This is your chance to ask us your bible question on Fireaway Friday
>> Bert Harper: It's Fire Away Friday on Exploring the Word.
>> Alex McFarland: This is your chance to ask us your bible question.
>> Bert Harper: You can email your [email protected] or visit.
>> Alex McFarland: Facebook.Com exploring the word.
>> Bert Harper: Exploring the Word. It's Fireaway Friday on American Family Radio. You know, Fireaway Fridays are always special, but ever so often Alex or myself or both of us will be traveling and we can't make the time. So we do some pre records. This is one of those days. And, we'll miss hearing the phone calls, but we do get questions@word fr.net at Facebook. And sometimes Alex will be out on the road and every once in a while I'll be there and somebody will come up and ask us a question and we'll say, you know, we're going to answer that on the radio as well. So this is the day for that. Alex. It's always good to be on the radio on Fireway Friday, but sometimes we don't make those phone calls. But we still have questions, don't we?
>> Alex McFarland: Well, yes, there are many questions, but the good news is there are solid, compelling answers. And Bert, it's great to be with you and great to have Brent Austin engineering the program. And by the way, whenever you have questions, we love to get those, well, live every day and of course on Fireway Fridays. But then, when people email questions, we do respond to those and the number, I mean, the email rather. If you ever want to send us a question or a comment or even a prayer request, you can reach us wordfr.net and, we love to get those emails and you know, listeners, you are helping us minister to people because, you know, Bert, I tallied up and in the 15 years this show has been on, we give God the glory, we've done over 3000 shows. Hard to believe. And I remember the first one, of course, it was with Marvin Sanders. And I remember back then, and you've been with, with us ever since, you know, the third year of the show. So you and I have been on 13 years. But the questions people send in not only, go on the broadcast air airtime, but they become parts of books you and I have done. And so email us wordfr.net, but we've got a whole bunch of questions, kind of a backlog. And, I've got a couple that are pretty in depth, but, I'm going to start with one that's kind of general. Maybe it's, I don't want to say a softball, but it's an important question. But somebody emails in and says, how can I strengthen my relationship with God?
>> Bert Harper: Amen.
>> Alex McFarland: Now that, hey, could there be a better question? I don't know.
>> Bert Harper: The only way that it gets better, how can I be saved? Then the second thing, how can I strengthen my relationship with the Lord? Alex, let me say first of all with, the relationship, after you've established the relationship you want to continue and maintain. And when I use the word maintain, I'm not using it in a negative way. I'm using it in a positive way.
>> Alex McFarland: Maintain.
>> Bert Harper: Maintain your fellowship. And that, fellowship is so important. And I know I've used this before, but, you know, I know it's koinonia, for is the Greek word, and I know all it means. But the Bible professor at Blue Mountain Christian University when I was there, Dr. James Travis, he said, just understand, it's two fellows in the same ship rowing the same way. So I, I Another scripture is Amos about, can two walk together unless they be agreed? So you want to get in with Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, how in the world do you do that, Alex? I think there's several avenues to do that. One of them, and let me say this, and I'll throw it to you, is spending time with him in His Word. And there's different ways of studying and reading the Bible. One of the best ways, my wife went to an Evelyn Christensen, Bible study, and she came home and I was asking her about it. She said, Evelyn said, now when you're reading scripture or you're studying, you want to maintain that and do it good. But when God zeroes in on a phrase, a word or a verse, stop and let it become part of you. Alex, that, that really changed a lot of the ways I did. I'd be reading scripture, and my goal was, well, I got to get three chapters done. There's, that's a good goal. But if God stops you in chapter one, verse three, I, I, I want to tell you, if he's moved my heart and he's speaking to my heart, I mean, I need to stay there for a while. Do you get what I'm saying?
>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. And, you know, meditate on God's word. you know, in the Psalms, selah, is a word. You'll see. It's kind of a, you know, the Psalms are the Old Testament hymn book, in a way. And scholars are not completely sure what selah means. S E L A H. Have you read that, Bert? That you'll see the different psalms are punctuated. periodically there'll be a stanza and there'll be this word selah. And there's not, unanimity on what does that mean? But they generally think it means meditate on this.
