Transcript

This is your chance to ask us your Bible question on Fire Away Friday

>> Jeff Chamblee: M its Fire Away Friday on Exploring the Word. This is your chance to ask us your Bible question. You can email your [email protected] or visit facebook.com exploring the word. It's Fire Away Friday on American Family radio.

>> Alex McFarland: In John 17:17, Christ is on his way to the cross and he, prays a prayer that is very often called the high priestly prayer of Jesus. But I love the wording where Jesus is praying for believers and he says, to the Father, sanctify them by thy truth. And then listen to this regarding the Bible, Thy word is truth. T R U T H the word of God is truth. And that's why the wisest thing we'll ever do is believe what it says. And this is Fire Away Friday on, Exploring the word. Alex McFarland, Burt Harper. And what we're going to do today is go over questions. Now, a lot of people, people will email questions in and we do love to hear from each and every one of you. And whether it's a question or a comment or feedback on the program, you know, you can always email [email protected] but Bert, you know, I was recently at the COVID the Billy Graham Training center in western North Carolina. And just about 300 people there from all over the country, many, many of whom are exploring the Word listeners. And you know, it's very humbling because they say such kind things about you and the show and the work you and I do. But, somebody said, you know, how do you guys come up with your answers, to the questions? And I said, well, it's not us, it's the Word of God. We endeavor to give biblically faithful answers. And John 17:17, it's because God's word is truth.

>> Bert Harper: When I hear that, Alex, it comes across to me that I am biased. I hope I am biblically biased. And I, want to not say I do it all the time, but I want to look at everything that comes into my life or people ask through the lens of scripture. And, that's the reason you spend time in the Word of God. You just study the Word of God, meditate upon the Word of God. And like here with exploring the Word in our audience, listen as they're driving home or whatever they might be in their kitchen, Listen to us as we share with that. I'm reminded of Paul, because of his background when he was called of God to be saved. And then I know God, he spent some time in the Arabian desert, but he had been called, taught at the feet of Gamaliel, a great Bible teacher, Old Testament scholar. And so God uses these things. And so I know from your background that you've had at Liberty, My background that I've had at Blue Mountain College and then seminary courses that I took, you know, I've done our best. We've done our best to ground ourself in the word of God, and we try to enter into it. And one more thing. I would say, you know, you and I are both Southern Baptists, and. But I had a professor at seminary, Southern Baptist Seminary, and he said, I'm more interested in being biblical than I am Baptist. And he said, I pray there will not be a lot of difference. And that's what I want to do. If it's not biblical, I want to change to a biblical stance on anything. I look at Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

>> Bert Harper: Is that a. That is a biblical worldview, isn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: It is. It is. And that's why on some of the real volatile issues of the day, like morality and marriage and gender and sexuality and, well, for that matter, the exclusivity of Christ's salvation, that there is no salvation except in Jesus Christ. That's not Bert and Alex merely spouting off our opinion, although certainly we all do believe it, but it's the word of God. And, you know, Bert, I think it's interesting that so much of the culture, that really chafes against the boundaries God has ordained, you know, about truth and morality and just life as a civilized culture, they push back on the boundaries because, the human heart, apart from the redemption of Jesus, the human heart is in rebellion. You know, C.S. lewis, I'll say this, and we are going to get to the questions, but C.S. lewis said, man is not a slightly imperfect creature that needs New Year's resolutions turning over a new leaf or a slight bit of improvement. Man, fallen man, said C.S. lewis, is a rebel who must lay down his arms. And that's really true. The human heart, apart from the conversion of Jesus, the human heart is in rebellion against God.

>> Bert Harper: Who can know it, you know?

