The Narrow Path 11/4

Good afternoon and welcome to the narrow path radio broadcast Steve Greco or live for our each week, afternoon, or you can call them questions about the Bible and the Christian faith or the Christian life and calling with the difference of opinion with the host. If you'd like. The number is 844-484-5737 that's 844-484-5737 and I have one announcement about tonight and that is a been telling you this week that I'm going to be involved in a resume meeting which others can participate in if they want to have this being hosted by the church in Oregon and I believe you have a like apologetics class and I've been asked to do about an hour and 1/2 of a Q&A with their apologetics.

And that's going to be a 7 o'clock tonight Pacific time 7 o'clock Pacific time tonight and if you're into.

There's a limit of 100 people can be there. I don't know how near that limit, they were the regular classes.

I think it's considerably smaller, so this probably room for quite a few of you if you're interested what you want to do is go to our website.

The narrow path.com that's the narrow path.com and then you want to click on the tab that says announcements and when you done that you can scroll down to tonight, state, and if there be information there about how to how to get involved. That meeting tonight on zoom again. It's going to be a Q&A with yours truly for about an hour and 1/2 starting at 7 PM Pacific time. And for those of you in Southern California. We have our semi regular meeting into macula this Saturday night in the usual place you can also find that other website. The narrow path.com that's the Saturday night and that's a Q&A also you can find out that under announcements@thenarrowpath.com argument go back go right to the phones and will talk first to Peter calling from London, England. Peter will welcome to the neuropathic good to hear from you and local seven week question briefly in acts 14 pools interchanging regional glacier and knees in the Choctaw spend much time there because of persecution when you meet donations recommending them from drifting so far from the gospel that he preached in acts 17 when he clogs my call and no heat up needing to spend a few weeks and weeks. You need that stat because of such intense education when he reports that mean learning. They remain faithful to know he's actually quite impressed our faithful date remains this question is what activities churches have such a short time test millions remain faithful relations. Can you believe may have yet why one church did so little one church just yeah well I think we I think we can probably answer that. It's true the Galatian churches. Although I we don't know how long the entire first missionary journey was of Paul and Barnabas, but during that journey. They did plant all the churches in the Galatian region and yet they probably didn't spend more than a few weeks of the most in each of these churches so and yet, shortly after he got back to Antioch the church to send them out.

He received news that the churches were drifting and Galatian.

He had to write the letter to them that we have in our Bible. The book of Galatians and we don't receive. The problem was there and that was that this is still early enough in the Gentile mission is Paul's first missionary journey that Paul was still being very much opposed by the Judaizers, who felt that he was compromising by allowing Gentiles to become Christians without them being circumcised, that is, without them becoming converts to Judaism and so they followed him around and they came to these churches and they stirred the people up and they told him they had to be circumcised in all that and so that was the problem with the Galatians and that's a very that's a very good big temptation for Gentile believers, especially if they're not well established in the faith to believe that somehow, since Jesus was Jewish, and since the apostles were Jewish, and since Christianity grew out of Jewish roots that somehow are supposed to still be Jewish even if for Gentiles. We need to become Jews to become Christians.

There's to this day. Despite the clearness of Paul's warnings in Galatians. There are Christians today who still make that mistake very easy mistake to make. If you don't understand the New Testament and so I think that's why the Galatians failed is that these Judaizers came in right after Paul leave town and the converts were barely drive from the baptism and that now they got these wolves coming in this Paul referred lead them astray with a what sounds like a plausible disk error possible because these people came to the edges came from Jerusalem and they could, they could argue welding the apostles and Judah in Jerusalem. They keep the law and of course that was true.

They did keep the law, but they but they were born Jewish.

They had they didn't get circumcised after he became Christians, they were circumcised from birth, and they lived in Jerusalem and the Jewish church was very culturally Jewish and still and therefore still went to the temple and things like that but Paul did not believe that Gentiles ever had to be circumcised or had to keep any of those laws he didn't. He didn't even think that the Jews and the Christians in Jerusalem had to but that was not his problem. His converts were among the Gentiles, so that so I think that's why these people got led astray now the church of Thessalonica was planted on Paul's Paul and Silas, his second missionary journey and it was further away from Jerusalem. It was a course across the finger see in the Greek peninsula and and therefore I think the Judaizers by this time had gotten used to the fact that Paul was not going to, in all likelihood be defeated by them.

