Is it Hypocritical to Doubt that God is Real, but Still Go to Church?

This is core Christianity, where answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday.

Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question. At 1833.

The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez will back the core. The program will answer your questions about the faith time with Prof. Michael Horton and I'm pastor a drill Sanchez want to thank you for joining us again here as we talked about the Scriptures together when you pray, are you usually alone or with someone else when it comes to prayer. We do it silent and solo.

According to one study, 82% of Christians most often pray silently by themselves. 13% pray audibly and by themselves 2% say they pray audibly with another person or group, and 2% say they do it collectively with the church how this is fascinating to consider when you think about the fact that the requests in the Lord's prayer the prayer that Jesus taught us to prayer in the first person plural give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts lead us not into temptation. We got a question here from Tara about the Lord's prayer. Let's listen in my Tara drawing from white feet and it seemed like a little thing that the Lord prayer finger drill some translations say that I will be gone or erred, as it is in heaven that most services that I and they need the Lord on and it just kind of a big difference between whether you have peanut butter and peanut butter on this temple changes at one letter is quite a bit in the meaning and I'd like to know if there is a translation problem God's will. Will began honor that he'd also come to be with Anat but then our heart so I will he stay in the Lord instead of on a kid and that's my hope that his work is being done with Anat in the kingdom of God is with Anna anyway opinion on a question what's going on that thank you very much. I think you Tara, you're making me hungry. Without that analogy letter all you will first of all, off in the loop when you have in the earth. You have an archaic or an older translation like the King James. That's just often how that preposition was used. People would say you know in the earth. How great is your glory in all the earth, and so forth. It's really not a difference in the Greek it's not a translation problem the better translations have on the earth.

And here's the reason Jesus actually didn't say the kingdom of God is within you.

King James trailer the kingdom of God is within you. That's not what Jesus said.

He said the kingdom of God is among you, and wherever the king is there is the kingdom. This is not the sort of individualistic Jesus in my heart thing.

This is kingdom why this is global. This is on the earth. He is bringing his kingdom now, his kingdom wasn't consummated yet, but he's Jesus says pray your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. What is it mean to say, your kingdom come.

Well it means. May your word and spirit so flourish in this fallen world that there is a correspondence somewhere in the world around the world between what you will in heaven and what is being done on the earth.

In other words what it was. God will in heaven, righteousness, peace, love and joy through the spirit. What does the apostle Paul say that the church represents and the individual Christians who make up the church.

While the fruit of the spirit which is peace, joy, love, self-control, patience, kindness, gentleness, and so forth. Now the way this kingdom comes is through the proclamation of the word baptism and the Lord's supper. How do we know that will the great commission Jesus said, go into all the world and make disciples by preaching the gospel by baptizing and by teaching them everything that I have commanded so this is how the kingdom comes on the earth is not just by personal, individual relationship with Jesus.

It's through these outward external means publicly proclaimed creating a corporate fellowship of saints, and that's why you next to 42 we read that they gather regularly for the apostles teaching and fellowship for the breaking of the bread Lord's supper and the prayers.

So it's a corporate thing. They were gathering together regularly so that the kingdom of God could come upon them and that's how the, the, the kingdom spreads throughout the book of acts we know that the kingdom spreads whenever we read in the word of God spread isn't that interesting. The growth of the kingdom, the growth of the church is identified by that phrase and the word of God spread not they had a bigger parking lot not they got a really charismatic guy up there, but the word of God spread to work wherever the word of God is spreading in the power of the Holy Spirit people are coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and growing in that saving knowledge that is how the kingdom comes and that's what we should pray for more and more that his will would be done on earth, namely that that word that law and gospel would be proclaimed and people would receive it, embrace it and live in the light of it.

That's what were praying we say, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In a one of the things I think especially with that last phrase as it is in heaven is really neat. But throughout the Bible you have this teaching that both the heavenly bodies, the stars, the moon, the sun and the heavenly beings.

The Angels are obedient to the will of God. So you think about the heavenly bodies Psalm 104 verse 19 he made the moon to mark the seasons, the sun knows the time for its settings obedient to the Lord. We also think about the heavenly beings the Angels listen to what Psalm 103 verses 2221 says bless the Lord, all you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word obeying the voice of his word. Bless the Lord always hosts his ministers who do his will so you think about it right. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In heaven the heavenly bodies in the heavenly beings.

