Can a Genuine Disciple Not Have Genuine Faith?

Another Christian gave me a word from the Lord and it didn't come true. That's just one of the issues will be discussing on today's addition of core Christianity hi 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 right now with your question. At 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673. You can also email us with your question at questions@corechristianity.com. We've got a good news story to share with you during this ongoing coronavirus crisis, a seven-year-old girl in Maine decided to sell her toys and she's use the money to help support healthcare workers in a food bank. Alexandra Fullerton is proving you're never too young to start getting back to your local community, especially in times of crisis. She's been raising money for the pen Bay Medical Center and the war in Maine, food pantry by selling her toys. Alexandra says I just wanted to be nice.

Hospitals need money so they can buy masks and gloves so they are safe. She has raised $60. So far, what she says she's going to split evenly between the hospital and the food bank.

All good for you Alexandra.

I can't wait to share that story with my kids just so inspiring and the my kids are playing video games.

Right now, so maybe they'll sell their Nintendo or whatever it is well delivered another Xbox and help the first line workers. Alright let's go to our first call of the day and this one comes from Keith about how do the Protestants handle session, as were Catholics do it with previous national because they say that Jesus told Peter that whose sins you forgive are forgiven and send you retain a retain. How do the Protestants get around that part of Jesus's teaching. Thank you a key. Thank you. I'm turning that passage you were just quoting right there from John's Gospel in John chapter 20 verse 23 now this is actually Jesus speaking to all of the disciples, all start a little bit earlier.

It says by verse 20 when you said this, he showed them his hands and his sizes after his resurrection and the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord Jesus said to them again, peace be with you as the father sent me. Even so, I am sending you. And when he said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.

If you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld and so he speak of the apostles. Here the ones to whom he gave the keys of the kingdom. He told Peter, and I think maybe this is a text referring to. I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew chapter 16 verse 19 that's interesting is in Matthew's gospel two chapters later, Jesus seems to indicate that he's given the keys to all the disciples to all the apostles and in chapter 18 verse 18 speaking to them in the context of church discipline. Jesus said, truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

So Courtney Scripture, we can confess our sins and and receive forgiveness directly from God interesting exit back in March, I don't know if you've heard this on the news, but Francis said this very same thing basically if you can't get to your priest for confession because of the coronavirus just confess your sins to God. Well, that's what you know many Protestants have been saying for a long time and I think that's what the Scripture teaches. Scripture says Jesus is the ultimate priest of God's people, and I always have direct access to the father through Jesus. So you can confess your sins anywhere at any time through Jesus and receive forgiveness. The only priest you need to go through is him not having said that, you know what is John referring to there in John chapter 20 in some of these other passages that we see in the Gospels about binding and loosing well. Referring to the ministry of the word in church discipline, look when someone is a part of the church in their living in unrepentant sin. Jesus gives us a protocol for how the church is to handle that situation. Eventually, if there's if there's no confession.

If there's no repentance. It leads to excommunication. Now this might be a foreign idea to you as you listen to this because there a lot of churches today that just don't practice church discipline like like the Scripture outlines, but excommunication is a binding judgment it's saying to someone that they are cut off from Christ, with the intent that they would be restored to him.

It's always wanting people to turn from their sins and to repent is in my church. Keith, let me tell you how we handle confession one every Sunday in the service we have this time of confession where for a brief period, usually at the beginning of the service. I'll share from God's law will have a time of silence where people can confess their sins, and is just recognizing that we as the people of God.

Every day we have to confess our sins, and especially when we gather into the presence of the Lord. We need to come with humility, saying God I need your grace and after period of confession I on the basis of God's word will declare to the congregation to all those who have confess their sins that their sins are forgiven is that God's Word teaches us doesn't and first John chapter 1 that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. People can also confess your sins to each other you know what you think about accountability group or something like that. Are people going to their pastor or their elders to share, confess their sins. You hear about this in places like James chapter 5 verse 19 are also again in first John chapter 1 verse nine and I think what gives so much weight is there's there's accountability there freedom healing but I never want to communicate as a pastor that people if they want to get to God, they have to come through me know. You can go straight to God through Jesus.