Furthermore, after the Galatians was written there was the Jerusalem Council or the apostles in Jerusalem sided with Paul so even if the Judaizers still held their views. They didn't have the apostles on the second official Council of the church should denounce their position. So I think that demoralizing the love that I don't think they followed Paul around as much a Paul still received Jewish opposition in these Gentile churches, but they were from the local Jews. They were from the Jewish church coming around trying to say what Christianity is great but yet also keep the law. These were Jews who who just were jealous of the success of Paul and they were trying to teach anybody to be too rough to follow Jewish law, who are Gentiles, they just saw Paul as a troublemaker and not Paul.

It would appear that Paul had only spent three weeks in Thessalonica because it says he preached three Savitz there and then they got arrested and had to leave town so again, as you point out the church in Thessalonica had not had the advantage of Paul for very long. Among them, any more than the Galatian churches did, and yet it was it was stronger and had held to the faith and probably the reason for that would be that when they were converted out of Judy is are out of paganism because these were not. These are Gentiles are to convert paganism, they they saw.

This is a stark contrast everyone they turned to God. They turned from idolatry and that's what Paul said to them in and for Sicily's chapter 1 he says in verse nine, for they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you and how you did the Thessalonians turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. Now it's easy it's it's easy to see the contrast between idolatry in Christianity because idolatry is is steeped in immorality infected endorses immorality in the pagan temples had prostitutes for priestesses of it was part of the Greek religion to commit immorality. That's what these people are done and they also of course had worshiped many gods. Now when they came to Christ. They did so deliberately seen a huge contrast between what they had been and what they are deciding to be and I think it was.

Not easy to be deceived into going back idolatry. But the Judaizers would come to Galatia seem to be teaching you know pretty much what Christians believe. They believe the Scriptures they believed in one God, they believe in the God of who is the father Jesus Christ and so real. Adding Jewish laws to the Christian life had much more of our deceptive appeal to it to people who would think that they'd left their paganism and the Judaizers were not trying to get them to go back to that paganism, but to what they would consider to be a more advanced and more committed form of Christianity. And that's that has tremendous appeal even to very sincere Christians, whereas in Thessalonica had come out of idolatry.

And I think they are such a huge contrast between what they come out of that and what they came to that they were inured against paganism and I don't think the Judaizers were among them try to turn them to Judaism on the extent of one quick question 20 principle then point filters among students in English and writing ties about elders on the cart series. They should be no feces on his team regarding vacancies and advice that she by appointing elders amongst teens when conflicts yes I think I think he was my think it was an emergency situation.

I think that when Paul told Timothy and Titus not to appoint novices to eldership.

It was because there were some people in the church by the time Paul wrote those letters, the other churches in Ephesus and Crete had apparently been there for a very long time. There were churches in every city and Crete, and Paul told Titus going appoint elders in every city. So this churches had been established already. They might even have already had elders before that had died or whatever and they needed a fresh batch. We don't know. Likewise, Timothy was in Ephesus and the church in Ephesus had probably been there for at least seven years and Paul had Mr. there for three years and so forth. So that there would be mature Christians for Timothy to choose from to be elders and probably and Crete also so he could say listen… Have a newcomer do it. You've got plenty of people should be plenty of people mature enough that you wouldn't have to resort to appointing an office as an elder, but in a in his first Missouri journey. It probably had only been a few months if if that is he is making his way back along the same itinerary and appointing elders in every church that these churches only had you been Chris number Christians have been probably safer in a year. At that point.

So they're all novices and so I imagine that Paul looked for the same things in and the people that he appointed as elders and in acts 14 that he was looking forward to two Timothy and and although everyone there be an office there would be a certain number every church that had been raised Jewish, and therefore had not didn't have pagan backgrounds. They had already been worshipers of Yahweh. They may have known the Scriptures from their youth and they just transition to becoming Christians, but they could certainly bring with them their knowledge of the Scriptures and their you know their firm basis of monotheism itself. I would imagine although I don't know that all the elders who picked were from the synagogue who had been converted, but there would at least be some in those churches of the churches were very young and all the Christians were new converts still those who had a Jewish background and became Christians would have a tremendous advantage in an you know, I'm sure that he would rather have had older Christians to choose from, but he didn't.

