Transcript

American Family Radio takes your Bible questions live on American Family Radio

>> Jeff Chamblee: the Bible.

>> Jeff Chamblee: It's the word of God. Sharper than any two edged sword. This sacred book is living and active and contains all that's needed for life and godliness. Stay with American Family Radio for the next hour as we study God's word and take your Bible questions.

Alex McFarland: We turn to 1 Timothy, chapter 5

Welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, good afternoon everybody, and welcome to Exploring the word. Alex McFarland here. And we are in the New Testament book of. We invite you to turn to 1 Timothy, chapter 5. And Jeff Shambley and I will continue, through this very, very practical part of God's Word. Bert is traveling and speaking at an event in Georgia. And as is so often the case, Jeff Shambley has graciously agreed to help us out this week. And Brother Jeff, thank you and welcome again to Exploring the Word.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Thanks so much, Alex. Great to be here.

What an exciting book and great, uh, great content to talk about today

What an exciting book and great, great content to talk about today.

>> Alex McFarland: Indeed, indeed. And we had a lot of great calls yesterday. I mean, you know, it was Monday and the call board was full. And later on in the show, folks, we look forward to your Bible questions as well. you know, I was in a restaurant and I was on the road speaking and a pastor introduced me to. He said, hey, here's my cpa, my accountant, and he's not a believer yet, come and let's invite him to the, the services. And I said, sure. Well, this man asked me, he said, what exactly does a pastor do? And we talked about that. Look at verse 17, 1st Timothy 5. The last few words. They labor in the Word and doctrine. That's part of what a pastor does, isn't it? We are to labor in the Word and in doctrine. And we'll look at some other things about being in the ministry as well. But, you know, I think that's of all the things we do if you're in the ministry, and certainly every Christian. But one of the things, first of primary importance, that we are spreading the gospel and we are telling people what God's Word says. Not only about salvation, but about life itself.

>> Jeff Chamblee: You mean you did the first job of a pastor is not organizing deacons meetings and making sure that the lawn is getting cut and that the paint is just right in the sanctuary.

>> Alex McFarland: You, know there are some administrative things like that, but no, first and foremost it's evangelizing the lost and equipping the saved, isn't it?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah, that's right. And I've heard someone say every minister should read the book of First Timothy at least weekly. Just to be reminded of where it is. And that word doctrine, Alex, occurs so many times in this book, the primacy of doctrine, because that's really the foundation of all of the ministry that goes on in the church and outside the church.

Jeff: Doctrine matters because our eternity hangs on the right truths

Talk about that.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, and I want to say this doctrine matters. I mean, it really does. because, hey, Christianity, we often say this is based on truth claims. Jesus is the son of God. Jesus rose from the dead. Our sins are forgiven because of what Christ did on the cross. We call that the atonement, folks. How much does doctrine matter? Well, our eternity hangs on the right truths that we take to heart, believe and follow. Well, we, yesterday we kind of wrapped up there, at verse 21. And let me just read, to, you know, set the context. And we're going to wrap up chapter five. You know, it says, don't muzzle the ox that treads out the corn. In other words, the minister is worthy of being compensated. don't, just hear an accusation against an elder without making sure it's, you know, vetted, out and verified. But those that are in sin rebuke. and then verse 21. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. In other words, everybody is equally accountable, but also equally worthy of respect and due process. Now verse 22. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins. Keep thyself pure. Jeff, you know, Paul told Timothy, don't let anyone despise your youth, but at the same time, there's a certain, validation and proving. And when it says lay hands suddenly on no man, in other words, we don't automatically thrust into leadership or authority someone who's not ready for it. I mean, there's a certain maturing, before a lot of authority, isn't there?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah, and I think it behooves churches to take this very carefully because a lot of times, and I'm thinking of, deacon ordinations, there are times in churches, because of the routines and the schedule, where those things are just sort of rushed without a careful examination. and I'll add this, Alex, with some very serious doctrinal questions. of course we have the personal testimony that is key to make sure that a, ah, person is genuinely born again, that they understand the doctrines of salvation. but to examine their life, to examine the way that they treat their children, the way that they rule their house, the way that they treat their wife. I mean, all of those things are very, very important, and they need to be taken with time. And so I'm not sure, you know, one day or one weekend is sufficient to, accomplish some of those things.

>> Alex McFarland: Indeed, indeed. And here's the thing. and listen, I've seen plenty of churches put people in leadership, maybe because it was thought that they had money or that, you know, for whatever reason. I, mean, I. Preaching in 2,000 churches, I've heard some real horror stories, believe me. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins. Keep thyself pure. And so, leadership in the church of God is a serious thing. It's a great honor to be, delegated some leadership or, authority. But it's also. It's a great honor, but it's a great responsibility.