>> Bert Harper: At least it means stop. Okay.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. And let it sink in.
>> Bert Harper: And let it sink in. I know it means that. Yes.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. I've got to say this. And the question is, how can I strengthen my relationship with God? Many years ago, 1988, and I had only been a Christian a couple of years, but Pat A.H. robertson came to Greensboro famously, the founder of CBN. And, he, he's in heaven now, but I don't know, maybe 2,000 people came out. And I went to hear him, my sister and I did, because he was, you know, on TV and very influential. And somebody asked the question, why does it seem like some people are closer to God than others? And I thought he gave a brilliant answer. Pat Robertson said, because some people are willing to invest more to pursue a deep relationship with God. He said, God's love is unconditional. Christ arms are open. Whosoever will may come. He said, but some people get up before sunrise and spend 30, 40, 60 minutes in prayer before they rush into their day. Some people spend hours and hours in the Word. And he said, you can be as close to Jesus as you want to be. And in fact, you, you probably are. And it reminds me also of, Charles Finney. He was a 19th century evangelist. And somebody asked Charles Finney one time, when is revival going to happen? And he said, as soon as you want it to. And the person said, are you kidding?
Bert Harper: Revival is in the hands of a sovereign God
Of course we want revival. And he said, really? Do, you want it badly enough to travail all night long in prayer? Do you want revival enough that you'll write down a list of unsaved people and just, you know, get on your knees and plead for the salvation of their souls. Will you get out there and witness to people? And he said, yes, revival is in the hands of a sovereign God, but there's a lot that's, you know, in our hands as well. And so, you know, here's the thing I would summarize about being strengthening your relationship with the Lord, for one thing. Bert, I would say, and this is just foundational, this is one of my core values. Bert, read the Bible and take God at his word. read the Bible, accept what God's word says in all things, and take it to heart and believe the Bible and trust God at His Word. And, then I would say pray, with an open heart and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you.
>> Bert Harper: I would as well, Alex. That's great. Let me add one more thing, and I do believe this. I know it happened in my life. And that is serve. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. And when he called his apostles, notice what he did. He would give them assignments again and again. From passing out the food to collecting the baskets to go two by two to follow him to help with others. And so now I want to just say some people will let their service take the place of the time spent with the Lord. No, I believe with all my heart. It takes both. You ever heard. How do you spell love? T, I, M, E, you know, amen. And, that is so. well, they say I spend quality time. I doubt if you have quality time if you don't have a certain amount of quantity to it. So, Alex, I believe that you're hitting it out of the park. And this is, this will strengthen that relationship in the word of God. Make it part of your life. obey it, you know, obey it. And then pray. And that means you're listening and you're speaking, you're talking. And then serve. And Alex, sometimes people think, oh, that means teaching a class. It might, but it might be baking a cake and taking it to your neighbor in the, in the love of God and share it with them. It, may be taking time to find somebody that is hurting and you're helping them. So listen, I believe all of those will help you in your fellowship and keep, strengthen that relationship with our, our Lord.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen. you're listening to Exploring the Word. The voice you are hearing is bert Harper. Alex McFarland here as well. And this is a pre recorded show. We're doing questions because, if you're hearing this show, it means Bert, and I are traveling somewhere. but this, is a question that we have in our upcoming book on prophecy in the End Times that will come out in the fall of 2025. And this is one of those kind of famous questions. It's, we do have a few questions that come up even more than this, but this one does come up.
Who are the 144,000 in the Bible? And you know,
Who are the 144,000 in the Bible? And you know, I, think about Revelation, chapter 14 that talks about 144,000 having the Father's name written on their forehead. But, Bert, let's talk about this.