Bert says God puts certain boundaries in the Bible for our benefit

Now I want to say one more word about the boundaries there for our benefit. I know you've been to the Grand Canyon, and you went all the way to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, and it was a good bit of time there. And I haven't gone to the bottom. I was just there at the top. Top. But at certain places, they have a fence around an area where you can get real close to the edge and look down. Now, who do you think that fence is for? Do you think it's because, okay, the National Park Service said this, you know, we want to put this up to protect ourselves. No, they were put up for what? To protect the people who were looking. And the boundaries that God has in his word about, you know, worship, about money, about marriage, everything. The boundaries that he has is ultimately for our benefit, not our harm. And, I think that's what the psalmist would talk about, that they would become, the things that he needed there. They become something of cherishedness and loving, the boundaries that he's put upon us. So if we can learn and understand these boundaries are for our benefit, it goes a long way in us saying, okay, man, it'd be best for me to obey, God and not do my own thing. My own thing always winds up getting me in trouble. Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, you know, regarding whether it be the Grand Canyon or a park or something like that, every year, two or three times in the news, sadly, somebody will, fall to their death because they'll go beyond a fence and try to take a selfie or, you know, it seems like on social media, everybody wants the ultimate, ultimate, you know, photo or something. But just like somebody who gets in danger when they go beyond the guardrails, when we flaunt God's rules. And let me say, the word of God has many promises and reassurances. The love of God, the patience of God. But the Bible also has many very ironclad warnings, strong warnings about sin and, rebellion, disobedience. Not because God is mean or is trying to squelch anybody's fun. But you're right, Bert. Those. Those prohibitions, those boundaries, the. The guardrails for our soul there. They are there in the Bible because God loves us.

>> Bert Harper: Amen.

>> Alex McFarland: He's trying to. Sometimes God is trying to protect us from ourselves.

>> Bert Harper: Well, you know, people talk about, who do you have the most trouble with? It's the guy that I look at in the mirror every morning, and, it's me. You know, if, I can get self under control. That's the reason the Fruit of the Spirit is so important, you know, self control. And, so we suggest that. And that's why we try to answer these questions, not to. Okay, honestly, it's not to solve your curiosity. I don't mean to be mean on this. I could care less about someone's curiosity, but I am interested in them making wise decisions that would strengthen their life, help them to follow Christ. And so curiosity kill the Cat. They say, well, you know, there are some curiosities in the scripture. How in the world you know this. And I understand that. And most of those that people ask, okay, about Melchizedek, about the giants, we have to say, well, this is the best we can come up with. But to guarantee an answer, we would say, you know, we're going to wait till we get to heaven to find out that. And guess what? When we get to heaven, it may not be as important as we thought it was. Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. M. Amen.

Alex: The presumption that Satan is an eternal being is wrong

Well, I've got a really, really good question here that we start out with, and I'm going to read the full context. Somebody says, Alex, I've heard you say that God called himself I am. And that's true. That's in Exodus 3:14. And you use that as a proof that there is no evil in God. and it goes on. Evil and sin lead to death. By the way, that's Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death. And I have said, you know, when God told Moses, I am. That I am, part of that. The eternality of God is that there is no sin or darkness or evil in God. God is thoroughly righteous. He is life, light, and love. But anyway, listen, what they said, God's eternal nature is a proof that there's no evil in God. But isn't Satan an eternal being? The listener asked, and he is evil. How can this be? please clarify. Bert, I know what I would say about this. I'm going to let you go first.

>> Bert Harper: Okay. Satan is not an eternal being. he is a created being. And, he was one of those that was created. Yes. Early on. And, so the. He is first of all. That's the first I would say answer that I'd give. He is not eternal being. And also, he has what you would say, kind of like an end. there's going to be a final destiny. I'd say it. Let me say that he has a final destiny. You know, in the lake of fire. We understand that and know that. So I, think using that as you're trying to say, well, eternal God being. I am that I am an eternal being. There's no evil in him. I'd say you'd first attack the presumption that Satan is an eternal being is wrong.