Think of the prayer of the publican in Luke chapter 18 verse 13, a sinner was there praying to the Lord saying God be merciful to me a sinner. That's what we have to do want forgiveness. Pray that prayer is really and I was thinking you mentioned that verse from James.

James 516 therefore confess your sins to each other and you talk about this earlier this week that yes we confess our sins directly to God.

But there is that accountability when we confess our sins to a brother or sister. And of course that verse goes on to say, and pray for each other so you may be healed so that you know a huge part of what it means to be in the body of Christ. It totally is okay so Dietrich Bonhoeffer him he was martyred under the Nazis is a Lutheran theologian. He has this great little book called life together which we've given away on the program before he has a chapter on confession in that book and just being able to share with no brothers or sisters and one of the things he asked in that chapters. He says why is it that it's so hard for us to confess our sins to a brother or sister in the Lord but not to God and of God is perfectly holy. He's righteous eat. You know he's pure our brothers and sisters. There sinners just like us to why's it so difficult for us to confess to each other and not to the Lord and and he says something you know it kind it is one of those lines, it's that's really convicting. He says will could be that were just confessing our sins to ourselves and ranting ourselves absolution. You do not really confessing to the Lord as I said we can always just confess to God, but I think one of the things that being able to share with someone else, a brother or sister does is it provides us that accountability. There's also something so freeing about knowing a I'm known and I'm forgiven I'm loved. You know the people in my church of my brothers and sisters of at least eight of the pastors unable to go to it and be honest with. They know that I'm a sinner but the grace of Christ is still for me and they remind me of that truth.

So it really can be an encouragement for us as believers but as I said Jesus is the only high priest and we go to the father through him. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and you can always email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com, Hector sent us an email and said, when taken together, the Bible passages discussing hell and the second death point to a currently ongoing literal place. Also are hell and the second death. Referring to the same thing.

While yeah oh Hector okay well versus the yeah hell is a reality Jesus and the apostles use vivid imagery to depict it as a place of conscious and unending torment. So Mark chapter 9 this is I guess the first passage that I would want to go to beginning in verse 42. These are the words of our Lord Jesus. He said whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, and if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled, than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. There you Paul. Also in second Thessalonians chapter 1 verses seven through 90 talks about the second coming of the Lord and how at that time. Believers are to be given relief from persecution from pain, but the ungodly. Those who have rejected the Lord and his gospel are going to face the consequence of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord.

That second Thessalonians. Again one verses seven through nine.

Another passage that I would go to her passages that I would go to Daniel chapter 12 verse two and Matthew chapter 25, where it talks about the final judgment in the resurrection from the dead. It talks about those who have done evil going to everlasting destruction, and those who are the people of the Lord, going to everlasting life, and so that that sort of contrast there that parallel between everlasting destruction and everlasting life suggests to us that hell is this place of everlasting existence in the same way that heaven and being in the presence of the Lord is going to be everlasting bliss and joy, not with regard to the second part of your question, no.

In the book of Revelation hell is distinguished from the second death, also known as the lake of fire. Revelation chapter 20 verse 14 then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death, the lake of fire.

If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Just a few verses earlier in Revelation 20 verse 10 John said, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever after. This is a sobering doctrine, but it should impact you in a certain way.

If you're not a Christian. It should arouse you from unbelief and sin during the words of Jesus echoing in your mind what does it profit a man to gain the whole world to lose his soul is to hear this. If you don't know Jesus. If you're not walking with the Lord. Let this rouse you hell is a real place judgment for those who have turned away from God and if you are a Christian, it should arouse you as well to get the gospel out our member that story gets defined on YouTube Penn Gillette. He's a famous magician and atheist who talks about an encounter he had with Amanda was a Christian tried to share the faith with him and he said that it didn't bother him at all because if someone believes in hell, it would be unloving for them not to share the message of the gospel he gets it. I think a lot of times we as Christians don't get it.