>> Bert Harper: Yes. And you find this. And if you multiply, or divide 144,000 by 12. I just want to tell you, and you get all the things, you'll get some numbers. But the 144 thousands are individuals. They're real individuals that God has. That's come out of the great tribulation. Trust in the Lord. And Alex, it sounds like they may be from the tribes of Israel. Is that, is that also the truth?
>> Alex McFarland: Well, that's right. And this is, one of those things that's kind of easy to find because it's in Revelation 7 and Revelation 14. So 144000. I don't know. Somehow I remember those numbers. But in the book of Revelation. And by the way, I believe that everything after Revelation chapter, 4:1 and following Revelation 4:20 is during the seven year tribulation. But the bottom line, there are 12 tribes of Israel mentioned here and 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes that are really overcomers. Now they get martyred by the Antichrist. but these are overcomers who, who stand as a witness. And they are really, like 12,000 zealous evangelists that are born again and they're testifying of Messiah and they are put to death by the Antichrist, but they have overcome by the blood of the Lamb. And let me just say this, lest anybody be misled. there's more than 144,000 people in heaven. I know there are some groups, that have said, well, there's only 144,000. no, that's false. The 144,000 that are referenced in Revelation 7 and 14 are 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel that are kind of almost like Jewish Billy Grahams.
>> Bert Harper: I was waiting on you to say that. If you did not, I was going to remind people of what Alex McFarland always says when he talks about these 144,000. Alex, I believe that is a beautiful example of what's going to happen.
American Family Radio Network's Exploring the Word features your questions
>> Alex McFarland: Well, I hear the music. We have got a break. This is Exploring the Word, a question show. Just your questions that we're responding to and you can email us at Word, but please stay tuned. More to come on this edition of the American Family Radio Network's Exploring the Word.
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>> Alex McFarland: As we go, let us make disciples. As we go, let us tell the world of Christ.
Alex McFarland and Bert Harper answer questions from readers
Welcome back to Exploring the word. Alex McFarland and Bert Harper, so honored that you're listening. Hope you're having a wonderful day in the Lord. And we are answering questions that people send in. And, Bert, is it okay if we keep on rolling here?
>> Bert Harper: Let's go. We've gotten two down and we've got some more to go. What is the third question for the day?
>> Alex McFarland: Well, this is important and somebody, well, they're all important, but, this is important because of a trend. And I'll elaborate in a minute, but, we've got really kind of two questions here. Somebody, emails in and says, should I take the words of Jesus more seriously than the rest of the Bible? A somewhat similar question came to me and somebody said, Jesus is the son of God. And I just read what Jesus said, the red letters. The Old Testament, is boring, this person says, and not even relevant. They say, I would disagree, but the Old Testament. And then Paul, they said, Paul had issues, quote, unquote. as a Christian, I just read and follow the words of Jesus. Now, Bert, let me cue this up a little bit. first of all, the whole Bible is God's word. And obviously Christ is the Son of God and his words. I mean, I read the red letter words of Jesus with reverence and belief, but the entire Bible is God's word. And multiple times, Jesus referenced the authority and the applicability of the Old Testament. He made provision for the New Testament in John 14, 26 and 27. So here's the thing. Let's look at the Bible in three parts, and let's dare not Cut and paste and be selective and ignore part of God's word. Christ affirmed the old and he made provision for the new because he told his disciples, the Holy Spirit will remind you of all things whatsoever. I've told you. So, Bert, the Old Testament is God's word. The words of Jesus obviously are the word of God. And then he made provision for, for the New Testament, which would include Luke and Acts and Paul and James, first and second Peter, Hebrews first, second and third John and Revelation. But Bert, there's some backstory I need to give as well. But before I go any farther, what do you say about those that would selectively emphasize one part, the words of Christ to the exclusion of other.