>> Alex McFarland: Exactly. Well said, listener, Respectfully, I have to disagree. Satan. And Bert is right. Satan is not, I repeat, not an eternal being. Now, he was an angel created Lucifer and the archangels were Michael, Gabriel, And Lucifer. But Lucifer chose to rebel against God. In fact, if you read in Isaiah 14, he really tried to set himself above God and really overthrow heaven, and he was cast out of heaven. And sadly, a third of the angels, joined Lucifer in this failed coup attempt. And in Revelation 12, 4, it speaks of Satan, who, a third of the angels fell with him. They are now demons. Now, how many demons are out there in the air? We don't know. But the thing about it, and Bert is right, that there is an end, there's a termination, that Satan and his demons will all be cast in the lake of fire. And, the day will come when, you know, the saved, the believers, we've been saved from the penalty of sin. We're increasingly growing in the Lord and being delivered from the power of sin. And Bert, I believe it was the great Adrian Rogers. I heard him preach that one day. Hallelujah. We're going to be delivered from the very presence of sin.

>> Bert Harper: Hallelujah. I would say this, and every time I hear I am that I am, my mind goes here first. Not I was or not I will be, but I am. And that's the divine presence. Now, there's two things. in other words, present time, P R, E, S E, N T and presence. P, R E, S E, N, C E. This is who he is. And, there's no turning in him. That's one of the greatest things. In other words, there's no shadow of turning. And I think that he's talking about Isaiah. In Isaiah, chapter six, when he saw the Lord high and lifted up and the seraphim was flying around, everywhere they looked and spoke, they would say, holy, Holy. They'd fly a little further, look at a different angle. Holy. Holy. I think that is the divine nature of God, that he is perfect in all of his ways. I am, that I am. Alex, great question.

>> Alex McFarland: This is Exploring the Word. We have a brief break. We're going to come back. More questions, lots of questions and biblical answers. Please stay tuned.

>> Bert Harper: Will you take a moment and celebrate life with me?

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Bert and Alex discuss family relationships on American Family Radio

>> Jeff Chamblee: M welcome back to Exploring the Word on American Family Radio.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: As we go, let us make disciples. As we go, let us tell the world of Christ. May our lives speak a message of his mercy and his hope. So all because.

>> Bert Harper: As we go, and I want to just tell you as you go, that's part of the great commission. We say go into all the world and in reality it is as you go, the assuming party is God has made us willing mobile people. you remember God's call to Abraham? he better not dig his roots too deep anywhere because God had him living in a tent from place to place. So be ready to answer God's call. Wherever you want me to go, God, here I am. Send me. Well, this is Bert and Alex and we're exploring the word. now we're not taking phone calls in the next segment. Alex, you and I are not in the studios. This is a pre record and honestly mine. I'll tell you what I'll be doing this time when this is aired. I'll be spending some time with my grandsons. And I've tried to make it one of my priorities in m my age that I am right now. And so I think it's important to spend time, with your family, Alex. It's important, isn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, it really is. It really is. And you know, it's funny, I was, talking yesterday with some people about, relationship struggles within the family. And you know, there are many, many acquaintances in life and friends, but your family, you've only got really one of them. And so I just, We need to cherish those relationships. And good for you, Bert. Those grandkids are blessed to have Bert and Jan in their life. I know that.

>> Bert Harper: Listen, I thought parenthood was great. Then I had grandchildren. I thought, okay, this is worth it. But anyway, well, let's get back to the questions.

Someone writes about how their children have turned from God into darkness

Alex, have you got another one?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, somebody writes and it says, please share your thoughts on how to get past suffering when our children have turned from God into darkness. And they write about how it said we went to church, we, sacrificed for Christian schooling. But now our kids are young adults and they. So it's plural. I don't know if it's two or I don't know how many, but it says our children are now Young adults and no longer believe. Well, first of all, that is very sad and my condolences. And Bert, they're asking, how to get past the grief of this. And I'm, going to say this and throw it to you. For one thing, the concern over the souls of your loved ones, especially your children. I don't know that you really ever would completely get over that. I think ultimately, since everybody has to answer to God for themselves, though, you can take consolation that you did your part. one last thing. I mean, you took them to church, you had them under Christian education, and in spite of your prayers and best efforts, if they still turned away, well, it's not your fault. but the other thing is, the jury is still out. And Bert, I believe as long as somebody is in the land of the living, there is still hope that they will yield to the spirit of God and turn back to Christ. So, there is hope in that?

>> Bert Harper: There really is. Alex. as you were. I wrote down or underlined some things, so I would, make sure I touched on that.

