The Narrow Path

Welcome to the narrow path radio broadcast. My name is Steve Greg and the we are taking phone calls today as usual were live for an hour and if you have questions about the Bible of the Christian faith.

You can call in if you have a difference of opinion from the host like a balance, feel free to call her about that to the number to call is 844-484-5737 844-484-5737 one announcement and that is that tomorrow night if you're in Southern California. We have meeting meeting once in a while into macula no more than once a month.

Sometimes once or two months and it's just a Q&A but you're welcome to join us for that. If you're in the to macula area you go online to the narrow path.com and look under announcements and find the information for the gathering tomorrow night will talk first of all to Mike from Denver Colorado.

Mike, welcome to the neuropathic for calling you good afternoon Steve, thank you so much for taking my call so great to talk to you again. All my might and why Neil on 24 Jan from Colorado and I just really. I actually really enjoyed your YouTube videos yesterday on the book of Daniel, and I highly recommend to your YouTube channel to everyone out there so yeah the website. Oh, sorry, I just said there's a link to it from our website right yeah I just highly recommend it to anyone that wants to kind of broaden their understanding of a lot of things in the Bible. You do a really good job of clarifying. I wanted things in there so on.

I wanted to talk a little bit about fortune-telling and references and needs to it in the Bible so first of all, Deuteronomy 18, nine through 13 on when you are right in the promised land.

You must be very careful lest you be corrupted by the horrible customs of the nations now living there. No one makeup practice black magic or call on the evil spirits eat or be a fortuneteller or be a certain charm or medium or wizard or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone doing these things is an object of disgust to the Lord and it is because nations do these things that the Lord your God will displace them on another verse.

Isaiah 819. So why are you trying to find out the future by consulting which is mediums don't listen to their windscreens and mutterings can the living. Find out the future from the dead, why not ask your God. So my comment on this all proper seek in the Bible in some way edify God telling of future events concerning God, the birth of the son of God, and the final return of God to collect his followers and establish his kingdom. Jesus being God came to earth with the intention of sacrificing his life for our sins on his acts were pre-and so on. So what is your lesson. So yeah so my question is actually is ever acceptable to seek information from clairvoyants such as psychics and mediums or for church fortunetellers and what is your opinion on the biblical view of fortunetellers think well I agree with the Bible you read, you read the passage in Deuteronomy 18 you have additional statements of the same kind in Leviticus 18 and 19 you read Isaiah 8 I very agree with everything the Bible says now there's no there's no mention of fortune-telling in the New Testament per se, except that there are some occultists like a demon possessed girl in Philippi that had a demon and when the demon was cast out of her. She couldn't tell fortunes anymore and there also magicians like us.

Simon the sorcerer and among the works of the flesh mentioned in Galatians chapter 5 there's also what's called sorcery and so both the old and the New Testament forbid any I guess we could just put a broad category. Any contact with spirits other than with God himself, rather than coming. The idea is that God wants to us to be in relation with him and there are mysteries not known to us in this world, but belonging to other worlds that we are curious about but if God doesn't tell us about them. He must not want us to know about them, and so he just wants going off to other sources because they are demonic and I believe that one of the main ways that people become demonized, or demon possessed is through involvement in the cult so obvious him totally on the side of the Bible about that as I'm sure you probably knew I would appreciate your call. Okay Tim from Turner, Oregon. Welcome to the neuropathic for calling you. 124 to 26 were well 20 forces, but to those whom God has called both Hughes and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God in at listening to this guy, Hughes, claiming that this call talking about is people who actually know got God chose from eternity past, but I can't quite put my finger on it but I don't think that has anything to do with God. Selecting people for salvation and I was wondering if you could comment on the wealth Paul does. On occasion, refer to Christians excellence were called and and Calvinist believe that this means that they are called effectually and drawn irresistibly by God's grace because they are the elect from the foundation before the foundation of the world so they would use the word called as as Paul uses it here to refer to only the Christians and yet they know that there are passages in the Old Testament and the new the target God calling people who don't come.