And so, after yes I may hell is a real place. We have to affirm the teaching of Scripture. The good news of the gospel, though, is that Jesus at the cross bore hell for you and for me so that we could have hope so that we could be delivered. Thank you so much for your question. Would love to hear your question you can call us right now or anytime 24 hours a day at 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 and a role as go to another call about three years ago. There is a lady cutting my hair and we shared our favorite both Christian and I shared with her that we had one son, and she asked me if we plan on having anymore. My wife and I shared it with her again that we had two miscarriages and my wife and I are both in her 50s and that ship sailed.

Now having another child is one of my deepest desires. But during the haircut.

She explained me that she felt like God was telling her that he was going to give us another baby that never happened.

So my question is when ordinary people prophesy like that. Are they being deceived are they doing it for malicious purposes or they just brought Banks's hey John, thank you for sharing that story. You know sometimes it is deception. Sometimes it's thinking that the random thought they had was the Holy Spirit, but it does show us shows you know why this kind of theology can be really, really dangerous look that I've heard of churches that teach these kinds of things and it has done a lot of harm.

Not long ago, a member of one particular church that I heard about lost their daughter tragically, but because of this theology they embrace. They basically tried to name it and claim it that the little girl would come back from the dead. She had died but for weeks, people were unwilling to accept it and I'm not saying John that this girl was doing that to you but I am sorry for what she said. It sounds to me mostly like she's probably been misled by her own pastors and they can go if I have strong feelings, nor even strong desires. Maybe that's God speaking to me. Churches that teach this kind of thing are spiritually abusive. I think because they can key in on people's deepest desires and exploit them. This is where I think people get confused as they read the New Testament and they think will look I see miracles happening everywhere prophecy taking place.

You have guys like Ada Bisson in the book of acts are what Paul said in first Corinthians chapter 14 they see those things and they assume that that should be our normal Christian experience. I I should be prophesying people should be prophesying over me. Well, that's not the normal Christian life and for two reasons. One, in redemptive history. That is, you know the history that we have recorded for us in the pages of the Bible miraculous activity.

Often times clustered around those moments when God was breaking in and accomplishing redemption you think of the Exodus all the miraculous things that were happening there. The plagues of Egypt that the splitting of the Red Sea, or you think of the incarnation that the ministry the life of Jesus that the miracles of them over people saying when Jesus was healing and casting out demons that were so we've never seen anything like this.

That was not the ordinary sort of life of the people of God to miraculous activity prophetic utterances. Oftentimes those things work clustered around those moments when God was breaking in in history and accomplishing redemption. The other thing that a lot of times people don't understand John is that these signs help to authenticate the message of the gospel in the early church. And that's exactly what the author the Hebrews said in Hebrews chapter 2 verses three and four.

How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation, it was declared at first by the Lord and then it was tested to us by those who heard while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will see the connection.

There between the advancement of the gospel and miraculous attestation God bearing witness since God accomplished redemption once for all, in Jesus. Revelation new revelation in the sense of the prophets and apostles is no longer needed to hear me out here. I'm not saying that God can do miracles today. I believe that he does say that ordinarily you know where God is working it's in the ordinary it's in the preaching of the word. It's in prayer. It's in fellowship, and so John I'd know I don't know what this girl's intent was.

I'm prone to think you know she didn't have any malice. That means you probably believed was hearing your story and wanted to encourage you, perhaps. And so she said that she felt like maybe that's what God was putting on her heart.