Adrian: Getting past suffering is the whole idea of managing suffering

And basically what I'm going to do is reiterate what you just said. The suffering, some suffering you live with. That is the whole idea. Not past, but manage suffering. there's physicians and clinics that talk about the management of pain or the suffering. And this is one of those sufferings that, Yes, I don't think you would move past it now. You don't want it to paralyze you. You don't want it to come to the point where I can't serve either. But. But it does, and it keeps you on your knees. As Dr. Adrian, Rogers and Dr. Dobson has talked about, as long as you have children, it's going to keep you on your knees praying. The other thing I would say is do not as best you can. Sometimes they, demand you to accept something that you can accept, if their lifestyle is one that is unnatural. lifestyle. An unnatural lifestyle. you keep a relationship open as best you can, as much as dwells in. You live peaceably with all men. That's especially true with your family, especially your children. So I would say yes. And the other thing was. And I wrote down, it's not over yet, you know.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

>> Bert Harper: And that's what you were referring to. Listen, continue to pray. And I've given this before. I'll give it again. My wife's dad was a lost man. He had an aunt, we know, that prayed for him for 50 years. The last prayer that she prayed was for him to be saved. The last prayer that she prayed aloud was for him to come to know Christ his savior. Well over 50 years. And then some time between her death and the time when he came to know the Lord Jesus Christ was years and years. So don't give up, don't stop. The other thing, I would say one more thing. Pray that God would bring individuals into their lives, that would touch their lives in a very meaningful, challenging way. You can't, you know, you can't be there, but God can bring some individuals in their life that would challenge their thinking. Just like, the biblical thinking is challenged by people they meet. Well, this wrong thinking, that these children have developed can be challenged by individuals that have a biblical worldview and challenge them when they come in a loving, caring way. So I think it gives four things. Getting past the suffering. I don't think so. I think you live with it, but don't let it paralyze you.

>> Alex McFarland: Well said. And I often pray, and pray with people and I pray this regarding somebody who's away from God and we want them to come back. I'll say, lord, please keep them alive physically till they could be born spiritually. And listen, that's a. Not every prayer gets a yes. but God is long suffering, patient, not willing that any should perish. And so, keep on, keep on praying, keep on having hope. our faithful God, he works in the lives of people.

What is meant by the term kinsman Redeemer?

Bert, here's a question, very simple, straight to the point. What is meant by the term kinsman Redeemer?

>> Bert Harper: Oh, wow. Amen.

>> Alex McFarland: That's a biblical term, isn't it?

>> Bert Harper: It is fact. Matter of fact, we're recording this, on Thursday before it air Friday and today, matter of fact, in the Book of Numbers that we will be going over on exploring the word live broadcast. It brings up about the kinsmen, matter of fact. And I'm reviewing here, we're going to find some daughters that, their dad was gone and they had no brothers, so they was going to lose their, their inheritance. And they petitioned Moses, Moses petitioned God and said, no, I'm going to help you maintain that matter of fact. And it sets up kinsmen from there and from there we would find out what is called a kinsman redeemer. So Alex, it is the idea that it's someone that can redeem. And that's the whole idea. Redeemer. And he can redeem the land, he can redeem the individual. And Ruth Boaz, that's a perfect Example of it, isn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, it is. I mean, and it's primarily in the book of Ruth. Although, really throughout the Bible is the concept of not only kinsman, and redemption. But seven times in the book of Ruth, there is the term kinsman redeemer, which is a near relative that can redeem a widow. and of course, it's a picture of Jesus. Jesus is our relative in that he took on a human body, not a sinful human. we often said this. Jesus is fully God and fully man, but not fallen man. And really, just as Boaz, he was the right relative. And Ruth needed, a husband. Boaz got espoused to Ruth. Ruth very much is pictorial of the church. Boaz is pictorial of Christ, but, the kinsman redeemer, the near kinsman who not only was able, but was willing to take up the cause of Ruth. that's like Jesus. He not only was willing to be the Savior, he was able to be the Savior. And by receiving him through faith, we become part of the saved.

