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>> Jeff Chamblee: The Bible. 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 and Bert Harper talk about the whole armor of God

Welcome to Exploring the Word.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, welcome to Exploring the Word. We are in Ephesians chapter six today and we're going to begin at verse 12, 13 and following and get to really one of the most significant, important parts of God's Word for the Christian life that thrives, thriving, bearing fruit and being consistent in the Lord. This is Alex McFarland M along with Bert Harper and we're very honored you're listening. If you're at a place where you can get a copy of God's Word, turn to the NewSong Testament book of Ephesians and we're going to talk about the whole armor of God. You know, Bert, a lot of times when we see the word therefore, we'll kind of laugh and say, look what it's there for. But verse 13 of Ephesians 6, at least in my Bible, it begins with wherefore. W H E R E F O R e wherefore. And it had talked about spiritual wickedness in high places. And really the word wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God. It means because of this or in light of these realities, because of this, the world, the flesh and the devil. We need to suit up every day with the whole armor of God. And the good news is every Christian may do that. It's important stuff, isn't it Bert?

>> Bert Harper: It really is. And if you're going to be a Christian that walks with the Lord, you need the armor of God. I think a lot of people, they want the Christian life to be a cruise ship or luxury ship rather than a battleship. But it is a battleship. It is difficult. Armor warrior, all of those soldier, all of those are mentioned all through the scriptures about the walk with the Lord, that it is a battle, we are in enemy territory and so we have to be strong. And so Alex, because of who we're fighting, what we're fighting in verses 12 that you see, in verse 11 and 12, the wiles of the devil, the flesh, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, spiritual host of wickedness. the battle is spiritual and we're to win that battle and that's the way we'll do it. So therefore. And my version says therefore, but the next two words are Take up. I don't know if yours is put on or take up.

>> Alex McFarland: Yep. Take unto you the whole armor of God.

>> Bert Harper: Okay, now here what it is. Earlier in verse 11, it says put on. Now what you got to do in order to put on, the armor of God. In verse 11, you take up each one and put it on. In other words, take it up, do this. Put each one of these on to fulfill the armor. In other words, when it talks about verse, 11, put on the whole armor of God. It's looking at the whole. You come to verse 13, 14, and 15 and 16 and 17, you're putting on the individual parts of the armor. You catch the. I think that's significant. The expectation is you put on the whole thing, and then he gives the list. Don't miss a one. Do you catch what? I think he's getting to the whole.

>> Alex McFarland: The complete armor of God. And without the complete armor of God, we're vulnerable. Now, depending on how you count, there's either six elements here, but I'm going to say there's a seventh for one. verse 14, the belt of truth. Then, verse 14, the breastplate of righteousness. Then, feet fitted with the gospel of peace, or some translations in verse 15 will say, shod feet, shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6, 16, the shield of faith. verse 17, the helmet of salvation. Verse 17, the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. Amen. Amen. But I'm going to add a seventh part of our. Our spiritual protection and power in verse 18. That's prayer. in fact, I think that's the big one. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit. So, Bert, there's a lot we could say. There's been, you know, obviously over the years, a whole lot of preaching about these things. But, I think Ephesians 6, you know, 14 through 18 deserves, Every Christian really ought to meditate on this and take it to heart because, these things of, armament and weapons and, armor. It's because we're in a battle.

>> Bert Harper: It is. And that battle is real. And, as you said, it's kind of a trio. It is the world system, the Satan himself and ourself. man. Paul talked about keeping his body under subjection, buffeting discipline in his body, and, my. I don't know about everybody else, but every morning I get up and look in the mirror, I look the one I have to overcome first, and that's self selfishness runs strong in human nature. And so here it is. What does it start with? And I mentioned this yesterday. It starts with truth. Alex. Ah, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. Yes, this truth. And it's the waste with truth. some people call it the girdle of truth. It's where it's attached and the breastplate of righteousness. But what we do is the truth. Righteousness. Alex, we better start with those, haven't we? I mean you better start with you have your heart right with God, you're a believer. But then what do you do? You put these on, you take them up, make sure it's truth, make sure it's righteous. Those two, I got a feeling that the others are not going to be effective if you don't start with truth and righteousness.

>> Alex McFarland: Exactly. And as everyone knows, I'm sure we're living in a time where truth is unknown, truth is ignored, truth is very often suppressed, truth about lots and lots of things. And in verse 14, you know, the belt of truth, around, you know, around your middle. I mean that just signifies, I think, just in every area of life, all around us, we need to be immersed in, surrounded with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness. And as I'm sure many people have heard preachers preach on this. But okay, we have the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. we are also though to pursue personal righteousness. We're to live righteously. And it's like, you know, the breastplate would be like the chest protection that you know, you wouldn't get a mortal chest wound to the heart.

There's true conviction and then there's false conviction about salvation

You know, whether it's, you know, the accusations of Satan and Bert. Let me, I don't want to get us off track here, but there's true conviction and then there's false conviction. Really I've met Christians that are unsure of their salvation and, and they feel like they're always under self condemnation and really a conviction that gets them just very depressed, that's really not of God. Then there's real and very necessary conviction if we sin or drift away or backslide and the spirit of God mercifully does convict us so that we can realize where we're at and turn back to God. So much is solved I think when we realize the righteousness of Christ, that we are made right before God by Christ's righteousness, then daily, every day as a disciple, we are to live righteously. And we get our heart in the right place with God's help keep our heart in the right place. I think, verse 14 of Ephesians 6, the breastplate of righteousness. that's what this speaks of.