So I had to use what he found there.

Not very insightful think she appreciated great to hear from you Peter God bless you to buy now a Mike from Albany, Oregon. Welcome to the narrow path how you don't like on the thank you for coming to Albany spent incredible. It was as amazing having there is my pleasure. Thank you so much. I wouldn't tell me what self-control to avoid vices and serve people and to love God that baptized two weeks ago. It's it's so different now as it was mostly from outside pressure working in Omni and I'm I still appreciated being raised with the standards and morals.

But in my bed as my heart was changed in a way never experience where what they care about things are important to me that are interesting to me everything. It's just shifted the Christ, and I was wondering if not that I'm without sin or temptation, but that grip the temptation has on the it feels like it feels really really weak and amazing experience. But I've ever been rediscovered that unit Christians can still expect Russell Wallace and temptation and so I'm wondering if this experience time and having living in right now for something I should expect to continue as it should expect to be temporary and will come and go and can I think I can do to make sure I'm walking in the spirit and have been right more often or more regularly so that's my question. You probably noticed a picture of your baptism is on my Facebook page letter flakes.

Well, you know it is true that sometimes when you first are regenerated refers filled with the Holy Spirit as I believe you were a couple weeks ago that it's like a honeymoon with God becoming it's it's exciting and that doesn't mean you can't stay that way or can't be that way repeatedly, but there are different asked the different phases of Christian living and tests and so forth. I mean, it sometimes is the case that God will shield somebody in the early stages of their walk with him from some of the worst kind of temptations they may have to face later on.

It's like when God led Israel out of Egypt. It says he didn't take them by the way of the Philistines that was shorter he took from the long way around. This is because he didn't want them to see battle and may become discouraged and go back to Egypt so he can shielded them from battle. Initially, but of course during their wilderness wanderings had to fight off the Amalekites and they when they came to Canaan.

They had to fight off a whole nation of hostile powers, but that's after they'd had some time to get to know God little bit. Yes, like when their first first became aware of God as it were.

He shielded them briefly and I think that that he does that sometimes are not everyone.

Some people find the trials come immediately after baptism and it may be that maybe it's not happening to you as much because partly because of your religious background. I mean being in a moral and is interested that enforces moral living. You probably avoided forming certain habits that other people have formed before their conversion and those habits often continue to haunt them and tempt them afterwards. I would imagine that it although you had temptations when you're in the your previous religion. My knowledge of you would give me the impression that you probably lived a pretty clean life and therefore probably escape some of those bondage is that other new Christians often have to wrestle with Fleming. I'm assuming he didn't have any bondage to drugs or alcohol or or fornication. Things like that.

Like many people do before their great verdict and those things are very addictive, but you will have your own temptations.

There will certainly be temptations to pride because Evan has those I don't I don't sense any pride and you honestly becoming it's the devil will always find any way he can to make you feel proud of yourself for him superior to someone else who doesn't see things like you as well as you do, or whatever me over temptations just like central temptations are.

I don't know what the temptations will be in your life and frankly it could be trials of various kinds.

I feel like I've because I was raised in a Christian home and although I've had my share of temptations. I feel like it's my temptations have been done a fairly narrow range of issues and and I don't have a broad range of temptations such as love people do, because again in my upbringing but I still have to stuff to be tempted and and some of those temptations or testings come in the form of serious trials and I don't wish those on anybody but frankly they they are assigned to us in some measure for our growth and for two teacher hands to make war against the enemy and of course God would give grace for all the saints, is if you keep your eyes on Christ.

If you keep your if you meditate on Scripture day and night as the Bible suggestion in Psalm chapter 1, I believe that you will be yet you should be prepared first temptations to kinetic, ask you that will surprise you, but just don't be surprised.

Just realize that. Remember how it says in first Peter chapter 5 I think is verses eight and nine it says be vigilant, be sober.

Your adversary the devil is a roaring lion, seeking whom he related viruses who resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are coming on your brother throughout the world that is all Christians are to face the devil's efforts to consume them, but there's never a reason the world that he has to succeed for remaining vigilant okay it's important to understand that the 70 D preparing for so you do not think that is going to be a cruise you know is going to be like a swimming upstream against stiff water sometimes you know I mean, that hasn't really hasn't necessarily been the case with all of us in this culture, but I think I think things are changing in this country and I do think that those of us who've never developed any muscle spiritually speaking are going to find ourselves easily exhausted.