>> Bert Harper: Well said. Let me add something to it. As you study the kinsman redeemer, study also the cities of refuge. put them in together, the cities of refuge. Three cities on either side of the Jordan river that Joshua had set up. And each one of them, if you look at it, will have a quality what their name means. And you can find Christ even in those cities of refuge, that he is that refuge, a present help in trouble. So the kinsman redeemer, cities of refuge, the pictures of who Jesus is is just flowing through all the Old Testament, isn't it, Alex?

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. well, and by the way, we appreciate all these questions. You can message us. Brent Austin looks after the Facebook page. And by the way, if you haven't already, liked us on Facebook, please do that and tell people about the show, if you would. And you can message questions there or you can email [email protected] but somebody writes this.

Alex King wrestles with the concepts of predestination and free choice

Bert and Boy, we're swimming in the deep end of the pool today. I suppose I wrestle with the concepts of predestination and free choice or free will. I would appreciate your insights on these topics.

>> Bert Harper: Let me say this, if you don't wrestle with that, you're easy target. I've heard it. I've heard everybody try to explain it. I've heard everyone, give their opinion, thoughts on it. But I think Charles Haddon Spurgeon said it better than anything. And it was about friends. you know, why should friends argue or fuss? The exact quote, Alex. But, you know, they're friends now. Let me say one thing, and I'll throw it back to you. You'll take it deeper than me because I try to maintain the simplicity of it. It is this. We are human. God is God, and we cannot, even though we've been saved, we have the Holy Spirit of God in us. We have the Word of God. There are some things about God that is a paradox. Okay? And with all my heart, I believe their predestination and man's free will and them working together and yet not being opposed to one another, not against one another, is a paradox. I believe that. I think the Trinity is a paradox. I've heard everybody trying to explain it, and every time somebody gives a good illustration, my mind goes to work. Well, yeah, that goes so far, but it doesn't go all the way. And so, Alex, wrestling, with predestination, a free will of man. I think that's been around a long time. What about you?

>> Alex McFarland: yeah, well said. And by the way, if you want to do a kind of a deep dive on this topic, honestly, the best book that I know of, and I've done a fair amount of reading on this because, you know, Bert, I grew up Presbyterian, and, Buffalo Presbyterian Church, the second oldest church in the state of North Carolina, nearly 300 years old, but that church, and it's a good church. And I was actually interim pastor of Buffalo praise for 30 months. They had a Baptist preacher be their interim.

>> Bert Harper: that works out really good. It does. It really does. It does. Yeah.

>> Alex McFarland: But I heard all about predestination growing up, and really, it was a pretty Calvinistic church. But then when I was in college, and it wasn't rebellion or anything, it was just the way it worked out and my quest for knowing the Lord and truth. But I joined Macedonia, Baptist Church and then got married there to Angie, and then answered the call to preach. so I really do. I know both sides of the story. but the best book I could recommend is, by Norman Geisler. It's called Chosen But Free. And, you know, Geisler, you know, he points out, and Spurgeon would have agreed. Billy Graham would. Would agree to this. Josh McDowell says this. Clearly, the Bible does portray the sovereignty of God, but also the responsibility of man and the fact that God knows who will believe and who won't believe. well, you know, omniscience, by definition, God knows everything. I mean, there's nothing that is a part of reality that God doesn't know. Nothing escapes God's knowledge or awareness. And so God knows what is in the heart of every human being. I mean God knows our heart even better than we know our heart. And yet we do have free will or free choice. It's called volition. And we are responsible to respond to the truth that is revealed to us and the foreknowledge of God. I'll say this, and Geisler does a great job unpacking this in his book Chosen but Free. I believe it's published by Bethany House. It's a really good book. but God's foreknowledge and sovereignty, does not compromise the fact that humans have a moral will. And we are responsible, for, we're accountable for what we do with the truth that we really did know.