For example, Isaiah 65 says I called and no one no one answered or Jesus said many are called but few are chosen. So there's obviously a larger number of people who are called then there are who come in her chosen Jesus said of course through the people of Jerusalem, I said how many times I would've gathered your children as a hen gathers her chicks under her wing, but you would not. So God calls and people do not come sometimes. So the Calvinists the menu or listen to is a Calvinist Calvinists believes there's 22 calls Rick to talk about what is the call that comes to people through the gospel. They hear the gospel, but another one is another kind of call that comes only to the elect and it's an inward call that the gospel is an external call and the internal call is that which God activates within those who are elect for salvation and those who are called in that sense are effectually called the call that the effectual call which has to do with irresistible grace that God irresistibly draws those whom is elected. I don't believe that Dr. it's true that Paul does refer to the Christians as the called in some sense, and obviously he talks about early survival target people being called who don't become Christians but I think it simply calling Christians the called emphasizes the fact that we are we have been called by Christ, and we have responded we are the ones who responded to the call out the fact that he doesn't mention that we are the ones responded as it goes without saying he's writing to Christians who clearly have responded to the gospel but I think by referring to us as the called. He does this again and it is at eight. Romans 828 hello all things work together for good to those who love God and who are the called according to his purpose. Other called would be the ones who he is called and obviously have and have come to him so I mean I disagree with the assumption that the word call refers to something about predestination necessarily.

I think God calls everybody who hears the gospel and those who respond to the call who acknowledge the call and acknowledge themselves as called and so we could refer to ourselves as those that God has called.

Even though he's called others who didn't come that that's not in the picture windows when it statements been made when talking about others that helped me understand that I mean when when you read the Scripture. I think a person intuitively knows that God is willing that any should care and he desires all men to be saved so you say we know it intuitively and I agree with you I greasy when you read the Bible you find that God wants people to repent is not happy when they don't. Is he gets angry at people who who don't respond to him at times and and therefore it's obvious from Scripture that he didn't determine that these people would be no would reject him and others would accept them but Calvinist believe that he did determine that. And it's funny because I've I've often mentioned that I think anyone just reading the Bible and never have been exposed to Calvinist teaching would never become a Calvinist, but but Calvinists have said no such right. I forgot to say I read the Bible to become a Calvinist. That way I'm not really sure what part they were reading that there's no part of the Bible that by itself would lead you to become a Calvinist, pretty much the direction of Calvinist teachers for that. Okay thank you all right, thanks for your call Anthony from Providence, Rhode Island. Welcome to the neuropathic for calling happy hi writing you think. Thank you for taking my call. In the Bible. There were a lot of that team that the Lord allowed to be king and my question is why did he allow that which I'm supposing is probably pretty well were those kings ordained by him in terms of him, knowing that they would be back kings for judgment or something like that and also that happen in the future with future Pres. here in the United States. That's a good question because a lot of people think that the Bible teaches that all the kings that rise up and all the rulers rise up our are specifically ordained by God as opposed to someone else who could have been written up, but God actually said to to the people of this realm. In Hosea 84 they set up kings but not by me. So God indicates that the kings of Israel set up Hayden set them up now. God did set up the kings in Judah because he appointed David and all of his successors to the rulers in Judah and so by choosing David and his successors. There is a natural succession of Dick to the throne. And so they were, we could say that God set them up. Not so much individually, but as a dynasty in the northern kingdom.

There were several different dynasties because what God did set of Jeroboam as the first King of the northern kingdom but then you find other kings rising up in later generations and killing and taking over the throne from things that are not related to so there's like several different dynasties rise and fall, and so God is not taking responsibility for those kings, the Bible says there is no authority but of God in Romans 13. I don't believe it same that God always raises up who's going to be an authority, but that when somebody is in a position of authority because they are the afforded comes of that position is God's authority appointed to someone in that role. That is, a person has the authority because God has put as allow that position or into being authoritative position. He told Jesus told Pilate he would have no authority if was not given to you from above, but that doesn't actually mean that no one else could have been in that office other than Pilate. Whoever was in that office would have that authority because God has ordained that there be offices of authority. Would he always put the right king in there or he can God certainly can.

