic towards the things of God. We doubt you know was I was I really converted.

Do I really have Christ living in my heart will want that we want to help you understand what the Scriptures say about this and we want we want you to have assurance to Christ and through the gospel and so get a hold of this resource. It's again called nine ways to know you are really a Christian and it's yours for free of record, Christianity.com. This is really pivotal doctrine and understanding. It is so necessary to living a healthy Christian life with confidence and with Joyce. We encourage you to get this resource for you. Maybe someone you know who was struggling with this whole idea of assurance of salvation go to court, Christianity.com/offers and download nine ways to know you are really a Christian again core Christianity.com/offers only to receive voicemails here at core Christianity. You can call us anytime 24 hours a day leave your question for a drill and here's one that came in the last week. Draw training to." Christian dating question is what is your opinion on Christian being on data gaps in my opinion there made her like a link but the desire. To hear your thoughts on that. My second question would be what is appropriate boundary during the dating process.

There is sister and cry in the Scripture, and so I would get from the lab so I get them. What you think is appropriate boundary thickly during the dating. Thank you.

Yeah, the dating apps thing is is pretty new on the size of millennial ability still a younger pastor but I think I got married to my wife before the whole dating apps thing was a big thing.

I'm kinda glad for that. Frankly, because I do hear that a lot of times these apps are are just like you said. I mean it's it's about the full fulfillment of the desire you gratifying the desires of the flesh, not of course yellow that I've heard you know Christians who met there about Christian to mentor their spouse, their husband or wife on on Christian dating websites and and whatnot some sugars, there is the equivalent of something like that on you know Christian dating app or something like that at which so I want to just totally rule it out, but I think you just have to exercise wisdom in that goes for both of your questions you have to ask yourself you know what what was the purpose here is this just something I'm using to look for, you know gratification is to gratify the desires of my flesh in my looking for a spouse or am I looking for someone to to to you know me. A lot of these apps are our hookup apps and I think that that's that's the concern is that just the accessibility and in terms of fulfilling our our sinful desires and this is where I think we have to be very wise and cautious and not give any provision to the flesh. This is exactly what what Paul says in the New Testament that goes also for appropriate boundaries in dating relationship just exercise wisdom.

I think a lot of times people are looking for.

No tell me how far I can go before it's it's it's it's bad, it's simple.

The Bible is very clear that fornication is a sin.

Does that mean that you you can't kiss the person that you're dating. No, I don't think so, but I again I think that you have to exercise wisdom that the apostle Paul says in Romans chapter 13 verse 13 let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires, we need to have a scorched earth policy when it comes to temptation wherever we we we find ourselves in. You know, being tempted or falling into temptation. We do need to get give no provision to that don't don't go there and so I think of it in a dating relationship. You know you want to get to know someone their character as a Christian you know that their commitment to Christ, you want to grow in in in your friendship and in the relationship. In that way you want to be careful that your respecting each other, honoring each other that you can have a clear conscience before that person and ultimately before the Lord and and and so again. That requires wisdom and and prayer, and an attention-getting of care and attention inside.

I do want to die. Don't just say will here's, you know, here's the line, but certainly fornication is a sin and and you want to make sure that you're not giving any provision to the flesh, and so if if the thought is like eight were dating were not married, but let's go on a trip together and we can stay in the same room that edged that's foolish that's that's not wise. And so again give any provision to the flesh.

Be wise and honor honoring each other. Thanks for your question. Great counsel.

Thanks for that April. This is core Christianity with pastor Adria Sanchez. Let's go to Pamela calling in from Arkansas. Pamela what your question for atrial family, are you there yes yes I am thinking question regarding the prevalent practice today of people accepting tattoos and I know that the book of Leviticus forbids any cutting in the flesh for the dead, and I think that was originally why the practice began hundreds and hundreds of years ago that I never had this addressed by any of the any of the pastors that that that are on the right at that list to so often also of course it's addressed to in the second commandment without any you exception to Trying to Write This at Any Exceptions, Graven Images Which Is Very Bizarre That People Are Paying the Images on the Details Now.

Anyway, I Would like People to Notice Something More Bad and I Would Appreciate If You Would Maybe Expound on This a Little and of Course the Origins Come from Very Pagan Cultures and They Were Never down for Good Rate Yeah a Great Question so What Is about to Say about Tattooing. A Lot Of Times You Will Just Disable the Bible's against Tattoos There Totally Forbidden Will Appeal to Leviticus 19 Verse 28. It Talks about Not Making Cuts on Your Body for the Dead or Tattooing Yourselves in God's As I Am the Lord Here Specifically, Though in the in the Context It Is Setting the People Apart from Their Pagan Neighbors Who Would Would Practice These Pagan Rituals That Involved Tattooing. This Idolatrous Worship in Guises That You Don't Do That Now There Are Certainly Some Things That We Just Should Not Tattoo on Our Bodies. You Mentioned the Second Commandment Not Making Graven Images, Not, Not That I'm Depicting God Father Son and Holy Spirit. And I Think A Lot Of People That You Have Seen Tattoos Were People Are Getting Images of of God.