>> Bert Harper: Parts, put the red letters of Jesus in the middle, and you will have so much, you will have treasure. But a lot of those words will not make a lot of sense unless you look at the Old Testament and brings it forth. Jesus would bring it forth and let you understand. So you're going to have a limited amount of understanding if you're limited in yourself to only the red letters that Jesus spoke. Also, as you was talking about the provision, you would also lack some explanation of even the words that Jesus said without those that would follow in the epistles and in the book of Acts and Revelation concerning, the rest of the story. And so, yes, it's great. And hey, reading the, red letter, only that Jesus said you'd be saved, Jesus told Nicodemus, but you're lacking some understanding of before and after. So Alex, hey, central, the centerpiece is Jesus Christ in his words. But you have these that add to it and helps understanding what Jesus was saying. Go ahead.
>> Alex McFarland: Well, let, me say this, and I was speaking to a very large group of students from a Christian college, a Christian college in Mississippi of all things. a group of probably 50 plus students had come out to hear me speak and there were quite a few of them that came up and they said, you know, we hear you on the radio and you're homophobic and transphobic and Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. They said, I disagree with that point and I'll come back to that. But, Paul, and I've heard these, these assertions for 25 years. And they come from a very specific and very horrible heretical book that I'm not going to name the title of, but these students from a Christian school in Mississippi, not Blue Mountain, by the way, but, they were saying that we follow the words of Jesus and the old Testament, you know, were Bronze Age peasants and Paul had issues, and Jesus never said anything about homosexuality. And therefore, we love people, we're tolerant. And it was kind of uncanny that this group, came out to set me straight on what part of the Bible they would listen to and what part they wouldn't listen to. Now, first of all, let me just say this. We are in a battle of worldviews. We really are. And, you know, for generations, people have, noted that one of Satan's tactics is to get the church to deviate from the Scripture. Before we say anything more, let me just say it is imperative that Christians individually and the church collectively follow the word of God. And, Bert, that's important right there. None of us have the liberty to declassify any sin. We don't have the authority to switch off part of God's written revelation. the Bible should not be, you know, sliced, and diced and diminished and truncated. We need to take it for what it says. And to those that would say, well, Jesus didn't comment on homosexuality. Well, over and over, Jesus affirmed the Scripture. Now, at the time of Christ, this is before the resurrection and Pentecost, the scripture was Genesis through Malachi. And in that, you've got the clear, clear God's revelation about morals, marriage, sexuality, immorality. And so, when in John 10:35, when Jesus said, the Scripture cannot be broken, you know, he was affirming, as he did in many places, the trustworthiness and the authority of the Old Testament. So point number one, there's no Christian that has the authority to just, x out 39 books of God's Bible.
>> Bert Harper: And when you do that, you are again, Alex, I can't help but know a lot of times when I read, the red letters that Jesus said, and it reaffirms what was said in the Old Testament, brings it alive. And then, when I'm reading any, like James or John, either of those, and I read that, and it takes me back to what Jesus said, in another place, just like I would say, and I've referred to this before, when the Philippian jailer said, what must I do to be saved? Nicodemus, came to Jesus at night and wanted to know, same thing. You must be born again. You must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is the way you are born again, and trust in him. So, Alex, you know, someone that tries to do that, they're placing themselves in a position that they do not have the right to be off and that's to pick and choose. And that's what you just said. No, the word of God. We have the whole part of God's word that he wanted. Just what he wanted as well.
>> Alex McFarland: And let me say this. And I realize this takes, a little bit of, you know, thought to process. But. But let me. Let me just give you an example. In the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we've got the. The birth of Christ, the ministry of Jesus, his atonement on the cross, his resurrection. We've got the words of Jesus. Now, Jesus did not go down all 623 points of the Mosaic Law, but he said, the Scripture cannot be broken. Heaven, and earth will pass away. My words will never pass away. It's almost like, you know, if I refer to quote the Constitution, that doesn't mean that I have read to any audience every single line. But if you, in a collective sense say, you know, I affirm the U.S. constitution, the full faith and credit of the U.S. constitution, you know, you've done that. Let me give you an example. In Mark 17, I'm sorry, Mark 7:21, Jesus condemned, he says, from within, from out of the heart of man proceeds evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murders, and adulteries. Okay, so Jesus condemned, quote, fornication. Now, if you look up, that word in the Greek, it's the word porneia, from which we get the word, pornography. And, okay, Leviticus 18, for example. Leviticus 18 condemns, unlawful sexual activity, adultery, incest, premarital sex, and, yes, homosexuality in Leviticus 18. And unspeakable immoral acts. Okay, The Greek word porneia is a collective word and many a lexicon.