>> Bert Harper: Amen, Alex. And let me just emphasize this, don't let it take further, don't go further than the Bible takes it. You know, you remember what the Pharisees did. The law wasn't good enough. So what did they do? They had to put all these explanation and rules and regulations in what it meant to work on the Sabbath. that means you can't carry more than, you can't walk any further than. And anytime you start trying to explain salvation and every bit of part of it, I want to tell you the Bible treats it as one event where we come to Christ all the way. Alex. I thank God that we're able to be saved through God's sovereignty and through our own moral choice. We'll be back with more right after this break for exploring the Word.

>> Bert Harper: Preborn's whole mission is to rescue babies from abortion and lead their families to Christ. Last year Preborn's network of clinics saw 8,900 mothers come to Christ. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate go to preborn.com afr.

>> Bert Harper: Now.

>> Jeff Chamblee: Back to the Bible study. You're listening m to Exploring the Word on American Family Radio.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: It's about the cross. It's about my sin. It's about how Jesus came to be born.

>> Alex McFarland: Again.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: It's about the stone.

Alex McFarland: The most important organs are those that are not seen

>> Alex McFarland: Welcome back to Exploring the word. Alex McFarland here along with Burt Horn Harper at the mic. Brent Austin on the the board with more knobs and buttons and sliders than the cockpit of an airplane it looks like. But he does a good job running that board, doesn't he Bert?

>> Bert Harper: He does and we appreciate it. I love to say this and I mean it with all my Heart, you know, if you look at your body, and Paul refers to the body as the body of Christ, the most important organs are those that are not seen. The brain, the heart, the lungs, all of that. They're not seen. All you see. Yeah, you see the hands, you see the mouth. Here at afr, I know we have voices. Alex and I, we are thankful God's given us this opportunity. But, man, Alex, behind the scenes, those guys that are not seen, like Brent Austin, Jonathan Coker, Brent, Creeley, so many more that I could name. The engineers that over there, Adam.

>> Alex McFarland: And Devin and Jeff McIntosh and all, just name them.

>> Bert Harper: And, they're great. They're very important to us. So when you pray for the voices, while you're there, pray for those that are not seen, and, ask. You know, I guarantee you, if you're at a prayer, you know, a prayer meeting at church, they'll be praying, somebody has a heart problem, someone has a back problem that you don't see. every once in a while you say somebody has a hand that's injured or somebody is having trouble with their speech. But more times than not, it's a body, organ that is not seen. So be praying for all these guys and ladies. They do a great job, and we appreciate them, don't we?

>> Alex McFarland: We do. We're blessed to have a good team. Well, I've got a stack of questions in front of me, and to my left, is Esther sleeping soundly? Esther, my dog.

Bert says the Book of Job is literal history, not mere symbolism

but, Bert, let me read, a question here. It says, Job. The book of Job. was Job real? And really, are we Job? and I guess what they're asking is Job who suffered, just simply symbolic of people. What do you think, Bert?

>> Bert Harper: I believe he's a real person. He is in the patriarchal period of time with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It's probably the oldest book in the Bible, and it doesn't cover the oldest information, but far as the book written, yes, it's written in poetic. That's the reason if you divide the Old Testament in all the different divisions, you come to poetry, and there is Job. Yes, it is. But that's a great way. That's a literary, advice that somebody uses, and that's great as well. But Job, a picture of everyone. Well, let me put it this way. I, think he's a real person. And I think most of us who are Christians will get strength from the book of Job. And knowing what he went through and, saying, okay, the Lord Just as you with Job, you'll be with me. I'm not exempt from Satan's attacks. I'm not exempt from difficulty in a fallen world. But you have saved my soul and set me apart for eternity. I think we get a lot of strength from the Book of Job, Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. And I'm with you. I do think that Job is literal history. I mean, it really happened. Now, we can relate to Job, and Job suffered, and he was falsely accused by, some of his friends. But, one of the reasons that I absolutely think that it is history and fact, not mere symbolism. For one thing, there are 10 localities mentioned in the Book of Job. Ah. Like Chaldea and Ethiopia. The Jordan River. Ophir is a place mentioned. That's in Southwest Arabia. And, Sheba. And then, of course, Job was in the land of Uz. Uz. Just like Abraham was from Uz. Er, you are. Well, Job was from us. Uz. But, it mentions localities like this. And it really doesn't have any language that it's myth or something like that. The other thing, there are 33 mentions of animals and plants. And, you know, very famously, there's the behemoth and the Leviathan, but Job mentions horses and. And very specific names of trees and plants. So it's. You, know, to read, doesn't seem like a parable or a symbolism at all. It seems like it. It really, really happened. And of course, I. I believe it did. okay.