It says in Daniel, the day that God raises up kings and takes down kings to say that doesn't mean he does it every time, but he did if he doesn't.

Sometimes he does what he wants to do it. That's true, he does raise up kings what he wants to do it and he brings down kings when he wants it. That's not a statement that says it every time a king rises or falls, that God must've done it necessarily like, like it says in Proverbs 21, one, the hand of the king in the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord is the rivers of water, he turns it whithersoever he wills. So God turns the hearts of kings but that doesn't mean every time a king makes a decision that got his start.

His heart means that this is something God has the power to do and does what he wants to when he wants to he can harden Pharaoh's heart when he wants to he can stop heart inverters are what he wants to he can put in Cyrus's heart to let the people go from their captivity, he can put things in people in King's hearts but that does me that every decision came next outputted. That's basically these statements are saying that God is in power, he can raise up a king you can bring down a king recently brought down to Herod Agrippa when an angel the Lord struck him in worms item. Many died in acts chapter 12 and so he can also turn their hearts if he wants to, but he doesn't always intervene. God usually lets people make their own decisions and in the case of a nation that's very rebellious against him as Israel and Judah were most of their history with kings for them to have a bad king is a judgment upon them, and God allows it. He might even give them a bad king but he may not have to. It may be the bad kings coming up through the Pike and the normal processes of natural succession and God just doesn't interfere.

He lets them have a bad king because they deserve it. So I don't know. I don't know that we can say that every person becomes president or person becomes king. God specifically selected that person to be in that role he might have. Sometimes he does. I just don't know the Bible saying it's always the case in a nation like ours where real the people decide who's giving the ruler we could say that God works behind the scenes to put it in the minds of the voters to vote as they do or we could just assume that you know God lets things take their natural course and the person. People vote for the person they deserve and that and so if we have bad rulers.

It may be because we deserve bad rulers because were chosen were bad people. So there is there is a possibility that you know in future elections that the Lord could raise up the president that would act you know how to judgment on either this country or some someplace else I'm hearing that it's possible quite an end in 11.

A quick question on Matthew. Matthew three 617 he could see if it meant we 17 that at all.

All your stuff at 713.

This Matthew settled.com 13 seven. Do they have a way of accepting donations you know I don't I don't think they do. I think they do.

It's just all yeah if you make a donation. There apparently goes to our ministry. Okay you had with Eric Cantor there okay I don't know much about several people have worked on that website. Just as volunteers may be created just like everything else this misery.

People just get a volunteer to do things and they have not sought to be reimbursed for it so they just a free service. One weekend all right, thank you very much good talking to Anthony okay Paul from Bonavista Colorado. Welcome to have Paul hi. My question today I did with that last one with the sovereignty of God and of course the Calvinistic thing that goes on in the body and in there is a certain… And it hit me when I you you and other people about a great talk about sovereign God is trying to really get my mind around that. What is it mean to you that God is sovereign, glad to answer that. First of all, the Bible doesn't use the word sovereign.

Well I should say the older translations talk to you for you find some newer translations that might use the word sovereign in some ways but not usually of God but God.

God is sovereign. We know that because he's called a king and a king is a sovereign, by definition, he's called the father and in the household.

The father sovereign is called a master and a master sovereign over servants and so forth so that God is called king or master or father our terms of authority and the word sovereignty means authority. Sovereignty means unchallengeable authority final authority the king in his kingdom, at least in biblical times could make any decision he wanted to do. He could order somebody dead to die if they if he wanted to. Even without a trial, he could confiscate their land as we see King Ahab, Ahaz doing sitting.

Ahab and so we have you know kings could just go do what they wanted to do and that's sovereignty means basically being in supreme authority and basically being able to do things without having to answer to anyone else. That's what the word means.