Jeff King: Verse 23 says Timothy should drink wine because of infirmities

Now, verse 23, and it is, it says what it says, drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thine often infirmities. Now, what Timothy's frequent infirmities were, you know, I don't completely know, but, Jeff, I've studied on this verse, and I think it was wine, not grape juice. And I, I'm not advocating drinking or certainly, heaven forbid, not drunkenness, but, I've had people say to me, well, it wasn't wine, it was grape juice. it was wine, wasn't it?

>> Jeff Chamblee: That, boy, you're going to get us all in trouble. I think that that is the case, and I'm one of those that would believe, you know, I think that it is what it is. Now, I've served under men, and I've heard many preachers that I would respect say, no, it is, you know, in the New Testament days, there was polluted water. they had to dilute it. And I will agree that there are cases where that would be, applicable. My default is that when it, when it uses that term, it is what it is because Paul has to tell him, not only don't drink water only. So obviously Timothy is not drinking wine, for whatever reason, he's choosing not to do that, but because of his infirmities. In this case, he says, for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities, take a little wine. So Paul, this great mentor for this young pastor, is concerned about the pastor's health. you know, that is what the concern here is. And obviously, in the middle of all of this doctrine, we have this statement about Timothy's own personal well being, which I Think is very interesting. We should be concerned about the pastor and his health and those that serve. Obviously, Paul is here.

>> Alex McFarland: Yes. so, again, obviously we're not advocating drunkenness or anything like that. And I, think, where somebody is on the use of wine. Bert and I have talked about this a lot about one's testimony. but, you know, I'll put it this way. We don't want to make the Bible say less than what it says, but we don't want to make the Bible say more than what it says. And I've had pastor friends who say that, the New Testament, you know, advocates just total, total abstinence. And I'm not going to say that because it doesn't say that. let's just leave it for what it says. Paul told Timothy, you know, I guess it was like a medicinal use. Drink a little wine for thy stomach's sake. Verse 24 says, Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment, and some men, they follow after. Likewise. Also, the good works of some are manifest before, and they otherwise cannot be hid. I think verse 24 and 25, you know, clearly we are to repent and forsake sin. We are to pursue righteousness. And God, knows. And eventually people know, our lifestyle is a witness in itself, isn't it?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah, I read one, commentator used this phrase. He said time and truth go hand in hand. whether it is sin or whether it is righteousness, time will tell. And for some, and he's just urged them not to lay hands on someone hastily. So the point I think here is that in those men that you are ordaining to the ministry, give, them some time. Not every man's sins are known immediately, but over time they will be. And the same is true for good works. Some are clearly evident immediately, but in the end, they will be manifested for what they are.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Chapter six goes on, and there's a warning against false teachers. Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. Now, let me, like we so often do, let me say what this is not saying. This is not, an endorsement of slavery. and I've had atheists at universities where I was speaking or doing Q and A or debating say, well, the way that the King James renders this, it uses the word masters, and this is not, advocating slavery. it cannot legitimately be construed that way. And in fact, the whole concept of human rights and the equality and the worth and dignity of every human being is biblical. So this is really an employee employer relationship. And I realized to our 21st century ears, you know, the idea of an indentured servant who, for, housing, agrees to work a certain amount of time or for passage on a ship. But basically, you know, Paul is saying here, show respect. Even if you're, let's say your boss or your employer is not a Christian, you still show them respect and honesty and forthrightness. And if you have a Christian employer, don't defraud them or despise them because they are brethren, verse 2, but rather do them service because they are faithful and beloved partakers of the benefit, which is salvation. These things teach and exhort. So back there in verse 22 of chapter 5, it says, you know, do not, show partiality. No. Verse 21 of chapter 5 and verses 1 and 2 of chapter 6, we are to be equally honest and forthright with all. We're not to show partiality and our good works.

>> Jeff Chamblee: the way that we honor our employers, and I'll say this, the way that employers honor their employees both reflects on the gospel of Jesus Christ. And he uses that phrase. So you honor your, masters as you labor for them, so that the name of God and his doctrine may not be blasphemed. There are occasions that individuals can give, for people to blaspheme the church and to blaspheme the gospel, depending on how they act. And that's a heavy responsibility. When we go into the workplace, it's another reminder that, you know, when we are born again, everything that we do, all of life, is given to Christ. We don't separate our church service and our family service from our service to our employers. It all counts for the gospel.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

Take your calls and questions on this edition of Exploring the Word

Well, we've got a break. Coming up, this is Exploring the Word with Jeff Shambley. Alex McFarlane here. This fantastic book, First Timothy Six. Stay tuned. We're going to continue in First Timothy Plus. Take your calls and questions on this edition of Exploring the Word. Stay tuned. We've got a brief break. The American Family Radio Network is back after this.