>> Bert Harper: I think we can get one more thing, from the Book of Job that is valuable and that is, as friends, be careful with your advice. You know, amen. And thinking you know more than you really know. And, I say that with all seriousness. Pastoring as long as I did, man, I'd hear people tell people different things, and I'd say, man, where in the world are you coming from? Where are you getting this? Be careful the advice you give. And, that's the reason sometimes as a counselor, Alex, I want to be a biblical counselor when I do counsel, not feelings. Because if I had, I went by my feelings and my thoughts, I would have steered people completely wrong. So, be careful with your advice to your friends.

Judeo Christian refers to shared heritage between Judaism and Christianity

>> Alex McFarland: here's a great question. I've heard you use the term Judeo Christian. What does this mean? And they asked, what is a simple, concise definition of the term that we frequently use, Judeo Christian. well, let me start this off now. I'll throw it to Bert. But really, Judeo Christian. Really Refers to the shared heritage between Judaism and Christianity. Now there are differences, theological differences in that Christianity we accept that Christ is the promised Messiah and many, Jews do not believe in Jesus as Messiah, sadly. But while we would disagree on the identity and nature of Jesus, there's a lot of shared religious, ethical and cultural heritage between Judaism and Christianity. Would you agree?

>> Bert Harper: I agree fully. The teaching moral, the whole idea of a moral law comes from this people, the Ten Commandments. And when you find it passed over into the New Testament, you'll find every one of those repeated except on the Sabbath day. Keep it holy. It's not repeated there like that at all. That's the reason on the first day of the week we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ as the early church did. And so it is this moral teaching, Alex. And again I would say going back to a biblical worldview, the whole idea is that now again a biblical worldview I think is more concise. But it comes out of this Judeo Christian ethic or teaching, doesn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: absolutely. And I mean you think about what we agree on. Okay. We both, Jews and Christians, believe in the, the Hebrew Bible, which is what Christians call the Old Testament as you know, the foundational text. We agree that Genesis through Malachi is God's holy word. We agree on the moral code, given in the Ten Commandments, Exodus 21:17, Judeo Christian, going back to even the Magna Carta up through British common law and most fully expressed in the Declaration, preamble, Constitution and Bill of Rights, that the moral foundation of the Old Testament is the basis of Western civilization and things like you know, due process and a fair trial and carrying not only the legal protections of our constitutional republic, they come right out of scripture, the, the branches of government, all of these things a part of the shared ethical, moral, spiritual heritage of Judaism and Christianity. And, and of course Jesus was Jewish.

>> Bert Harper: Yeah, we better be careful what Christians say about Jews and more than one reason, but praise the Lord for our Messiah who was a Jew. Let me remind everyone we're not taking phone calls in this segment as usual. This is a pre recorded program and so we're just asking questions that's come to us at email and also at Facebook. So we're glad that we have this opportunity to share this. Go ahead Alex.

How do you break the ice when trying to talk about the Gospel

>> Alex McFarland: Here's a question and this is good, practical, how do you break the ice when trying to talk with someone about the Gospel? I know we are called to go and share the good news of Jesus Christ. But I find starting the conversation as sometimes awkward or uncomfortable. Do you have any tips on how. I love how they say on how to break the ice.

>> Bert Harper: Alex? this is always a case, you know, and, when you're doing it purposefully and this person knows it, there's a lot of ways to do it. But prayer, like, I know you've done it before, and it's not necessarily leads up to sharing the gospel, but asking for prayer requests from a server, but also sitting by someone and you, can ask leading, I would say leading spiritual questions. Have you given any thought to, you know, eternity? I, know what Jesus did. He sure did ask a lot of questions. When he was talking to some individuals that were kind of, I would say, anti, toward him, he would ask them questions, I think, at least to get them to thinking, go ahead, you know.