Now God is sovereign in that sense because God created all things. He has the right to do whatever he wants. He got the authority if he didn't like what's going on on earth enough if he disliked about you just smash it vaporizes me to be within his rights.

He's got the authority to do that he owns it now where I don't agree with Calvinist ideas of sovereignty they add to the term sovereignty something that's not inherent in the word sovereignty and they what they add is meticulous Providence not meticulous province might be an unfamiliar word Providence means that God is doing things providentially and meticulous man see you do it right down to the last detail, so it would be meticulous province to be that God is down to the last detail, ordaining everything that happens in and make everything happen that happens and nothing can happen, except that he is ordain it to happen. I would call that micromanagement and a person is a sovereign might be a micromanager or not, you know, if I'm what you say I own a company and I'm sovereign over that company my employees. I own it and so I can make any decision I want to policies or whatever my employees have to submit to me if I'm the owner of the company, but the way I manage the company is my decision. I could micromanage it and not let anyone make any decisions of their own, or I could give responsibility to people. I could give management roles to people. I could even let the lower echelon of workers have certain liberty to make certain decisions that would not challenge my sovereignty because I'm still in charge. It's set I is one in charge of making the decision to let these people have that much flexibility.

I don't have to, but I can and so can God.

God is sovereign. He could do whatever he wants to do.

People like well I don't, I won't name any names, but certain Calvinists that I've talked to and read they talk as if if there's anything that God doesn't ordain to happen and it happens that he didn't ordain it, and he's not sovereign that's not true that's just silly that's that's suggesting that being sovereign means you have to ordain every detail of what happens. That's the Calvinist view of course it's meticulous Providence, but that's not true. If God is sovereign, he can decide what he wants to do and give people free will.

He can let people determine things for themselves to the point he can intervene whenever he wants to, but he doesn't have to intervene into everything.

He doesn't have to ordain everything that's his business if he wants to or not in the Bible indicates he does not that good. That time into Hebrews 64 word talks about someone as been enlightened by the heavenly gifts and so forth.

And then falls away God being sovereign would know that this person will eventually come back to them or not. In an and so I guess that passage makes that this passage makes it sound like they will be coming back, and yet God gave them God gave them the heavenly gift, and they were partakers of the Holy Spirit, summing it was obvious that if God gave them the Holy Spirit and gave them the heavenly gift, and enlighten them. Then he wanted them to be saved, he would have done that if he didn't want to say but the fact they fall away means they're doing something that God didn't want them to do and and if they don't repent doesn't suggest the passage, then they won't be saved either so God wants them say good that happened more than once. I am Batman and so you know I could be the guided know the Lord years ago and gets semi-seriously but really wasn't old enough and mature enough.

What have you to be able to really understand what it meant to follow through much the same way in my marriage.

Most of the student that I made. My life is very immature and childlike child. No bad decisions and and now that I'm 54 years old. I look at it may go his mercy and his grace and is allowing me to now begin to really get back on fire and in and in the middle of the whole baptism the Holy Spirit experience in a charismatic church back in the 90s and then kind of didn't really completely fall away, but would not focused on my walk with the Lord is what they should have been doing a lot of things wrong do a lot of thinning the day and really got to the point right to doubt myself. Until recently, right really dig into the word back in January I call you guys on the radio, and no making it like I need to take a break here, but I appreciate that.

It's a wonderful testimony, but thanks for joining us today.

All right, we do not take a break here listening to the narrow path radio broadcast.

My name is Steve Greg and we are listener supported and I cling to the stations that were on the listers don't support us and I just noticed our finances like all we paid $28,000 to radio stations last month, more than we received when we repay a lot more money for that received all but 20,000 without far behind to go to our website. The narrow path.com you can help us down here if you like there's a donation link. I'll be back in 30 seconds and you know the narrow path radio show is Bible radio that has nothing to sell you everything to do the right thing and share with your family and friends.