If we do not. If we do not lean holier God and seek his grace to endure and to succeed but that grace is available. His grace is sufficient. That's what you have to remember the religion that you came from. I don't believe is very strong in the area of grace, but I think that that's the distinctive of being a follower of Christ is that what makes Christianity different than every religion the world is grace know that that we are not only forgiven by grace we are enabled by grace as we trust in God gives his grace to make us to make us victorious and trials I have. You probably know, a chapter on that in my in my new book on the kingdom of God is called the reign of grace. I think that I think chapter 12 the rate of grace is kingdom of grace and I just got it and have been trying to read through it with six kids. It's always, I know how to read, but I know really love that I want my LDS friend to read it even if you skip that chapter.

It talks a lot about what I'm trying to get across here right brother, Steve, I have tremendous confidence in the work of God in your life. I mean I mean II know I've seen the work of God in the short time I've known you to change and always is tremendous so I wasn't sure what to expect and what to expect but it just blew me away.

What was been like what being in it for the past couple weeks. I believe you got baptized in the Holy Spirit and that that's what made such a big difference in my life I was I was a Christian convert, baptized in evangelical church when I was young, but I wasn't baptizing spirits of 16, I think you got both the same time and and it's it's the latter, I think that makes the difference you're describing himself. Yeah.

All right. Will God bless you, thank you. Always a pleasure. Have good day.

All right, let's talk to Tom from Denver Colorado.

Tom welcome to the narrow path. Thanks for calling Steve that you do love you will will never know what to do seems to be a lot of like New Age teachings go along the clinician to quote churches not involved in the lot and sometimes it felt so good all my reading this book called wars, miracles, that was a lot that was alleged that was given by direct dictation from evil spirits claiming to be Jesus save just sold Bible about forgiveness and loving people will believe she's a very loving personthings like you. You not all God is not hard.

It's hard for someone wanting to imitate Jesus to say things like, you need to forgive people because obviously everyone knows Jesus would say that because he said it, but that he would never say God is you and that's that's the subtlety of that deception. I believe new. Here's the here's the differencing, New Age and in Christianity.

If the teaching is puffing you up if it's telling you how to have your best life now how to have more power, you know, and so forth. And it's all about you, then there's a good chance it's got its roots in the cult because the. The are called is is all about people having power supernatural power and and although some Christians emphasize that to. That's not the emphasis in this regard, with the power to live a holy life course the power to live a holy life and to be a witness for Christ is part of what one of the issues in the gospel, but the truth is that your IVR cult isn't really about Christ. It can use his name.

It can repeat some of the things he said and they usually do because let's face it, everyone respects Jesus, but when it comes down to really something about how you're just improving yourself making your life better in those kinds of things I believe that's that's a warning sign of red flag because Christianity is not glorifying God and letter Christians don't know that that's what they fall into our called things because they think others this must be something got to have because it it says it's doing things for me. I think Christians must do to Christianity if we want to call it that. I just call following Jesus is about being obedient to God and glorify God and not worrying about what you get out of it. I realize Christians have different attitudes of the best troop faith is about. And that's the difference. Hey, I need take a break, but I hope that God gives you know I gauge to go by listening to the narrow path. Our website is the narrow path.com and I'll be back in 30 seconds for another half hour stick to the book of Hebrews tells that do not forget to do good and to share with others and share the narrow show is over today and one in the narrow path.com they can learn and enjoy your teaching articles verse diverse teaching archives of all the narrow path, radiation, and be sure to tell them to tune into the show here on the radio chairlift and do good that the narrow path radio broadcast.

My name is Steve Greg and we are live for another half hour taking your calls have questions about the Bible and the Christian faith. Feel free to give me a call talk about them. The number is 844-484-5737 now my father's birthday is today so I just give a shout out to him. Happy birthday dad. He's 95 years old today and he listens this program every day until about probably five minutes into it when he falls asleep but my mom is actually here in the room I think she was sleep in a moment ago till till he mentioned her name that you know when you're in your 96, hard to stay awake and frankly there's not much reason to do so that the my dad probably made maybe listing he or he may be snoring but happy birthday dad and I know my mom will tell if he didn't hear here's and I think that's only to announce so let's go on to the lines because they are pretty full.