But we have to be careful that we distinguish between our feelings, even our sincere and strong feelings in the spirit of God, nor the spirit of God is speaking right now in and through the Scriptures, if you want to hear God's voice open up God's word and deed. God is speaking to us through his word today and that's the first place that all of us should go. This is Gore Christianity Bill Meyer with Pastor Israel Sanchez and you know as we reflect right now on the difficulties that that families and churches and businesses pretty much everybody is facing right now. Having a sure confidence in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross is so critical and here at core Christianity. We are doing our best to answer the hard questions of our time with both skeptics and committed Christians in mind that's really our goal, we want to talk to both groups and we want to give answers that not only show why Christianity is true but also why it's good and it's beautiful and your support alongside the work that our team does to produce an heir. This broadcast is making a huge difference. A difference in helping other people to live with hope and with joy and with confidence and that difference I think all of us know is eternal so please if you would consider sending a gift to help us continue this ministry as a thank you for your gift of $20 or more. We'd love to send you our new core Christianity Bible study on Paul's letter to the Romans. We talked about this before is an outstanding Bible study that will help you grow in your faith and would be great for small group study as well to make a donation and to receive the study on Romans just head over to core Christianity.com enter. We had an email comment from Janet and she asks this question she says is it possible to be a genuine believer in Jesus Christ. Without being a genuine disciple, Janet, thank you for that question and I'm turning to Matthew 28. You know I think of the great commission that Jesus gave to his disciples after his resurrection from the dead, and he sends them out into the world and he says to them in Matthew 28. Beginning in verse 18, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I've commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age is so funny church. As you know, we often have these sort of pithy mission statements.

You know that we come up with the mission of our church in particular but you know what that the mission statement that Jesus gave to the church is its) in Matthew 28 go into all the world and make disciples.

I always hear churches talking about getting decisions for Christ. We don't want decisions.

We want disciples and I don't think that you can be a genuine believer without also being that a disciple we'd understand what that means. Jesus is baptized and teach so disciple is a learner that this doesn't mean that were the best students think about the original disciples of Jesus. How often does Jesus save them and you still not understand.

Have you guys not gotten it yet. So we have to be careful with a couple of things there.

There are two concerns that I have one is easy believe is cheap grace.

I said a prayer I'm saved. I don't really follow Jesus at all me doesn't impact my life Christianity, but there was a time years ago where I went for dinner at a crusade or something like that so I'm sure that I'm saved because I believe right believed in Jesus will I think that person is probably to see the other problem, though, that I think we have to watch out for is resting in our works instead of in Jesus people who say look, look at how good of a disciple I am. I must be saved and there putting their confidence actually not in what Jesus has done in their own obedience and what that does over time is it creates exhaustion. You know what when you're living like that when you're looking to yourself to your own obedience to how good of a disciple you are is a sort of up and down roller coaster. There are times you feel like yes you know I'm pleasing to the Lord and II must be saved in their other times we say boy you know I failed yesterday I failed this morning.

I must not be a Christian. But you've been baptized.

You believe you are a disciple, and were all sort of on this journey, growing more and more in the grace and the knowledge of Jesus Christ and so Janet I think that if we keep those two sort of polar opposites in balance, unity of the one of easy believe is some sort of cheap grace. The other one of legalism trusting in our own efforts I think will do well. The middle line is know I trust fully in Jesus Christ. I'm a disciple I'm a learner I'm a part of the body of Christ, but realizing that were still day by day being sanctified were knocking to be perfect, and so are confidence. Our hope is not in how good of a disciple. We are in a what what grade were in. If you will, but the level of learning. We received and achieved. It's always in Jesus and we know as we trust in Jesus. He's in a continue to work in us and accomplish the work that he began in us and completed the last day there, a drill that brings up another question. There are some Christian leaders who stressed the importance of the Lordship of Christ and they actually say that it's not enough that Christ is simply your Savior. If you are not following him as Lord and I'm curious how you would respond to that.

Yeah there have been debates in the Christian church about this very thing you know can I accept Jesus as Savior but not as Lord and obviously it we can't cut Jesus into pieces he know he is who he is. He is both Savior and Lord. He's the king of all creation, will hold all things by the word of his power and Jesus said if any man would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Are we putting people's confidence in Jesus are we pointing them back to themselves. You can't accept Jesus as Savior but not as Lord in the same way that you can't be a disciple and and not believe him in a week.

This is, I think maybe one of the big problems is people want to embrace a part of Jesus. I think we have to embrace Christ for all that he is, but the reality is, each of us fall short of that and that's why that. The good news of the gospel isn't, I've perfectly followed Jesus. It's Jesus perfectly obeyed so that I could be justified so that even though I fall short hard as I tried, I'm still righteous in God's sight.

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