Tell them to tune into the narrow count on this radio station narrow path.com where they will find topical audio teachings blog articles and diverse teachings on the radio shows you know listener supported neuropathic Steve Greg share what you know best Steve Greg in our lives for another half hour taking your calls. If you have questions about the Bible of the Christian faith or different view from the house he let's talk about the number to call is 844-484-5737 that's 844-484-5737 and before I take the first call I just want to announce again as I did the beginning of the last half hour that we have a meeting into macula tomorrow night if you're anywhere near there and want to join us. You can go to our website.

The narrow path.com that's the narrow path.com. Click on the tab that says announcements and you'll find the information by the way, I found out yesterday and I put it on Facebook that my new book on the kingdom of God is already available for preorder on Amazon. I just happen to check see was and lo and behold it is so the book will be coming out.

I think probably for about a month, but you can preorder on Amazon in the name of the book is what you have to search for to go to Amazon and put in the search you can put my name Steve Greg in there and it might bring it around my other books I don't know if it got different results are done that and I don't know if my new book comes up there but you can put in the title of the book. The book is called Empire of the risen son SON Empire of the risen son, if you check Amazon you'll see the cover of it there and in some endorsements of it by some people and you can also preorder it if you want to there at this time. It's only volume 1 but it's a phlebotomies for 430 pages and did a lot.

It's complete. You don't need to read both books, but it will.

I had written originally one book in two parts, but there's got too long so I made it to books. The second book will be coming out I think.

About a month later, the publisher has both manuscripts and I think this first one will be coming out. I believe that the end of this month. Probably. And then the second will probably go to next month so anyway if you want to preorder go to Amazon and put in the search menu Empire of the risen son my name Steve Greg. It might come up that way. All right, let's look carelessly let's talk to Darrell from Sacramento, California Darrell, welcome to the narrow path.

Thanks for calling sure not to be offered about the light and shadow things because that the worshipers once birds should have no more colleges of sin explain no more conscience of sin. I will cease. The writer here in Hebrews chapter 10 is saying that the old covenant day of atonement, when the high priest went into the holy of holies it took care of things for the nation for the year.

That is, it kinda covered than the national sins for the previous year and then the next year on the dance. All you have to do it again and then exited again because the nation Generating sins and guilt, and the day of atonement only covered the year of of at a time so what he saying is if the day of atonement had covered all sins permanently forever like the sacrifice of Christ. It then they wouldn't have to be aware of the need for atonement of their sins, year after year after year they would've ceased to offer this Dave atonement sacrifice as if it had covered for permanently so all he's really saying is it. Unlike the high priests who could only offer sacrifices that covered things for year Jesus offered himself once and for all and and this is how he contrasted in Hebrews 1011 and 12.

He says every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

But this man Jesus after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.

So what are you saying is that it's the high priest he could do a God ordained for them to do to cover for the sins of the year. But Jesus, he did it once and for all he's ever have to do it again. That's what that's what the meaning of that statement is Dr. all right, thank you for your call okay see John from Murrieta, California. Welcome to the narrow path things for calling the question@Genesis 15. This is where God says to Abraham that his seed shall be his heirs children whatever like the stars of the CNN eight Abraham nor Abram at that point says how will I know this and he says how shall I know that Hal inherited nieces take to have for this you go with the RAM them. Turtledove the page and any document divine and then it says when the sun was going down the deep sleep fell upon Abram and Lola for great darkness and then we have diverse I think what it is 17 and it came to pass that when the sun was down and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace burning lamp passed between the pieces. What you make of that. Now the one I see it as basically one God was saying Abram will enter the promised land. To me that salvation and what I see here is God basically didn't let Abraham walk between them pieces. He alone went through them so what you make of it.

My pastor told me to the bottom like I came to a different opinion.

Of course you know that a lot of our listeners don't. Perhaps passing through the pieces of these animals bodies was a ritual of the Middle Eastern covenant and what they would do is they take animals a bowl or some other kind animals.

They cut it into pieces. They put the pieces on either side of a passageway and they walk between them and generally the both parties that were involved in the covenant would ghost between them. Now there is something they said along with this, and we have some inscriptions from ancient Babylonia that talk about what what they did say that you basically they said if I break this covenant, may I be torn into pieces like this animal that were walking between them and saw me. It was like wishing curse upon yourself.