Your talk next to Alex from Honolulu Alex. Welcome to the narrow path. Thanks for calling the dark again my question today so a long time. My challenge to you today on the viability of the Bible. He claimed that they can't be trusted. The translation translation on the best way to respond to criticism and bureaucratic theory question yeah well when people say the Bible can't be trusted because it translates only times. That's kind of irrelevant if they really mean translate. I think what they really mean is copied summary times because frankly any time you read a book written by someone in another language, you're reading a translation of it unless you know that language, and the Bible has been translated a lot of times before it became English.

The English translations transferred directly from the Greek and Hebrew. It's a one-step process you got the Greek Bible, the original and that is been translate directly into English.

Just like any other book that you read it's been transferred from French or German or Spanish OR any other language. So, I mean it unless you read books only books that were written in English. Originally you be reading a translation and doing so doesn't raise any questions about whether it's true or not, because it's not it's not difficult to translate a few proficient in two languages is very easy to translate from one to the other.

Now, I mean there might be challenges with another great for the scholars and that's dozen people who translate the Bible so to say what about translate so many times already. That person is not making sense, but I suspect not only make it since they don't even know the right word for what they're really talking about with theirs or something else besides translation of the lot and that's the transmission of the Bible. By that we mean the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts or autographs as they were called don't exist anymore, but what we have is somebody made a copy of it and then you know a generation later someone else copy to copy and then later on the copy of the copy was copied and so we now have we don't have any copies probably that are even within 5 to 10 generations of the original. That means even our oldest copies probably are the result of several generations of copy now the argument that's called the transmission meets the text from the first century has been transmitted to us by the process of copying and it has nothing to do with translation that just has somebody copying from one page onto another in the same language. That's the real criticism that knowledgeable people have sometimes made about the Bible that it has in fact been copied a great deal what needs be taken into consideration though is that that does not predict for errors necessarily. We will have to say that in the process of transmission through the through the centuries.

Some errors have come into the Bible there's there's there's no getting around that because we have 5000 manuscripts in Greek of the New Testament. Now we can look at them think they come from different periods so that you can't kinda trace the history of the transmission. As you look and turn this to put on hold with that but the thing is that they we can see that the transmission has not done much compromise to the text and what compromise. It has done is of no significance of it in terms of determining what Jesus really said what Paul really wrote what the Bible originally said we have you know fairly sure knowledge from come from all these is different measures you can see how much they agree with each other and how much they don't in the areas where they don't agree with each other are on small matters. Very small matters. Generally speaking, so that nothing that the Bible teaches is somehow endangered or compromised by the fact that there's been some small errors in copying there's a whole science that your friend may not know about called textual criticism and it's it's every bit as technical or science as chemistry or biology or any other kind of geology and paleontology. It's it's these are people who've healed major scholars in in the literature of the period who actually look at all the different manuscripts, compare them and assess what time they come from, and so forth and establish where the differences represents a mistake on the part of one of the other copies even if we couldn't establish that we still have everything the Bible teaches well-established by the parts of the manuscripts that they all agree on.

That is, they were there's been no changes, but where there have been changes scholars textual critics have made clear is they really haven't changed much of consequence now.

An exception to that would be part Herman who is a textual critic and he says that the things that have been changed are important, but I guess when we say important.

We have to say on what scale are we measuring important obviously I all the differences I've been made aware of in the matrix of their many of them are not important ones, and even the ones that part Herman brings up aren't important once bright in my judgment that he thinks are important and the reason is because part.

Herman thinks that believers and he's not a believer in the Bible.

He thinks that we who believe in the Bible have a view that the Bible has magically come down to us without errors and that the manuscripts from which our English Bible translated are flawless not know Christian believes that who knows anything about the subject and so part Herman's mistaken in what he he's he's comparing the errors to an absolute's lawlessness, which he thinks Christians believe he thinks of Christians think the Bible as we have it is Puritan and flawless and no mistakes were made, but not sure how he would think that since he himself studied in Bible college and he should know that Christians are wise to this that they know very well that there have been flaws and from the metrics that they also know that the purpose of the main scripts is to convey the message to us and that the message has come down to us quite adequately in these 5000 or more manuscripts so part. Herman is is a defector from Christianity.