I Would Say Though, That That's Not Something That You Should Do Because of the Second Amendment That Is Mean Though That All Tattoos I Think Are Are Are Necessarily Bad or Evil or or Sinful, I Think, Again, This Is an Issue of Wisdom and Prudence and so You Have To Ask Yourself the Question, the Person Is Getting to Just Absent Themselves the Question What Will. What Am I Doing Here and and You Know Can I Do This and Still Bring Glory to God or Is This Is a Something That Goes against His Word and and I Wouldn't Say That Just Just Because Someone Is Getting a Tattoo That That's Necessarily Going against the Word of God Because You Really Want to We Really Want to Understand Those Prohibitions in Places like Leviticus 19 in Their Context and Someone Who Wouldn't Most People Get Tattoos to Not They're Not Doing It in the Same Way That Israel's Pagan Neighbors Were. I so We Have To Factor That in. But Again, I Would Say There's This Is an Issue of Christian Liberty Liberty of Conscience and and We Just Have To Exercise Wisdom As We Think about These Decisions and so Pamela Thank You for That Question and Push the Call. Thanks Pamela Appreciate You Being a Regular List of the Core Christianity Let's Go to Spencer EM Fort Smith Arkansas Spencer What Your Question for Atrial Clients in the Judgment Seat or below Seat of Christ. All These Rewards Need for All Times to Come on into the New Heaven and the New Earth Time & Humor Awards Will Be Held Another Chance to Possibly Annual Awards Were Not Not the Will of the You Know Have Eternally Will Be Eternal Living in the Kindly Dwelling the Same Ones Another Christian's Mansion, the State Who Receive Many Rewards past the Millennial Kingdom with the Time of the New Heaven and the New Expense. Thank You for That Question.

Rewards in Heaven. So Second Corinthians Chapter 5 Verse 10 We Must All Appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, so That Each One May Receive What Is Due for What He Has Done in the Body, Whether Good or Evil. And so You Had a Couple of Questions There, One Unit, We Have Another Opportunity to Earn More Rewards Once Were in Heaven I and Maybe the New Creation.

Well I Don't I Don't Think That There Is Any Indication of That in the New Testament. This Is Related to the Final Judgment, Which Is a Once for All Event. But on the Other Part.

There Is, Is, Well, Then, Does This Mean That Some People's Experience of Heaven Is Going to Be Kind of Lame. You Know You're You're in the Studio Apartment in Heaven and Other People.

We Are in the Three Bedroom Two Bathroom 10 Bedroom Five Bathroom Mansion. You Know on That the Heavenly Lake If You Will II Don't Think That That's the Case Either.

I Know That for All of Us Are Oregon Experience God's Glory.

Perfect Joy Were to Be Perfected in Holiness in the Presence of the Lord As Soon As We Die and Then in the New Creation We Get Those Resurrected Bodies.

It's Going to Be Again Joy Worship Glory so We Don't We Don't Know Entirely. You Know What What These Heavenly Rewards Are Going to Look like and Took to What Extent They're Going to Improve upon. If I Can Use That Language or Experience of Heaven in the Eternal State in the New Creation. But What I Don't Think That Anybody Is Going to Be Bummed out in Heaven That They Missed out You Know on on to Bigger Mansion. You Know We We Have To Make Sure That We Recognize to That A Lot Of That Language Is Is Is Giving Us the Sort of Figured a Picture of the New Creation Were Looking Forward to but but I Don't Know That It's Necessary Because in Each One of Us Is Going to Have This This Particular Special Mansion That That Was No Based on in Its Construction Was Based upon How Good We Did Here on on Earth in the Think of the Bible Is Just Not Not Clear on and so There Is a Judgment We Are Going to Stand before the Lord. We Are Going to Be Rewarded for What We Have Done in the Body, Whether Good or Bad, We Know That We Can Enter into Life through the Free Justification That We Received in Jesus Christ Have Already Been Justified so We Can Hear the Words Well Done Good and Faithful Servant, Enter into the Joy of Your Master, but Then in Terms of the Glory of Heaven, Then No Eye Has Seen, nor Ear Heard, It Hasn't Even Entered into Our Minds the Glory of What the Lord Has Prepared for Us.

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