If you did not fulfill it. But the idea was of course you will fulfill your promising to do it and it's a it's a firm covenant. Now, in this case there were not two people walking between them. There is a smoking oven and a burning torch now there passing through the park. Sam is now the smoking oven and a burning torch symbolize something now. I was always told that the burning of the symbolize God the father and the burning torch represented Jesus and so God the father and Jesus were covenant thing between themselves to fulfill these promises. Abram and the fact that Abraham didn't have to go through their usually it was interpreted to mean this was unconditional. He didn't have to do anything. This is God green within himself within the Godhead about this, and therefore it's guaranteed regardless what Abram would do. He's not involved even in passing between the parts. That's how it's usually taught now as I studied further on front first of all, I always wondered why they thought that because to refer to God as a smoking oven. I mean that's there's there's no place in the Bible God is compared with an oven. Although it does in Hebrews.

Our God is a consuming fire, but a fire is not specifically nothing and to refer to Jesus as a burning torch in the Old Testament would certainly not be something that would be intuitive that Abraham or anyone else would see all this is God the father is God the son. What he saw was an odd and edit torch so what does an oven in a torch represent well, as you said God or just made promises to Abraham about the Egyptian captivity. He had said you know your your children are going to be in a land that is not their own for 400 years, and I'll bring them back I'll restore them from the captivity and I'm going to give them this land and Abramson will how do I know that in so God made this covenant in the oven in my opinion, represents the Egyptian captivity in the torch in my opinion, represents God's saving them from it. I'll tell you why there are four times to me three times in the Old Testament where the captivity Egypt is referred to as an oven. Moses referred to it that way. In Deuteronomy 420, and Jeremiah referred to it that way. In Jeremiah 11 four and in first Kings chapter 8 verse 51 you find it again that the captivity Egypt was called the iron oven or furnace and that they were delivered from now smoking torture smoking lamp to the King James renders us to finally have some translations do, but if you look at Isaiah chapter 62 and verse one it says for Zion's sake I will not hold my peace and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest until her righteousness goes forth as brightness and her salvation as a burning lamp or burning the King James uses burning lamp is the image in Genesis of the passage were looking at her salvation is like a burning lamp. The captivity is like an iron furnace and iron oven and so God is promising Abraham that his children and offspring will be in Egypt and captivity I captivity. It's later several times. Virgin is a burning oven on iron oven iron furnace and and that he'll deliver them and salvation is like a burning lamp or burning torch and so I think these represent the two elements of God's promise that they are joined inseparably if God can send them into captivity. That will not happen without the other thing that the salvation of the rescue as well. Now I know it has to grieve my interpretation, and most people I think don't. In fact, when I came up with this interpretation was on my own from reading the Old Testament as much as I did, but I did find there was someone else. I remember for is Adam Clarke's commentary later on I found out somebody else to my surprise took up the same way I did.

Not sure who was now long time but so I'm not seeing this necessarily is the oven represents God the father and the torch rep. Since Christ partly because I don't know of anything else in Scripture that would point is that direction seems very arbitrary to suggest okay I see what you're saying. So the other saying I promise you there going for 400 years.

That said smoking furnace and then burning lamp is there deliverance that they are basically going back to this land. Okay well it's interesting thanks you know it's funny. It's funny, I never heard that smoking furnace God the father. I was just reading and I well it's interesting to alright thanks for okay Michael from Dallas, Texas. Welcome to the narrow path. Thanks for calling that question about our program.

I've been meditating on those purses and I become a little bit concerned about the genuineness of my faith and also Christian friends of mine after after thinking about those purses and so I'm wondering if maybe you could comment on what you think will be most essential hallmarks of a person who lives on the narrow path they're not what kind of things. Maybe they can do to get on okay appreciate the questions and talk about Matthew 713 and 14 which is after enter by the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way the path that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way the path which leads to life and there are few who find it.