He used to be a Christian. He's become an agnostic and people who do that often. We often do their best to undermine the faith that they have left and in order to do so. Barbaro has to make mountains out of mole hills. You know, there are hundreds of textual critics who see the very same things that he sees in a state so what's the problem here and I'm not a professional scholar, textual critic, but I've seen the Army they been pointed out to me even even in part Herman's books. He points that I've seen them by saying so what's the problem here and so part. Herman only can really and and your friend probably has read part Herman because he's a best-selling author of part Herman has only made an impact on people who are already extremely ignorant of what the claims are that we make about the Bible because what we believe about the Bible has not been disproven by anything. He's brought to her attention. So anyway, I think. I think it department shooting at the wrong target because he doesn't know the target is and and those who are your real honest students.

The Bible who are not trying to find problems that don't exist, not try to put it down or destroy faith in the Bible. We don't really have any problems with the material he puts out accepted we we do see him is not quite very objective or at least if his objective. He's not very in touch with what it is he's tried to undermine anyway that's what did you say there was another question yet you think that aunt evaluated directly any question would be, so apparently the property today made that Kunkel declared the winner is sent that you are not doesn't change anything. I plan to do some minor you think it's important well this if Trump is not declared the winner. Then that that process that person give up because you never have to be tested again is proven to be false prophet and no one should ever leave ever again and I I've known lots of people get processes like that and I don't have to tested positive work as they been proven wrong long time ago and there's no sense listening to them anymore, because the Bible says that if a person gives a positive doesn't come true or false prophet. Now I'm not really sure why God would prophetically tell us whether terms can win about why me world to know that any you know. Maybe 24 hours or maybe maybe 24 days, but sometime shortly. For now, and unless your lessons can affect the way you invest your money in the stock market or something. I'm not really sure why Christians need to know in advance what I'd yell before the sky, prophesied we didn't know how Scripture out and now these that's all. We still don't know but but if we did it when changing idly processes. When God gives prophecies he does so in order for so he does it through credible people who who have some kind of reason to be trusted and then secondly heat gives prophecies about things that are important for people to know now I'm not saying that whether Trump or Biden win the election is not an important thing. I think it has a huge amount of importance to the future of this country, but I don't know that knowing it in advance is important for me to know. Of course were all curious were all on the edge of her seat and so anyone who gives what they call a proxy is going to get a ready audience, but but they may just be exploiting her curiosity. Something I don't think God does, I will be waiting for fulfillment out of their way to another rental property is indicated where it might change something you were to do you know something your behavior and action to take out you well.

It's not always easy to tell how did how to judge proxy before it fails come true. I guess I don't want to know who is this person who made the proxy. What is his track record know what is.

How credible is he. How many times has he been right and has he ever been wrong. If he has been wrong that I would trust him ever again.

I made a video to you think very much okay great I think going okay. God bless you, thank you, Billy from Tennessee.

Welcome to the neuropathic for calling. Hello, first I want honor what you're doing and it's pretty amazing and it's very encouraging and hearing a lot of encouraging messages. The naivety I have a question about what you would say to this kind of in line with what you're talking about. But what would you say somebody who's in ministry that struggling with their faith well struggling to what degree I mean like there's regarding their faith. Well, almost 86 okay well I take some of the ministry. You should step out of ministry until you get your faith straightened out. But I would also say why why are you starting with your faith. What is it what is it you've learned. You know, in the last six months or year whatever however long you been struggling through faith.

What is that youth what is it that's come to light that would make you think that your faith should be questioned. I've been I've been in the faith. Since I was a child, which means for probably probably over 60 years and for 50 of those years I've been in the ministry, and I've been very mindful of all the evidence that comes up.

I don't know what the noise is I don't see be able to put on hold so I can get the noise to go away. Anyway, I just, you know, I have to say, there's never been any evidence that's come out in the years that I've been alive that has raised any new questions about whether God exists or whether the Bible is true.