Dr. Tony Evans says rock solid faith gives us the foundation we need against life challenges

>> Jeff Chamblee: Wherever the gospel goes, lives are changed. Lives like Sonia's. When Sonia came to a, Tomorrow Club, she had little reason to hope for a better future.

>> Sonia: As Armenian refugees living in a remote community in the Republic of Georgia, life was desperately hard for Sonya and her family. The recent death of her baby brother had made things even worse. And her mother had fallen into a deep depression. At the club, Sonia heard the gospel and her faith began to grow as she attended weekly club meetings. Soon a small church grew out of the Tomorrow Club and Sonya prayed her mother would come to the church. Sonia's prayers were answered. Her mother came, surrendered her life to Christ, recovered from her depression, was baptized, and now leads the the Tomorrow Club where her daughter found Christ.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Partnering with local churches, Tomorrow Clubs help kids and teens in forsaken places learn to follow Jesus through long term discipleship. To learn more about how Tomorrow Clubs are reaching young hearts and minds For Christ, visit TomorrowClubs.org that's TomorrowClubs.org all gifts are tax deductible. Dr. Tony Evans says a rock solid faith gives us the foundation we need to stand up to life's challenges. So if you seem to be losing your footing, consider this illustration as we spend two minutes with Tony.

>> Jeff Chamblee: If you want to make concrete, you go get a bag of cement. You mix the bag of cement with water. Then you pour it in. It settles and becomes concrete. For many of us, God is not yet concrete concrete. He's not a solid reality in our lives. He's merely a concept in our minds. That's because we have cement that hadn't gotten mixed so that it gets hard and becomes experiential concrete in my experience of God. In other words, for many of us, who God is and what God says is an idea in our mind that has not yet graduated to be concrete in our lives because it hadn't gotten mixed yet. Faith is simply acting like God is telling the truth. That's why the Bible calls it walking by faith and not talking by faith or feeling by faith or even thinking by faith. If you want a concrete manifestation of God, then what you believe about God must be married to what you do in light of that belief. Now you're exercising faith so that God can now become m concrete in your life and not a theory in your head.

>> Jeff Chamblee: For a look at the extraordinary things that ordinary people can do when they act as though God is telling the truth. Check with us for details on Dr. Evans series Heroes of the Faith, available online at tonyevans.org then join us next time for two minutes.

Preborn has helped save 38,000 babies this year

This with Toni.

>> Bert Harper: I want you to picture this. Her name is Kayla. She is 17, alone, terrified and pregnant, sitting in the clinic, tears blurring, thinking abortion is her only option until she was offered a free ultrasound paid for by a hero just like you. The moment Kayla heard her baby's heartbeat, the decision was made. And today, her little baby boy Gabriel is thriving because her preborn walked with Kayla every step of the way. Now multiply that by 38,000. That's how many babies preborn has helped save just this year. How many mothers preborn has come alongside with practical and spiritual resources to make motherhood possible. But here's the most important thing you will hear today. Their goal is to save 70,000 by the end of the year. And they can't do it without us. Every $28 provides the ultrasound. The moment everything changes, will you be the reason the next Kayla chooses life? The reason Gabriel fulfills his destiny? To donate, dial £250 and say the key word baby. That's £250, baby. Or donate [email protected] afr that's preborn.com afr.

>> Alex McFarland: I can't count the times I've called your names on broken night and you showed up and patched me up like you do Every time I get amnesia I forget that you keep coming around There ain't no way you ever let.

>> Caroline: Me down down Good God Almighty.

>> Jeff Chamblee: American Family Radio and exploring the Word. I'm Jeff Shambley along with Alex McFarland. We are enjoying our study of First Timothy. We are just on the edge of chapter six and, talking about the importance of working properly before those that we are given under authority in this life. And so a lot of good material here, Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. And, you know, I think about one of the ways to be a witness is to, give a good day's work. You know, it's funny, I was, speaking at Charis Bible College out in Colorado, where I've taught apologetics periodically. And I went in a local business out there, and this man, he flagged me down. He said, are you. Do you teach up there? I said, yeah, I do. I teach apologetics. And he said, I just want to thank you. He said, we've hired quite a number of the students. And he said, they are the best employees we've got. He said, they come to work on time, they come to work sober, they give me a full day's work, and they don't steal from me. He said, please tell the students up there I'll hire as many as want to come down here. And, I was like, wow, that's awesome. Great testimony. And, you know, if people know that we're Christians, that's all the more reason to do right and give our best because we're doing it to ultimately honor God.