Adrian Rogers: The problems with gay affirming theology are numerous
if you look up what Christ in the first century would have meant by that word, it will refer you to Leviticus 18. So when Jesus condemned fornications, plural, he was essentially affirming the grocery list of unspeakable acts condemned by Leviticus 18, 22 and 23. But here's the thing. Jesus said, the scripture cannot be broken. Well, that means the totality of God's word from Genesis through Malachi. The other thing I want to say, though, when people nowadays burden, I think there's an agenda here. There are those that, they want to affirm Jesus Christ and salvation, but they don't want to admit that homosexuality and transgenderism is sin. And by the way, M.D. perkins with, the American Family association, wrote, an incredibly wonderful book. I've interviewed him. But it's dangerous affirmation. The problems with gay affirming theology. And so if you really want to do a deep study on this, I really can't think of a better resource than the book. Bert, are you familiar with the book by MD Perkins?
>> Bert Harper: Yes, I am. Go.
>> Alex McFarland: Incredible piece of scholarship. But the other thing is there are those who say, well, you know, the APostle Paul, because First Corinthians 6, man, Paul just comes down strong against homosexuality. But Paul had issues. I mean, there was a book 30 years ago, and I'm not going to name the book or the author, though I've studied it extensively and I've debated people that promoted this book, and it was on Oprah Winfrey back in the day. But, but a, a very heretical, just ungodly book came out where an alleged scholar tried to use the Bible to promote immorality. And they, just unspeakable things that said David and Jonathan were homosexuals and Jesus and the disciples might have been. It was just blasphemous. And they said, you know, Paul, the Apostle Paul was a repressed, frustrated homosexual man. That's why he lashed out in First Corinthians 6. And so as a result, there are some that they say, well, you know, I accept Jesus, but I reject Paul. You can't do that because clearly Paul was writing the words given to him by the Holy Spirit. Peter affirmed that. Even Peter affirmed that the Apostle Paul had written Scripture. So, Bert, without belaboring the point too much, I just think we're on very dangerous ground, in fact, and I don't use this word lightly, but heresy, which is the rejection of known truth when we want to slice and dice and thumbs up to what we like. I'm going to suppress and ignore what I don't like. God has a lot to say about adding to or taking away, doesn't he?
>> Bert Harper: He really does. And when you do that, you are the one that is really trying to justify what you believe and trying to use the Bible. And that's what Judas, I think part, part of what Judas did was trying to use Jesus and back him, quote, into a corner to do what he wanted. And that was he wanted the power and the money. And, it m. Came back to really crush him. Alex. And those that would say, hey, I'm going to take this and I'm going to discard this, they are really crushing their own selves. But by not taking heed to the whole counsel of God. And so that's so important to do. And so those of you that might be tempted to do that, don't you're getting only, not only get bad information, you'll miss out on the best information when you discard that. Alex.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen. And you know, regarding the Old Testament, this is worth spending the time on. Look, there are parts of the Old Testament that are specifically for the nation of Israel. God is never going to call any local church to go fight Canaanites and Philistines. But, I mean, we do see the protection and the provision of God. But oh, my goodness, how much, more impoverished would we be if we didn't have psalms and proverbs and, you know, through the 40 years in the wilderness? Bert, I'm sure you've preached great sermons on God's protection and provision. And of course, in the Old Testament, we've got the creation story. I mean, you're going to ignore the Old Testament? Well, that's the origin of the universe and the human race and the promise of the coming Savior.