The Angels obey the will of the Lord outsourcing Lord help us also to obey your word and your will is this gospel is going out and failure hope that that's encouraging to you and and boy hope that as you pray, that for yourself and for the people around you that your encouraged as well. So let's go to another question. Now here's a Facebook message that we received from Kelly. Is it hypocritical to doubt that God is real and still go to church. Wow, what a great question yeah so practical. Kelly, let me just tell you there is room for doubters around Jesus and think about the disciples of our Lord while he was on earth. It seems like all of them exhibited doubts on one occasion or another you think about Thomas specifically who even after everything Jesus had said still questioned his resurrection, or think about John the Baptist in a Jesus said John the Baptist was the greatest man ever born Bible says he was the prophet of the most high God. But you know what when John was in prison he sent messengers to Jesus wondering are you the one or should we look for someone else, which you can.

John the Baptist had these doubts and Jesus often responded graciously to his disciples who had a hard time getting it. I don't know where you're at right now. Kelly maybe your doubting and you feel like your doubts make you unfit for being in church, but I would say don't stop going actually immersed yourself more deeply into the life of the church into the word of God because faith comes by hearing the word of Christ.

Paul said in Romans chapter 10, you can be a genuine believer and still wrestle with doubts, sister, let me also say I've been walking with Jesus and studying the word for 16 years now, and the more I learn about God's word and see God work around me, the more my faith has been strengthened and the fact that Jesus Christ really is God and he came and died and rose again from the dead.

For me if you have questions. That's okay, just to let them fester dig into the word stay in church talk to your pastor and pray pray that the Lord would open your eyes more and more the truth of his word and look it. If you are afraid that your hypocrite because you have questions while you're in church and you're probably not hypocrite and hypocrites in church aren't worried hot tech highlighting the 10 that is rightly gave when they don't exactly their happy putting on a mask for everyone else. It sounds to me like you want to be genuine faith does not exclude all doubts that's right. And so I Kelly's sister.

I would say no, stay in church be in church be under the ministry of the word and talk to brothers and sisters, especially her beer pastor and your elders to to work through some of these things. I think a lot of times people do when they have doubts Mike in this. This is so unfortunate is they don't search the Scriptures they just week we can't get this lazy attitude, we say well I don't know and we throw our hands in the air and that's when I think doubts can lead to unbelief. Yeah, I think as we search the Scriptures as we say okay I have questions but I would look for answers, and we realize the word of God really has good answers you Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. There you go. I mean I go to church like that because there are corners nooks and crannies of unbelief in my heart I go to church because I need that word that produces faith that enlivens faith that deepens faith in all we think we have doubts we should go to church, that would be hypocritical. No is precisely when we have doubts that we should go to church bring our unfaithfulness are caving into sinful temptation bring our questions and our fears and are doubts and anxieties to the Lord. Who else do we have, to bring them to and also allow this opportunity for God to do his work through his word and through his people. The reason we know Kelly that God is real is because he rose from the dead.

John says in first John we saw him with our eyes, we handled him with her hands. We we saw him we heard him. We walked with him.

We ate with them right. That's how tangible God is, but we say okay yes but he's ascended to the right hand of the father. Yes, he's incarnate. Yes, he's human God in flesh, yet we don't see him anymore. But the question here is whether he speaks to us still.

Through his word and by his Spirit, whom he sent into our hearts we have something better than walking around the Sea of Galilee with Jesus at his side. When we didn't even the disciples didn't understand what he was saying now with Jesus ascending in the spirit being poured out. We actually have the Holy Spirit, teaching and confirming in our hearts what Jesus said so you should be told just don't doubt that doesn't help at all. You should be given reasons. If it's an intellectual problem primarily there are answers and go to court, Christianity.com website. There are some real answers there about how I know that God is real, how do I know Jesus rose from the dead. If your doubting something go check it out. Go look into it, but I want to tell you right now Kelly, Israel, and I still have doubts. Even the more we also are confirmed in the truth of Christianity. It's not as if the more you grow in your confidence that Christianity is true eventually you leave all the doubts behind sometimes you have doubts you didn't have before because it in all the you're just working through it all and that's fine were frail creatures.

God knows that you know Paul tells us if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself. Bank on that count on that hold onto that your faithfulness cannot undermine or cancel his faithfulness to you. Amen. You know can just take a minute to pray for Kelly right now.

Father, we thank you for this question that we've received and I pray for Kelly Lord, that she would know you will love for her. She would know that Jesus came and gave himself to forgive her sins and that she would cling to that that word that promise in the gospel and Lord, that she would be able to rejoice and rest in the work of Christ for her Lord and that the doubts she has. Lord, as she continues to study your word that what they would fade away in his new new doubts come, Lord, that she would continue to cling to you and for all those Lord listening who who have doubts what would you strengthen them in the faith in which you ground them in your word. We pray in Jesus name Amen amen. It was into the core and we are answering your questions about the faith.