>> Jeff Chamblee: I worked for A guy, Alex, in seminary, he was a smart student. He actually started his own business. He started a janitorial business and hired a bunch of his fellow students to work for him. And I was one of those. And he was adamant. He said, do your job. As if Jesus was watching everything that you do, everything. The way that you dust, the way that you take out the trash. And he's exactly right. Because we worked in a lot of obviously secular businesses. They knew that we were seminary students. And, you know, we didn't have to say anything. It was the quality of the work that showed the testimony a lot of times. So it's important.

>> Alex McFarland: amen.

Well, now, this thing of being ethical and moral is in the Bible

Well, now, this thing of being ethical and moral. I mean, this is what this is. This is character, verse 3. If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words. Whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil, surmising, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness from such withdraw. Now, here's a very famous verse. folks, we've used the word idiom, I D, I, O, M M. And there are a lot of sayings and idioms, or they become colloquial truisms. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. You know, turn the other cheek. these are all from the Bible. And verse six is one of these things that I'm sure you've heard. Godliness with contentment is great gain. My grandmother used to say that, Jeff. I had a godly, godly grandmother. And she prayed for me to get saved. And I did. And I learned so much from my grandmother, Joy. And when I was a kid and I wanted to, you know, I was always questing after something. Got to have a new bicycle, wanted to get a record player. My sister and I, we wanted a stereo and then wanted to get a car. And, But she would always say, godliness with contentment is great gain. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but verse seven says, we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. You know, even Job said, you know, naked, I came into this world naked. I'll return.

Jeff: Christians need to teach young people about making ethical decisions

Before we talk about verse six and seven, let's just sort of tie a bow on, three through five. there are a lot of people that, they're Greedy, they're argumentative. They, as you might have heard the saying, they major on the minors, you know, And Paul is basically. And look, we don't mind questions and discussions and even spirited debate. We don't. But when it comes down to just nitpicking, straining at a gnat, as the Bible would say, sometimes you've just got to smile and move on.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Some people love to argue. And, sadly, in this passage, it seems that he's talking about, obviously he's telling Timothy to correct those who teach otherwise. And he's already said that, as the letter began in chapter one, verse three, that they teach no other doctrine. So the otherwise is anything that you would teach that isn't in accord with the words of Jesus. And so the charge is, whatever you say from a pulpit or a lectern, it has to be in agreement with the words of Jesus.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Listen to what people talk about when they get up and preach and they teach, sound teaching will be in accordance with the words of Jesus and it will be godly. That is, it will be in accordance with the character of God. So those are two really good standards to apply to anyone who teaches within the church.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. Let me just make a plea, folks, that in the church, obviously we teach the gospel and we teach the word of God. This would be a good time if you were teaching through First Timothy to do a lesson or more several on ethics. And let me recommend a book that is such a great book. it was called biblical ethics by Dr. Robertson McQuilkin. Now he's in Heaven. It was published by Tyndale. another great one is Norm Geisler's book Christian Ethics, that was published by Baker. Now, why does this matter? Well, we know the Ten Commandments, right? But I really think that we need to disciple people on making ethical decisions. Now. morality, that's what's right and wrong. And we believe as Christians in what we call objective morality, absolute morality, because what is right and true and upright and moral is what is reflective of the character of God and the word of God. and one of the things that we try to do, Jeff, in our summer camps, we have seven camps every summer, a thousand kids thereabouts. But we talk about making ethical decisions. one of which is like, what about, life pro life? What about the nature of marriage? What about moral issues? And do you know the Bible? Over and over. You know, we just read, in chapter five, where it says, you know, keep yourself pure, now we're not saved. By works. But if we are saved, we are to live Christ, honoring righteous, godly lives. And, three through five of chapter six here talks. verse five says, perverse disputings of men. And literally, that means useless wrangling. anyway, ethics is a great subject. Another one I would mention. Well, I'll mention two more. Forgive me for going off on a little tangent here, but, CS Lewis wrote this wonderful book in 1943 called the Abolition of Man. And it's basically, Lewis warned that if we lose morality, society will unravel, which is true. one other book, Jay Budzechewski. he is great Christian thinker. He was in the political science department at UT Austin. but he wrote a book. I love this title, what yout Can't Not Know. In other words, there's right from wrong. And he advocates, and so do I, that within the body of Christ, especially as we're discipling young people, we need to teach about ethics and how to make biblically informed moral decisions. I think we need to teach Christian ethics in the church, Jeff.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah, I agree.