>> Bert Harper: As Adrian Rogers said, if you can't trust the Bible to tell us where we came from, how can you can you trust it to tell us where we're going? We'll be back with more right after this break. Because of listeners like you, preborn helped to rescue over 67,000 babies. Your $28 to sponsor one ultrasound doubled a baby's chance at life. Your tax deductible gift saves lives. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate, go to preborn.com afr now back to the Bible study. You're listening to Exploring the Word on American Family Radio.
>> Alex McFarland: It's about the cross. It's about my sin. It's about how Jesus came to be born once so that we could be born again.
>> Bert Harper: Welcome back to Exploring the Word on this faraway Friday. That is a pretty pre record. we're not receiving phone calls today, Alex and I. One of us or both of us are possibly traveling or something going on that we can't do it. But we do these pre records with questions you sent [email protected] sometime on Facebook, sometimes other places. But we're always glad to get to them. They help us with these programs, when we do need to have a pre record.
Bert: Alex recently discussed a book he wrote about outdated science
So, Alex, with that in mind, this is one that came in and it's about one of your books and it says Alex recently discussed a book he wrote where he talked about a, library in France with miles of science books considered true at the time. Would you please respond and tell us which one of Alex's books this is?
>> Alex McFarland: Well, thank you very much to God be the glory. You know, Bert, when I was working for, James Dobbs and, and I went to work at Focus on the family 21, 22 years ago. Wow. Time goes by. But, I got to write several books, for Tyndale Publishers, one of which is called Stand S T A N D Stand, core truths you must know for an unshakable faith. And basically it was kind of my Christianity 101. And we go over some of the core, just foundational beliefs. But on page 104 of my book Stand, which you can still get, it's out there, and it's in Spanish, but, it says, in Paris's Louvre museum, there's a library with three and a half miles of bookshelves that hold thousands of science books. What's unusual about these quote, science books is that they are already outdated. They were thought to be accurate in their day, but are now known to be incorrect. And I talk about the fact that, you know, whenever somebody says, oh, well, you know, science affirms, Darwinian evolution. And, Bert, I've had on a couple of occasions, students at a college would say to me, you know, we used to believe Genesis, but now we believe on the origin of the species. You know, Moses lived in 1440 B.C. but the, the true word came to us in 1859 with Charles Darwin. Hey, let me say this. Like I mentioned, on page 104 of the bookstand, the hypotheses of man come and go, but the revelation of God is forever, isn't it?
>> Bert Harper: It really is. His word is settled in heaven, not, one jot or tittle will pass away. And so you have the sure word of God. And real true science usually catches up with the word of God, you know, and, like we're knit together. And then was it 1953 when the DNA was, discovered, if I'm not mistaken? I think that's the year.
>> Alex McFarland: I think you're right.
>> Bert Harper: And you look at that ladder, DNA ladder, and you say, man, that looks like it's knit together. And, and God's word is true, and it's dependable. And science, listen, I know I use this, but some things are just fun to use. Is there a night planet called Pluto? Yes, there is. No, there's not. Yes, there is. You know, and, as I tell folks in humor, I said, where you can go and find Pluto is in Disney World. So anyway, you know, that's. And I know that's sarcasm, but that's pretty funny. Actually, science is, praise God for science. we're not hidden from science, but true science. But I want to tell you we have a more sure word, and that is the Bible.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Indeed. and folks, if you ever want to email us a question, it's word w o r d wordfr.net and we would love to hear from you.
Is repentance necessary for salvation? Bert says it's necessary
so, Bert, somebody asked about repentance, and what does it mean to repent and how do I repent? well, as a related question, I'm a little bit summarizing. Is repentance necessary for salvation? You know, Bert, this is one of those questions that there's actually a lot that needs to be said, but first and most basically, repent. What does that mean? And, is that indeed a Bible concept?