Now there's always been questions. There's always been challenges but none are new to me. There aren't any new ones that have come out that somehow make while you know that used to be credible to believe in God and love. Now, in view of this, that's a game changer. Another Arnold game changers either people have trouble believing in God, usually because of personal issues in themselves, not because of evidence, I mean you die I want to know what is it about the truth or the evidence for the truth. That has changed or is it you that six had just grown cold. Have you where you maybe never really a believer but you were pretending to be an outlet pretense you can hold it up anymore. I have just been through some trials that challenge you what you expected God would do if he was out there I know Christians, our faith is challenged but not very often by evidence because there has been no evidence there really has never been any evidence that would raise questions about let's say the resurrection of Jesus is always been people who doubted that he has and people can doubted till accountable if they want to, there's always been people said Welty, the evidence or proof of Jesus resurrection. It's not adequate. Well, it's pretty good. Frankly it's very good it's better than the evidence for for almost any other ancient historical historical fact but but but okay. Suppose it's not enough for you but is there any evidence that it didn't happen is the real question I mean if you been counting on the fact that Jesus is real and that he rose from the dead and all that. Which is what the Christian does, you know what is it this change your mind. There's been new no new evidence has come out that that raises questions about whether Jesus rose from the dead. It's only the mood of our age. The mood of our age is no longer favorable toward Christians. And often it's because of our it's not always this these days of the court. It is for people it's because the Christian stand is so politically incorrect. Now it didn't you speak politically correct because it didn't just be a political issue. What the whether Jesus was true or not, was a historical question whether Christianity was to be believed was a religious question, it was never a political question in this country but it has become political because Christianity still stands for what it always stood for, but our society has moved from many positions.

I mean a Christian I still teach us what marriage is.

Our society has changed its mind just as recently as last decade the Bible stood still always says you know what immorality looks like and what small is not moral. Our culture has changed its mind on such things, but God has so I mean I guess I'm just thinking that the reason that some people lose their faith isn't because there's never been any reason to lose their faith. It's just that they they don't feel comfortable living intention with the culture, especially with their own generation. I have to admit it was easy for me to be is a dedicated Christian in my teens because there was a revival, and there were thousands of people my age who were zealous for Christ. I admit that was easy at the time, but that it isn't. So anymore I mean, there still are thousands of Christians, but you my faith doesn't align with the majority by any means but I am in a rash, rational person, you know, if I say well I don't have as many people affirming my faith as I you Safeco people think my faith is old-fashioned evil and and nasty and hateful course I know but I know it's not any of those things you know you don't feel good having the world condemn you for being a Christian, but you know if it's good about your feelings, why even talk about truth. Your feelings are not a gauge of truth. Something a rational person and I believe this is one area where we have to realize that Christianity calls us to be rational.

Christianity is a spiritual phenomenon, but it does not eliminate the rational.

I think some people who feel like a week. We don't use head knowledge. We don't use human reasoning. That's carnal. I think what they're using as human emotions. I mean, it's not an anti-spiritual to have emotions is not anti-spiritual to reason but it is reasoning more than anything else that will call you back to the faith. When you are having your doubts and deliveries. Okay why did I ever believe is true. Has anything changed in that respect. To me the answers I had a very excellent reasons for believing I still do and nothing is changed in any way.

So if I just start finding it difficult to be Christian or unpopular or I start looking like I'm out of step with 90% of the people my age and my culture will then of course, who doesn't want to be loved, who does what we liked and who doesn't want to be respected. If I'm losing the respect of the majority of people become a Christian. Well, maybe I don't feel like being a Christian who cares what I feel like I'm my life is not based on feelings of change that is based on things that are true and never change, so I want to know what is it about this guy is a minister and is losing his faith with attorney for why what in the world is making do, so I would say this I'm talking to you not him because I don't think he's listening but do have him listen to have them call me because I would like very much to talk to him about this yearly. I can guess what about the date of death in in reaching out to God and not hearing what you thought he was going to hear you get a grip on eternity in that okay where in the Bible doesn't tell us that you're supposed to hear something from God when everyone here something I don't know of anything that makes that a norm and Christianity.

It might be a norm in certain Pentecostal or charismatic groups because they teach such things. But the Bible doesn't teach at the Bible doesn't teach you to be hearing God's voice every time you want to the prophets in the Old Testament heard God permissive and not internally wanted to King Saul heard from God, especially through the prophet Samuel within a content came when God wasn't speaking to anymore through those means so he can't decide 20 talk we don't we don't decide when he talked, and if I call out to God I don't hearing his voice back.