The move to get chaplains into public schools is spreading like wildfire

And you know, Alex, one of the exciting things we covered this on the STAN radio program is the move to get chaplains into public schools. that is going across the country like wildfire. Like wildfire. Because chaplains have the abilities that pastors don't have. And one of the things that they're doing is simply bringing those kinds of ethical subjects back into the classroom. And in those schools where the students are being taught ethics and morality, not saying, again, that's how we are saved. It is not how we're saved, but it does create, an environment where there is peace and there's stability and the grades are improving, the violence is going down, and the teachers are even asking questions about it.

>> Alex McFarland: So, amen.

>> Jeff Chamblee: A lot of good things going on there.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, exactly. And, you know, I was on a radio interview, earlier today about just the lawlessness in some cities that are, you know, run by liberal leadership and defund the police and the rule of law is not upheld. And very quickly, you know, when you've got cities full of sinners and there's no restraint, you know, things go downhill very quickly. And I was just thinking to myself, I said this in this interview. What would be wrong with telling our nation and people, look, there is a moral compass, and we are all accountable to God. And there are things that are absolutely right. There are some things that are absolutely wrong. Shoplifting. And one last thing, and I want to get back to first Timothy six. But you know, drug usage, nowadays you see these dispensaries and they're advocating for hemp. Hm. And the legalization of marijuana. No, this is wrong because we are not our own. We should not pollute our bodies with drugs because our bodies belong to God. Life itself is entrusted to us, but God is the owner. And so, there's a lot that we need to say to this generation about moral living. Verse 7. For we brought nothing into this world and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, let us therewith be content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. Now verse 10, one of the most oft misquoted verses, says, for the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Okay, this is not saying that we shouldn't be ambitious. This is not saying that we shouldn't work and try to improve ourselves. having food and clothing, let us be content. You know, there's a lot to be said about gratitude just to have, you know, food on the table and clothes on your back, praise God. But 9 and 10 are warnings against unchecked materialism and greed. And yet we're in a very materialistic culture. And, and if. And there's no end. I mean a phrase you don't hear much anymore. Keeping up with the Joneses or whatever. look, Dave Ramsey, the financial consultant, he says, you know, if you're always having to buy a new car, if you buy a car you can afford, you'll save yourself over a lifetime. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars of interest that would have been paid. And let me just say this, and Jeff, I'll throw it to you folks, it is liberating and it is a blessing to live within your means and not just first. You know, it amazes me, Jeff. I travel so much. We've got storage units all over the country because we've got so much stuff. We're like drowning in stuff, aren't we?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah.

>> Jeff Chamblee: You know, one of the co worker of mine, Randall Murphy, sent me an amusing picture. He was at a local restaurant and there was a funeral procession going by. He snapped a picture of it. There was a U haul trailer right behind the procession. And it was funny because of the saying, you've never seen a U haul trailer behind a hearse well, in this case, there was. But I will tell you this. The belongings that were in the U Haul trailer did not belong to the person in the hearse.

>> Alex McFarland: Right.

>> Jeff Chamblee: You cannot take things with you. And this verse, and he reminds us of this. He says, we brought nothing into the world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. So, I like this. It's like what Randy Alcorn says. View all of your possessions in light of eternity.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Everything that you have. think of how this is going to last. Well, it won't. So use what you have wisely and don't covet.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Well said. Well said. And just, you know, those that will be rich, I mean, just the lust for money. And there's a balance here. Like I say, having ambition or goals, that's one thing. But just to be driven, driven to get more, more, more. it's strained a lot of marriages, it's wrecked a lot of lives. And I think, the word there, love of money is the root of all evil, speaks for itself. verse 11 begins, but thou, O man of God, flee these things. In other words, but you, Timothy, you're different. And indeed we are. We're called to be different. We march to a different set of priorities. Now, we've got a break coming up in just a moment, folks, exploring the word here. Alex McFarland, Jeff Shambley. Tuesdays is, yes, we take questions and Bible questions, but also it's our day of prayer. And if you have prayer requests, we would love for you to share the. Those prayer requests. in the next segment after a brief break, we, will agree together in prayer. And certainly there's a lot to lift up before the Lord. The number is 888-589-8840. Triple 8, 858-9840. And we'll wrap up chapter six tomorrow.