Jesus is obviously making it clear that is not the easiest thing in the world to have eternal life. Although preachers in order to get numbers of people to respond often try to get some very sweet deal you have to do is say a prayer in your in. You know Jesus made some like it's a difficult way and in the easy way as though the religious path that most people are because Jesus was talking to religious people living a religious society. Israel was a religious society, and that he told his disciples, most people are not on the path that leads to life, even though their religious there's many people who are not finding the way to life from abroad path, but he said there's there are few that are finding it and I think though that you simply reference to his disciples relative few now. Finally he didn't suggest that only a few will ever find it. He simply describing the situation in Israel at that time that they were most people were certainly on the wrong path and I think at all times in history. Most people it on the wrong path, but there's no prediction here that there would never be a change that after all the same. Revelation chapter 7 in verse 14 that there's an innumerable company that no one could number who are from every nation in kindred, and tongue and people who are saved and seen their wave in the palm branches and all that worshiping God so there will be many saved but at any given time. It seems that relatively few of the living population.

How does one know if you're on that path. I think the path is Christ remembered you said I am the way I which is means the path if if you're following Christ. Your on his path. But what does it mean to follow Christ look like to follow Christ. Well, mainly it means that you have made it a firm commitment in your in your heart that he you're going to follow him that he sure he's the king is your Lord and he's the one you're going to be obedient to you not be perfect. Although you want to be but you won't be because nobody's perfect as they want to be anyone who made New Year's resolutions knows that I'm in you intended, but you don't carried out perfectly and I got knows that Jesus said the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak tostumble. James said you know we all stumble in many ways, but the fact that we stumble or that our flesh is weak, does not have to cancel out the fact that the spirit is willing, that's the important thing is my spirit willing to follow Jesus 100%. Am I willing to forsake everything to be his disciple and I willing to suffer the loss and scorn of my friends in my in my willing to stand up and maybe lose my life for taking a stand for Christ if I'm willing to do that then I've made this the very transition that that becoming a Christian involves Jesus anything will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. That's, of course, Matthew 1624 so how do you know if you've made that well you should know it. You should know it because if you wake up in the morning and you're at and what's on your mind is how I please God today. How do I follow Jesus today then if that's your concern, then that is your menu you've got that you made that decision. If you haven't, you probably wake up in the morning. Don't give God much. I thought about his will or whatever or if you do, you don't care to do his will, and that the Christian is one who wants to do the will of God and wants to follow Jesus. As I said we don't do it perfectly, but we want to because he is our king genuinely and so that is how you know if you're a follower of Christ. Jesus said, the real evidence that your disciples that you love one another. He said this a new commandment I give to that you love one another as I have loved you.

By this all men will know that there that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.

So the real mark of being a follower of Christ is that you love as Christ loves. I would suggest you a short series of mine on the website at Krister free to hear it's called. How can I know that I'm really saved and it goes it uses first John first John is a book about assurance of salvation and therefore tests for tests that John gives of knowing when you're saving out and I expand on them for 445 like charter member, but it's is called how how can I know that I'm really saved and it's one of the topical lectures of lecture series on the website you think today's environment most Christians are maybe a little bit too cavalier about the genuineness of their faith with respect to the I do I do I say most I would I be willing to commit to the word most I would not be able to commit to the percentage you know there's times there's times and it seems to me like less than 10% of people in the church is really give much thought to be an Disciples of Christ but then at other times I think. Well I don't know what's in their hearts. There may be more more memory be many more than I know who, although they are weak there flesh is weak or spirit willing, so God has to judge the heart and we have to judge our own hearts also examine yourself and see if you're in the faith, but yes I would say the churches have preach the gospel in such a way as to make people feel that they become Christians when they haven't done what Jesus said you have to do to be Christian churches therefore have let people down.