>> Bert Harper: You know, John the Baptist came teaching and preaching repentance, and Jesus never declared what John the Baptist said is wrong. When you understand repentance, it's not just turning away from, but it's turning away from two and using any other word you want to. Okay, turn from or turn to. and necessary in order to be saved, you do turn to the Lord Jesus in your heart, your mind, your will. You turn to him. And, you know, does the word repent have to be used? I would say no, it doesn't have to be repented, used, but the action of turning from my way, there's a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. So if I don't turn from that way to God's way, when he said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one can come to the Father but by me. Alex, salvation is based upon this idea of coming to him in faith, coming to him and knowing who he is, and depending upon Him. Confession means to throw yourself upon Him. But you've got that whole idea of turning from your way. I would say it's necessary to turn from your way and turn to God's way.
>> Alex McFarland: Indeed. Indeed. Well, you know, the words, repent. And very famously, the New Testament word is a Greek word, metanoia. And Bert, I wrote, I've got in my Bible, the Bible I've had since I was in seminary, and I don't remember who was speaking, but somebody came to Liberty University, and they said, it's a change of mind that results in a change of heart, that results in a change of actions. You've probably heard that, haven't you?
>> Bert Harper: Yes, I have. That's great. Yes.
>> Alex McFarland: but it really Is okay, this word, and the concept to repent and agree with God about your situation and then turn from sin to Christ is found 106 times in the Bible, 42 times in the Old Testament, 64 times in the New Testament. So to the question, is repentance important, necessary part of salvation? yeah, when the lord says something 106 times, I think we better look at it. But hey, I got to tell you, I've got a pastor friend who, he took his family to Disneyland down there in Florida, which, for those of us on the east coast, that's kind of a rite of passage. Everybody goes down to Disneyland at some point or another. and I've never been everybody, I've never been. But here's the thing. Think about this, Bert. So they go down there and they're driving back and it's like a 14, 15 hour drive. So they drove all the way to ah, the Florida line and they get up into Georgia and they're, they're halfway home. And he said he was really tired. So they pull off and they stop to eat. Well, he was so tired that when they all got back in the car, he forgot. And he wasn't headed north, but he was headed south. And they drive about four or five more hours and he comes on the Florida state line. And he was so, he said, I was so mad at myself. Now I can't believe somebody would do this. But he said I had. We were almost across Georgia back to South Carolina and I got turned around and I headed back. And he said, when I saw the Florida state line, I realized I was going the wrong direction. And I said, what'd you do? He said, I turned the car around. Repentance means when you realize you're in the wrong direction, you're going the wrong way from God to sin. No, you got to turn from sin back to Christ. That's what it means to repent. And do you know what's interesting? I'll say this, I'll throw it back to you. I was doing a study on the word metanoia, which is a Greek word. But the concept is throughout the Bible, even in the ancient world, in what is now India and the Asian world, and the Arabic world. From time immemorial, virtually every language group had this idea of metanoia, to repent, to turn from the wrong back to the right. And that's, yes, it's a key part now. It's not just trying to turn over a new Leaf that saves us. We're saved by what Christ did on the cross. We put our faith in Jesus. But Bert, in Luke 13:3, where Jesus said, unless you repent, you will perish. There has to be that moment when we admit we're a sinner. We're doing wrong, we're in the wrong, we need the grace of God, and we turn to the one and only M. Savior. Repentance encompasses all those things, doesn't it?
>> Bert Harper: It does. Now let's make sure. Turning from your way and your sin. Yes, but then you must turn to the right one. Turning to the wrong one will lead you down another dead end street. if you turn to just religion, if you turn to something other than Jesus Christ, listen, you may have said, hey, I need to get things together. I need to turn away from where I am. I need to leave this alcohol alone. I need to leave, this, adulterous life that I'm living. Turn away from it. You bet. But you better turn to the Lord Jesus Christ. If you just turn away from something and do not turn, to Christ. You're setting yourself up. Yeah. Not to be doing that, which, praise God, I'm glad of that. But that doesn't mean you're saved just because you've quit doing those things and say, I was wrong in doing it. So this repentance is turning to God, Alex. And so, yes, turn away from. And turn to. And it's Jesus Christ that you turn to.