Jeff: Flee these things and pursue. You know, the Christian life is not all fleeing

But, Jeff, there's some very famous words there. Fighting the good fight of faith. you know, reading these again, it's like just beloved, words written on the heart, isn't it?

>> Jeff Chamblee: It is, it is. And I love what he says in that verse 11. Flee these things and pursue. You know, the Christian life is not all fleeing. We, have to pursue something. We're not just turning our back on sin, turning our back on greed. We are pursuing all of these things that he mentions here. Six of them. Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness. So that summarizes the Christian walk and is certainly something that ministers need to be aware of.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. You might want to read ahead and we'll, do a deep dive on that tomorrow. But after this brief break, folks, we want to hear from you, call in your Bible questions, your prayer requests on this edition of Exploring the Word, and we will be happy to hear from you. 888-589-8840. We're back after this.

>> Jeff Chamblee: If we lose this cultural war, we're going to have a hedonistic, humanistic society. Discover the story of the culture warrior Don Wildmon and how he went head to head with Hollywood playboy, the homosexual agenda and the Disney empire. The movement Don started paved the way for Christians to boldly stand for truth and righteousness in a hostile culture.

Don't stop praying. Ephesians, chapter 1, verse 11 and 12

Watch Culture Warrior today for free. Visit CultureWarrior Movie M. In him, we.

>> Alex McFarland: Were also chosen as God's own, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything by the counsel of his will, in order that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be for the praise of his glory. Ephesians, chapter 1, verse 11 and 12.

>> Jeff Chamblee: American Family Radio.

>> Alex McFarland: Don't stop praying. Don't stop calling on Jesus name? Keep on pounding on heaven's door? Let your knees wear out the floor? Don't stop believing Cause mountains move with just a little Amen. Don't stop praying. Alex McFarland here along with Jeff Shambley of the Stand. And this is a part of Exploring the Word where we love to hear from you. Prayer requests on Tuesdays. Bible questions. come one, come all. And, Jeff, where do we begin today?

Father of four of six children has lost his job

>> Jeff Chamblee: Let's start in Ohio and welcome, Nally to the program. Hi, Nie. Welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Caroline: Well, hello. Thank you so much. I love to listen to you when I have the opportunity. I can only listen in the car. I don't get reception at my house. So no radio works in my house, unfortunately. so I was glad to hear you taking prayer requests. My son, the father of four of six children, has lost his job. So we're praying for Jared.

>> Alex McFarland: Absolutely. Oh, that is serious. We will pray. Jared is his name.

>> Caroline: Jared's his name. He's a. He's a godly young man. but six. Six kids. One in college. And she won't be able to stay if he doesn't get a job. And then he's got a baby, only one. And then four boys in the middle.

>> Alex McFarland: M. Wow. You know, and I am sure there are a lot of people out there listening and employment and, cash flow is a concern. Jeff, would you Pray especially for Jared to find employment and soon.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah, let's pray together. Lord, we are so grateful to be able to come together and agree in prayer, this afternoon. Lord, thank you for hearing our prayers. Lord, I thank you for Nally and for her concern for her son, Jared, this father of six children who is lost his job. We pray, Lord, that you would work in his life and that you would keep him from discouragement, Lord, as he's waiting and looking. Lord, I pray that you would put the right people in his paths, that those doors would open. But in the meantime, Lord, that you would draw his heart to you, that you would increase his faith, Lord, that you would grant him your favor. And, Lord, that you would provide everything that he needs and everything that these kids need, Lord, because we know that your heart is, Lord, you are a provider. You are the great father. And so, Lord, we intercede for this family. We pray that you would provide in your time and in your way. In Christ's name. Amen.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen.

Jeff: I disagree with the teaching that all believers will speak in tongues

What's next, Jeff?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Let's go to, Pamela in, Texas. Hi, Pamela.

>> Caroline: Hi, Pamela.

>> Caroline: Hi. How are you?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Great. Good to have you along today. Go ahead and turn your radio down, if you would, Pamela.

>> Caroline: I think it's down already. Yeah.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Okay, go ahead. Yes, go ahead.

>> Caroline: Yeah. My prayer request is for my daughter and I first, I'm going to give thanks to God because I know he's faithful and he's always there for us, but I just want, more submission to him with. And putting the flesh down. That's all. I'm asking the Lord to help us to fall in love with him again.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. What a great prayer request. And, we will lift that up. We will lift that up to get as many as we can. Let's take a couple of more calls, and then we'll pray again. Jeff, what else?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Let's see here. I'm trying. We have several questions. Okay. Line two. We've already taken that. Let's go to. Let's, go to Keith, who's calling in. In Montana. Hi, Keith. Welcome to Exploring the Word. You have a question, go ahead.