Well that again I'm about average probably most people don't hear his voice back were called to live by faith not by sight, not by human phenomena, so I'm probably what would you say to encourage someone like that that dedicated portion of their life ministry, but is struggling. I would say you're under test. So you're being tested your faithfulness and your loyalty to God is being tested and you're starting to fail that test, you better get back on the horse and ride because life is full of tests of the devils. Therefore, the devil is therefore the purpose of testing us and we are being tested to see who will be loyal unto death. Jesus said to the church. Be faithful unto death, and I give you the crown of life. The Bible says if we endure will reign with him. God is looking for people who are faithful to him so he can share his reign with them for eternity and but he's not is not to put unvented people on the throne is not that stupid. He's testing us and if we pass these tests.

The Bible says will reign with him that he's been tested anytime you begin to have doubts about God and you can't think of any rational reason to have those doubts and certainly there isn't any rational reason to well then just been tested by your body, your emotions if your feelings are are not providing something that you hope they would provide well then maybe yes, ask yourself, did I have any real reason to believe they should provide what I thought, oh did I have unrealistic expectations to give you this verse for him and you like I can't say will make them respond properly but it will give me opportunity.

Isaiah 50 verse 10 God says who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant who walks in darkness and has no light letting trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God. This is saying that people trusting God and fear God will go through. Somewhere they have no light if you like you're going through a tunnel got dark and cold, spiritually speaking, not hearing God's voice and not seeing any revelation from him so there in the dark and what does it say you who walk in darkness and the light you fear the Lord. Let that person trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God, you stay faithful. That's what God's allowing you to be tested. That's with the devil trying to accomplish is the cause you to not be faithful I will tell you this. I think some people who leave the faith over these things are in their own way trying to punish God for not coming through for them like they thought he should, in which case they fail the test because they think that God is there for them rather than think that they were made for him.

We been made for God and for his glory. He wasn't made for our gratification in any and on any level and therefore the question is am I putting myself at the center of the universe and thinking that God should jump when I snap my fingers or my putting God at the center universe of St. though he slay me, yet I will trust that's really the question here is been tested to see if he's a Christian or if he's if he's living for God or feeling for himself and his disabilities angry God because God didn't respond and and so there's kind of a punishing of God. But guess what God is not the one being punished.

You walk away from God to your own doom is like cutting off your nose to spite your face is ridiculous. And yet people are that ridiculous. Many people and I think it may be that that's what's going wrong with him to heaven call me. I'd love to have him call me. I appreciate your call.

Let's talk. You have enough time to James from Detroit, Michigan. James welcome to the narrow path I will be quick and frequent your blessing Monday number one I want to know something your you plan to give you is not is not II could play that piece on the guitar but I don't listen very well know a friend of mine at the firm I wrote and and perform the song and he's a much better artist than I am is recorded as recorded CDs and stuff that he writes live music with the reason I chose that site. He was a student of mine in Oregon back in the 90s and in what I was looking for theme song for this that that particular song that he had had a long introduction without singing you know there's there's words also and you can look it up if you go on YouTube.

Even just look up the song. It's called like the arrows do that like actually if you go to my website the narrow past.com and under the resources link.

I think there's a there's that whole song is founder and what is you and you can link to it from my own website. The narrow path.com under the is is been hunting thank you brother. It's a haunting song is a beautiful song and is a moving song if you listen to the words my friend John mar who lives in Oregon routed and again he was a student of mine back in the 90s and actually song was written. He tells me based on one of my messages message about children called vision for children and their girls are down and it's is talking about Psalm 127 children are like arrows in the hands of the mighty man is a great song. You should check. I go to the narrow path.com under resources. You find the song the narrow path is a listener supported ministry and we pay for the time on the radio. So if it's a blessing to you. You might consider whether you like to stay on the radio station. Listen to or Oregon on the Internet.

You can write to us at the narrow to have PO Box 1732 macula CA 92593. That's the narrow path, PO Box 1732 macula CA 92593 or you go to website everything is free of the website, but you can donate their@thenarrowpast.com on Steve Greg, thanks for joining us. Let's talk about