There's I believe that the majority of the people in the church have set a sinners prayer they've gone for another altar call, or they raise their hand after an invitation and they they been hurriedly assured that they are now Christians and they haven't really had any radical transition in the life they have not ceased to live for themselves. It's still all about them and not about Christ, and their frequency. They haven't really made the transition to become a follower of Christ, but they were told they have to there just told that if you accept Jesus into your heart and say a prayer you got your ticket to heaven. That's the gospel that most people been evangelized by and it's not the gospel something else on the Bible. There's no gospel like that in the Bible and there's nothing in the Bible and accepting Jesus into your heart is nothing in the Bible that's run I don't go off on this but actually talk about this a lot of my books. I just wrote on the kingdom of God. But anyway I have I have a series on the kingdom of God at the website, which would be very helpful to you and I'm really saved that series would be very good to also know a lot of Christians loving each other and are the problem is the word love really mean to love one another and now seems like to me that there we were really loving one another.

The sacrifice of Greek Greek that are helpful.

Okay Michael thank you for calling him God bless you. Okay hunter from Alabama looking to the narrow path. Thanks for calling.

I'm sorry hit the wrong button I hunter good you think of the should be on that the head start Christian friend of mine and I quote disability in my Christian friend or not but so what do they think should be done what what do they think should be done to murderers that should be up to oh the same thing as murder, different way of doing it. Do they think should be done to murderers be put in jail. Okay, who pays for that.

Okay so the taxpayers are victimized first by having a criminal about who kills people and then are victimized for the rest that person's life supporting them not to work in an expensive environment in a prison for the rest of us are sinners and he gets to victimize the populace in his crime, and in his punishment interesting. I don't really see how that's a just punishment the Bible doesn't know of any punishment for murder other than capital punishment. Now, capital punishment is not murder its justice. It's punishment is a murder is when you kill somebody who's innocent like when you abort a baby for example killing innocent person or maybe a living person is as you kill them. That's murder that God said this numerous times. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be's shed. He said that in Genesis 9. The board) and they should also read chapter 13 of Romans where it says that God has appointed the state as his instrument of vengeance. So in at the end of chapter 12 of Romans, Paul quotes Deuteronomy were God says vengeance is mine, I will repay any tilt. Christian tells Paul tells the Christians not to avenge themselves, because God's intervention in the very next verses in Romans 13 say the state is ordained by God to be the avenger of those who do wrong. So in other words, God avenges evil through the state. He doesn't let us Christians avenge ourselves because he wants us to leave that keep our hands clean from that. But he'll take care of it and the way he takes care of it is. He said, is ordained the state to do that. So, I mean Christian snow.

I don't believe the Christian should kill murderers. I do think it it if somebody kills my wife or my children. I don't think I should go hunt them down and kill them. I don't think the Bible authorizes me to do that. But the state should because the state is authorized by God to do that. I'm not going avenge myself. But God is going avenge and there's nothing wrong with our crime been avenged.

It's just that God does want me to do it with my own hands. He'll do it and he does it through the state through the law through a criminal justice system.

I mean actually if they don't believe in capital punishment because we should leave vengeance to God. While we should put them in jail, either because that's not leaving vengeance to God.

Is it so we shouldn't do anything to criminals we should just let criminals walk and wait for God to do so like strike him with light in his mind know if you put a person jail you are punishing them. If you give them the electric chair. You're also punishing them. If you charge them a finder also punishing them in no case are you leaving vengeance strictly to God, but the state is ordained by God to exercise just punishments on crimes and the Bible is very clear. The just punishment for murder is capital punishment. The just punishment for theft is to repay with a penalty and make restitution. Yet, there's just different punishments that are two different crimes. But God is ordained the government to execute those punishments and that there's nothing in the New Testament or the old suggest for a moment that there is a better punishment for murder than capital punishment. Say well we should turn the other cheek Bible never told the courts and the police to turn the other cheek toward criminals are supposed to be protecting people who are turning the other cheek and by the way, putting something jail is not turning the other cheek. He saw me there, just not consistent that there people who don't think they feel and many Christians are in a position to make their decisions based on their feelings not on their rational thinking on what the Bible says Out Of Time You Listen the Narrow Path. My Name Is Steve Greg.

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