>> Caroline: I do. Thank you for taking my call. we've been attending a church. We thought we had the perfect church. Our home, new home church. And, we went to a breakout section that was on Baptism of the Holy Spirit. it's a very fairly charismatic church. and we're good with that. We like that the Spirit is so lively in there. But they started talking about everybody when they're baptized in the Holy Spirit, will be able to speak in tongues. And I can't validate that, in the Bible. and maybe they mean everybody, you know, when you're, when you're baptized with the Holy Spirit, that everybody gets all of the gifts, but maybe some lay dormant or something. I mean, can you help me work through this to where I, where I can have, peace of continuing with that church? In that breakout session, they talked about how everybody can speak in tongues. And they may have been talking about prayer, as a prayer language, but then they actually went around and laid hands on people, trying to get people to speak in tongues. Neither me nor my wife could, but several other people in the group could.

>> Alex McFarland: let me speak to this. And by the way, God bless you for your diligence, you know, trying to find a church. and, you know, I would encourage you. Billy Graham wrote a wonderful book on the Holy Spirit. but here's the thing. When we become a born again believer, the spirit of God indwells us and seals us. And that's in Ephesians 4:30. But 1st Corinthians 12. Let me encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 12. And, it says this. Pardon?

>> Caroline: I read through it several times.

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, let me say this. I disagree with the, teaching that all believers will speak in tongues. And that's a whole other subject that we, can get into. But, no, I don't think it's right to say that, if you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you will speak in tongues. First Corinthians 12:12 says, for we are all baptized by one spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, we were all given of one spirit to drink. Now, I've been on the mission field and I've told the story. I was in Peru for two weeks with a, Peruvian pastor who could not speak English. And yet, when we were trying to evangelize a soccer team, suddenly this pastor that I'd been with for two weeks, he only spoke a language called Chechen or Ketchuan. Suddenly, he could speak Spanish and English, sharing the gospel. And for about two hours. It really was miraculous. but the, prayer language that we see on a lot of Christian TV in America, I really don't see that in the New Testament or church history. I don't want to get into the subject of what tongues is or isn't. But the question, if you haven't spoken in tongues, you don't have the Holy Spirit yet. No, that is not biblical. Jeff, you feel free to agree or disagree.

>> Jeff Chamblee: No, I agree. I mean, Paul says, in fact, not all speak in tongues. I mean, so even in the New Testament, whatever you interpret that as meaning, not all have that gift. the second thing is that if you don't have the spirit of Christ in you, you're not a believer. And so it's not a mark of having the spirit. when you're born again, you have the Holy Spirit and you are united to Christ. You're married to Christ, as Paul writes in Romans 7, so you're no longer under the law, so you don't need to feel, Keith, any sort of, being a lesser believer or in any. In any way, because you don't speak in a tongue. So.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

Jeff: Let's go to Ethan from Tennessee. Hi, Ethan. Where to, Jeff

>> Jeff Chamblee: Good call.

>> Alex McFarland: Where to, Jeff?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Let's go to, Ethan, who's calling in from Tennessee. Hi, Ethan. Welcome to the program.

>> Alex McFarland: Can'T tell how long you've been cut off.

>> Caroline: Oh, well, that's exactly how I felt. I felt like everything was wrong, and.

>> Caroline: It'S exactly what I said.

>> Jeff Chamblee: All right. Ethan, are you there? Okay.

>> Alex McFarland: Hello? Hello?

>> Jeff Chamblee: There we go. All right. Well, we lost. We lost. Ethan.

Where in the Bible does it state that there is a second chance after death

Let me go to Donna, who's calling in from Texas. Hi, Donna.

>> Caroline: Hi, guys. How are you doing? I'm wondering if.

>> Alex McFarland: Where. Good.

>> Caroline: Where in the Bible does it state or does it at all that there is a second chance if you die? You have not accepted Jesus. Believed on Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Where does it say that there's a second. There could be a second chance?

>> Alex McFarland: I don't think it does say that. I don't think there's any second chance after death. In fact, quite the opposite. it says in Hebrews 9. 27, it is appointed unto man once to die and after this to face the judgment. So that's why it is so imperative that a person turn to Christ in this life. Two, Corinthians 6, two says, now is the day of salvation. So, Jeff, I don't believe there is any second chance. There is a finality after physical death. We, are in eternity, and there is no second chance.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Yeah, the parable of the rich man in Lazarus gives us that idea, you know, there is no going back. Now, is the day of salvation as you've said. So. Good question, Donna. Thank you for calling in today. Let's go, once again to Tennessee and speak to Ethan. Ethan, you're on the air. Hi. Welcome.