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That's 833 the core go to another question now. The real object or treatment: structural for my understanding the Bible calls for peacemakers, but my question is there a time when we could intervene in people's lives, how we balance being a peacemaker and being overly involved in people's private water yeah's tightrope is not just what people can often think of peace as the absence of conflict, but it's really not. Peace requires us to work through conflict and deal with differences and divisions. Evidently it seems the church in Thessalonica was getting some bad teaching since Christ could come any day.

They were told that they should basically stop their daily work and wait for Jesus. At least that's what some of the teachers were passing out there. And Paul is trying to refute that. He says idle hands are the devil's workshop and some believers evidently became busybodies poking their nose and everybody else's business. So Paul counters it all in second Thessalonians 3.

In verses 11 through 15.

He says for we hear that some of you walk in idleness, not busy at work but busybodies now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

As for you, brothers do not grow weary in doing good. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter.

Take note of that person and have nothing to do with him that he may be ashamed, not regard him as an enemy but warned him as a brother. We shouldn't get involved in every matter, every detail of other people's lives, but we see that things are wrong.

The peacemaking thing to do is to get involved and help resolve the conflict.

Inasmuch as that lies with us, you know. And this is what Jesus taught in Matthew 18.

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother, but he does not listen, take one or two others along with you that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them tell it to the church and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Now this is tough stuff. But what he saying here is, there is a process of peacemaking, you don't. First of all, go to the elders and say this is what happened to me this person has done me wrong you first log to that person but if if he doesn't listen to you. The take couple of other people. If that doesn't work, take it to the church to make it a case since were going to judge angels. Paul says in first Corinthians we ought not to bring our cases before law courts we should bring them to the church so that's what Jesus is teaching us here at the end of the day. Then we have an obligation as individual members of the church to confront those we believe have wronged us directly.

We also have an obligation to be part of the one or two people who go along with someone who is offended but at the end of the day we can be vigilantes. We can stick our nose into everybody's business.

And we have to realize that the Lord appoints elders in his church, not to represent us and our interests in our opinions but to represent Christ and his kingdom to make wise, godly decisions, in particular cases take advantage of that. That's one of the things that we do we join the church. We agree to submit to the admonition and discipline of the church. All of us together are in this together and we are all equally even pastors and elders as well. We are all mutually admonished and cared for and guided and encouraged, and sometimes rebuked by each other. Amen Mike here's a Facebook message we got from Brian. Romans 311 says no one seeks God is the Bible speaking literally.

I asked because I've met some people who were not Christians and definitely look like they were seeking God and then later gave their lives to Christ.

Try to make sense of this experience. But the Bible sometimes speaks in a way that makes it sound like there are no seekers in every nonbeliever hates God. I don't really understand this. Yeah, yeah, Paul is speaking literally. Here he adds in the next verse. In fact, is Romans 312.

There is no one who does good, no, not even one as if you were taking me literally no, not even one person now course, this doesn't make sense to us because we see people, even non-Christians, as you say Brian doing good things all the time.

Sometimes outshining Christians and we know people who are seeking God. How do we square this with what Paul say Paul saying, yet not in the sense that I have in mind here, we may seek a God by our nature without God's regenerating grace, we may even seek after the true God until we come to realize from Scripture who is and they hold us accountable for our sin and then we run from them. We may embrace any number of religious or spiritual alternatives were created in God's image and are therefore by nature worshipers. But that's why there's idolatry so people are seeking spirituality there seeking a God, higher power, but we seek and worship a God we can handle a God, we can control a God we like maybe even a God who is like us. And of course there are people who do wonderful things that we consider virtuous, but the only works that God considers good are those that are commanded in his law, not ones that we just make up ourselves and are motivated by his gospel numbers.

They spring from faith. As Paul says in Romans 1413. Whatever is not from faith is sin right so it might be what we consider a good work we look at the fruit and say all that's an Apple but it doesn't come from Appletree and the only reason anyone seeks God is because God is already first seeking that person. The only reason the person comes to God is because God himself is drawing them. So Paul saying that apart from God's grace. Left to our own sinful nature.

We don't seek God as he's revealed himself in his word, especially in his gospel with Christ as the Savior from sin and death. A great passage here I refer you to is Ephesians 2137 and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power the air of the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind, but God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even while we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved so even while we are spiritually dead, God makes us alive in Jesus Christ.

At no point are we in charge of this. At no point does God say okay all your dad, but I'll kind of put you in a position where you're in ICU and you decide whether you're going to take the medicine he gives us the medicine he raises us from spiritual death.

He seeks us.

It's not that he seeks us. Therefore we don't seek him is that if anyone is seeking him is because he is already drawing them to his some thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us@corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu for or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33. The core when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time.

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