>> Alex McFarland: Bert, did you ever have. In your church, when you were pastoring, did you ever have the evangelist Bill Faye?

>> Bert Harper: We did not have Bill. I did not. I'd heard of him, but we did not have him.

>> Alex McFarland: You know, I heard him at the Southern Baptist Convention, some years ago, and then we had the privilege of doing some events with him. And I loved the way that he would navigate the conversation toward the gospel. And for one thing, let me encourage you. first of all, I commend you for wanting to be a witness, because we all are to be a representative of the gospel. But Bill Faith said, look for opportunities to steer the conversation toward spiritual things. But here's what he would say. He would ask somebody, what are your spiritual beliefs? And if they say, well, what do you mean? Well, what do you believe about God? Or what do you believe about our relationship with God? And they'll say, oh, you know, this or that. And how people respond if, you say, what are your spiritual beliefs? How they respond, will tell you whether or not they know about the gospel or understand the gospel. And if somebody has, something that's an unbiblical position, like, oh, I don't know if there is a heaven, I guess we all get in, you know, or whatever they say. Bill Fay would say, ask, you know, may I ask you what's your authority for that? And then they would say, what do you mean? He would say, well, how do you know? I mean, if whatever your assumptions might be about spiritual issues, how do you know if that's true? And they might say, oh, I don't know. I guess it's just what I've always assumed then he would say, ask permission to take it to the next level and say, could I share what the Bible says? And this is not my opinion, but since, you know, our relationship with God is the most important of issues, may I share with you in just a couple of minutes what the Bible says? And then if they. And I have found this, Burt, 99 times out of 100, people will say, well, sure, okay. You know, once in a blue moon, somebody will say, no. you know, I, I don't want to hear that. Bill Fay would always ask this, too. He said, okay, so let me get. Let me make sure I understand you. You're saying that, you know, God is whatever or. And he would ask this question, if you were wrong, would you want to know? I mean, this is the most important issue. If, if, if your assumptions about God were incorrect, would you want to know? And most times people will say yes. Now, I'm going to throw it back to you, Bert, but here's my point, folks. When, I got saved, I was so shy. I mean, I didn't talk to anybody about anything much and much less.

>> Alex McFarland: Sensitive topics like the state of one's soul. But I was just so concerned for my friends that I knew most of the buddies that I ran around with weren't saved yet. And, Bert, I'm telling you, if. If God could groom me to be a witness and a soul winner, anybody could. Because I was the most inept, awkward, I was the worst. But I wanted to learn how to lead people to Christ and took a lot of prayer. And, I'm sure a lot of people thought that I was the most awkward, clunky, you know, poor witness. But I was just determined to learn how to do it. I mean, I don't know any other way to say it, and, you'd be amazed.

>> Bert Harper: Are you saying it takes some work on our part?

>> Alex McFarland: It really does.

>> Bert Harper: Okay. That's what I mean. I really believe that some are smoother than others, but it's still a possibility for you to start where you are. You can't start where you're not. So start where you are. Get as far as you can, and then trust God and read and learn and practice.

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, folks, no matter who you are, you can learn personal evangelism. It can be learned, can't it, Bert?

>> Bert Harper: It can be. And so we encourage you, we hope we're giving you incentive, for that. We really do. And part of our job is to equip you to be ready to give an answer of the faith that is in you when they ask you if they come up with a difficult situation. We're praying that we would have something that's there that would have helped you. And the Holy Spirit of God will come remembrance. Well, Alex, these have been great questions, brother.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, they are. We got great listeners, don't we?

>> Bert Harper: We do. Hey, three books have been written because of the questions people ask on exploring the word. Keep on asking them. Right?

>> Alex McFarland: Exactly, folks. keep us in prayer. Hey, August 21st, we'll have Charlie Kirk at Myrtle Beach. You can learn about that at my website, alexmcfarland.com conversations hey, thanks for listening. Tell somebody about the great programming of afr. But most of all, please tell everybody about Jesus. The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast do not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.