>> Caroline: Yes, sir. Thank you all very much for everything that y' all do. I appreciate it.

Ethan asks for prayer for his grandfather and mother as they face medical issues

>> Jeff Chamblee: Thank you.

>> Caroline: I would like to ask for prayer for my granddad and my mom. My granddad, just finished up with radiation, a while back, and now he's. He's got some other health things going on, but he's having a procedure done tomorrow, and, just praying that they're able to do that, and to that it's successful. And then also my mom has been having some stomach, issues for a few months now. And, we're in the very early stages, but looks like she may be going up to, Vanderbilt to get checked out. The possibility of having, maybe ovarian or possibly stomach cancer. So just asking for prayers for both of those.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Let me pray for this. Thank you for sharing those. And there was, a few moments ago, a mother praying for her daughter. So let's agree together in prayer on this. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you do respond to our prayers. And we pray for this man who's lifting up his grandfather about this procedure coming up. Father, please intervene and give, your touch to that man and let the medical procedures go well. And the mother, possible stomach cancer or ovarian cancer. Father, in the name of Jesus, we would ask for complete healing and just your miraculous and quick intervention there. And, Lord, just as this family goes through these various medical issues, Lord, just draw them closer to each other and closer to you. And a few moments ago, a dear mother called in about prayer for her daughter to live, morally and to abstain from certain behaviors. And we pray for your holy spirit to work in that regard. And she said, also just pray for her whole family to fall in love with God all over again. And we pray that not only for that family, but for all of us that would with every day, Lord, our love for you and our obedience to you would only deepen and strengthen. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Amen. Thanks for calling in, Ethan.

Jeff Chambley: Question about second chance if we die without Jesus

Let's go to Ohio. Kim is calling in. Hello, Kim. Welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Caroline: Hi. Yes. thank you so much. so you just mentioned, about the second chance if we die without Jesus. I do have, some questions around that. One is, what about, children or those who don't even know Jesus? We have a good portion of this world that doesn't even have that truth. And then in that, what about, you know, like, my children were raised, you know, believing in Jesus and Christian and going to church. but, the distortedness of this world has gotten them so wrapped up that they just walked away from everything. And, and don't, you know, it's not that they don't believe, but they are just numb to it. So where do you go to from there?

>> Jeff Chamblee: Great question, Kim. Thank you.

>> Alex McFarland: This is a great question. And, you know, Christ gave the church the responsibility to spread the gospel. we have had this question a number of times about, you know, what about those who have never heard? And, there's a really, really good book that I would recommend by Don Richardson, and he was a missiologist, and it's called Eternity in Their Hearts. And there's a couple of things that, for one, we don't completely know. but I want to say this, that God. I've had atheists put it to me this way, Jeff. They'd say, you know, what about the person in the jungle who has never seen a Bible, never heard radio? and their only crime, this atheist asked me, said their only crime, they were born on the wrong continent. Well, no, that wasn't their only crime. We sin. We've got a sin nature. We do sinful deeds. so, God is not going to demand that somebody do something it's impossible for them to do. and in fact, Paul asked the question, how can they believe in him who they've never heard of? And the answer is, they can't. But here's the thing. Bert and I have talked about this. This is what Billy Graham would say, C.S. lewis would say that people will be judged. This is one option that they would be judged on the response they gave to the amount of light they had. The thing is, though the human heart is deceitful and sinful. Jeremiah 17. And, people generally reject whatever light they do have. Now, people ask, will there be a second chance? Well, there's a lot of people that maybe haven't even really heard the gospel once. Here's what we definitively know that we, the church, have been called to spread the gospel. We know God will do righteously. God will be true to his righteous nature. What I definitively know, my job and all of our jobs is to proclaim to the world, isn't it?

>> Jeff Chamblee: That's where it comes down to. Kim, thank you so much for calling in. Great question. John, call in again tomorrow. We'll try to pick up your call. A question from Second Corinthians, chapter five. but great program today, Alex. Thank you for leading us in these prayers and our study.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, Jeff Chambley, thank you. And of course, Brent Austin and Marty Sparks and our wonderful crew. We're going to be back tomorrow, good Lord willing, and we hope you'll join us and we'll wrap up. 1 Timothy 6 In the meantime, folks, tell somebody about the great programming of afr, but most of all, tell everybody about Jesus. Blessings to you all.

>> Jeff Chamblee: The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.