>> Alex McFarland: You know, that's a really good point. I mean that you, you have to turn to the right thing. You know, you could turn from a sinful behavior to an attempted, you know, better. Betterment of yourself.
>> Bert Harper: Self help books are out there. They're dime a dozen, you know.
>> Alex McFarland: Exactly.
>> Bert Harper: But it's Christ that we need.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Well said.
Somebody's asked about Ephesians 6, verse 11. Um, Bert, you want to respond to that
Somebody's asked about Ephesians 6, verse 11. And Ephesians, you know, 6 famously talks about the, the whole armor of God. Somebody says, the, the wiles, W I L E s, stand against the wiles of the devil. what does this mean? Ephesians 6, 11. Bert, you want to begin to respond to that?
>> Bert Harper: Yeah, I would. It means schemes, the schemes of the devil. He is always, trick, he's a liar, he's a deceiver. And so all of those, the wiles, the schemes of them, and if he can't hook you in a one way, he will change his bait to try to get you another way. One of the things happened is early on in ministry, Matter of fact, the second church ever pastored. And, there was a man, that I met during that period of time that owned a place where he would trade for pelts, animal pelts. We were out in the country and out on a river close. It was all kinds of, as I get, creatures out there with furs. And so he would trade. But he also had traps by which you could trap these individuals, creatures. And so I was at his place of business, and, he was showing me all the traps. A trap for this animal, a trap for that animal. And they were all different. And I said what? He said, they have different traits, and they have different ways. And then I also have different things that would draw them into the trap. And when I saw that, I said, that is the wiles of the devil. That's the schemes. He's got many traps. he and his demons study those, and they figure out a scheme in order to trap you. And so, Alex, we don't need to be ignorant. We need to stand against them. And, yes, we need to be ready. and do not be enticed by the schemes of the devil.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen.
Bert Harper: Ephesians 6:11 speaks about hoodoo methods
I got to talk about words. You know, I love language, and language is fascinating. And let me. Do I have time to.
>> Bert Harper: About a minute and a half left, I think. About a minute and a half to two minutes. Go ahead.
>> Alex McFarland: Okay. we laugh because, I chase rabbit trails a lot. That's preacher talk for going off on a tangent. But, Ephesians 6:11, the wiles of the devil. And you're right, it's the schemes or the tactics. But in the original language, it's the word method. Okay, the methods of the devil. But that word, method is a combination of two Greek words, meta, upon, and hoodoo. Now, Bert, have you ever heard we colloquially will say, well, that's. Somebody's trying to hoodoo you.
>> Bert Harper: Yeah. Yeah.
>> Alex McFarland: Do you know hoodoo is actually a Greek word, and it means to be lured away on a journey. Okay. Hey, come down here. Follow me for a second. Come on over here. Hoodoo. So metta m E T a means upon. Hoodoo means upon a journey. The wiles of the devil. Now, we get the word from meta hoodoo methods, Right? And that's not necessarily a bad word. You know, there's methods to cook, methods to do a lot of things, but. But the Greek word to be lured away upon a journey. So, I've all my life heard people sometimes would casually refer to somebody who dud somebody, but friend don't let Satan lure you off on a journey. Stay on the narrow path, the path of life with Jesus Christ. Proverbs 3, 3, 5, and 6. Let the Lord Jesus direct your path. don't be misled. Satan's got a thousand dead end streets he would take you down. Jesus Christ will walk with you through this life and on into the glories of heaven.
>> Bert Harper: Let's use that cliche. That journey will take you further than you want to go, cost you more than you want to pay, and keep you longer than you want to stay. Don't be voodooed by the devil, Alex. That's a good word. Thank you, brother.
>> Alex McFarland: God bless you. Well, folks, thanks for listening to Exploring the Word. Brent Austin on, the soundboard. Bert Harper, Alex McFarland. Please tell somebody about the American Family Radio Network. But most of all, tell everybody about Jesus.
>> Bert Harper: Thank you again for listening to American Family Radio Network.
>> Alex McFarland: M the views and opinions expressed in this broadcast do not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