>> Bert Harper: It really does. And then when you add 15, having your feet shod with the profession of gospel feast, you're ready to go. Now, again, you're ready to go because you have this, I would say the defensive armament that you need. And again, part of it, not completely, but you're ready. But as I look at this, I got to remember where Paul was when he was writing this. He was in what kind of prison? A Roman prison. What did that mean? It probably meant that each day, he would have two, possibly three different Roman soldiers coming in each day and, checking on him or being part, he. He is under arrest. So he's seeing all this armor that's on a Roman soldier. And so, man, it is real to him. And he looks down and sees their, you know, their feet. they're not barefooted. You know, it's the sandals that they have, and you've seen pictures of it, but they put those on. It's got to be delivered. And it. It prepares them to go to the places they need to go and, be effective. So after we have the truth, we have righteousness, we have that which is in our heart and our lives ready to go. Now, again, we need some more defensive. We need some more weaponry, and that will come. But you couldn't help but notice when he puts this on after, after the truth and righteousness. Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, you know, depending on what commentary you've got, the King James says the preparation of the gospel of peace, but it really means, quote, the eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace, or one lexicon I've got says, the readiness of the gospel. In other words, eager, ready, prepared, and willing to share the gospel. What a beautiful thing that is. And the shield of faith. And wherewith you shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked one. You know, Satan is like, an evil archer firing his darts at us. And not just arrows, but the flaming. That's what it means. And, it's a variation of the word pyromania. And, maybe, this a little bit dovetails with the Hebrews 12 about the sin that so easily besets us. Satan is trying to poke us where it hurts and poke us where we're weak and vulnerable. But you've got faith. You've got these elements. And you're shielded, protected. The helmet of salvation.

>> Bert Harper: Alex, before we get away, if you don't mind. so we don't have to go back. Stay with it. Notice the fiery darts. They're coming. These are from a distance. Okay. Darts are from a resistance. It could be an arrow that's showing, throwing them, whatever. But these come at a, At a distance. And you have the time to put the shield up to, to block it. You catch the. That's the view. The battle is going on. And yes, there's some. That's close up. You need that, that. You need that breastplate, you need that belt, but you also need that shield because it. They come from many directions. And when you have the view, you can block them out. Fiery darts coming at you. And notice it is plural, not singular.

>> Caroline: Satan.

>> Bert Harper: Satan will pour it on at certain times, won't he?

>> Alex McFarland: He really will, you know, in the conflict in the Middle east, much as in the news about the Iron Dome over Jerusalem, and fortunately that, technology has been able to, cause them to intercept, you know, well, well over 90% of the missiles aimed at Israel. The Iron Dome. Well, I think our iron dome is faith, the shield of faith. And what that represents in verse 16 is trust, trust in God. now the flaming arrows, the devil and his demons, temptations, doubts, slander, and the sin which so easily besets us. Here's, the thing, folks. You're walking with the Lord. You're reading his word. That's God speaking to you. You're praying that you communicating with God every day. I think we need to shore up the iron dome of our soul and heart. You know what I mean?

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Cause he is going to keep firing. he's got a real, real, full arsenal. And they come at different directions, different ways, different times. This is exploring the word. This is Bert and Alex, and we're going through the book of Ephesians. As a matter of fact, we're probably going to finish today, so stay with us as we continue.

Preborn needs you to help speak the truth about life, dignity

Right now, the voices in our culture

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>> Bert Harper: to act quickly before they have time

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>>  : In

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Christ alone, my, hope is found. He is my love, my strength, my soul. This, this cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought in storm.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Thank you for that song. You know, choruses have their place, but I want to tell you, I'm proud the Geddes came back with some hymns that were so great and so powerful, and that's one of the greatest. I appreciate that so much. Thank you for playing it. We thank Brent all the time for the music he plays, but, let me just tell you, it bless, people say, man, it helps us. Well, I want to tell you, there's two guys behind two microphones. It blesses us as well. So thank you for, that. Alex, have you ever heard keep your head in the game?

>> Alex McFarland: Oh, yes.

>> Bert Harper: Okay. Verse 17, take the helmet of salvation. Now, again, I know it's for protection, but also believe with all my heart. It is to keep your focus. Keep your focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. Put your face as a flint toward him, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. So the helmet of our salvation has to do. And you said it, I think the other just that conviction, what it means that that is legitimate, but that is sometimes of your own making. Ah. And Satan. So take the helmet of salvation. Keep your mind and your head in the game and walk with Christ. Alex, I just want to tell you, as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. So again, as you think, as you walk, with the Lord, you need to saturate yourself with the word of God. You need to keep yourself in prayer, in check, and discipline. and that'll help your right thinking, won't it?

>> Alex McFarland: It really will.

Bert says Ephesians 6 is key to spiritual health and vitality

You know, Bert, one of the things that really, really encourages me, throughout the year, working with young people, the heart they have for worship and, you know, we're talking about here in Ephesians 6 really 13 through 20, about, you know, thriving spiritually and the armor of our journey and our warfare. and with the music coming back, you were talking about worship. you know, like Hebrews 13, verse 5 says, Let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God that is the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. And of course, Jesus said, like in John 4:24, that we're to worship the Lord in spirit and truth. What I was going to say was something that really, really encourages me is how eager young people are to, to worship Jesus. You know, I mean, and not only in song, but really to pray and give God the glory. And see, that is one of the keys of spiritual health and vigor and vitality is that, daily we're to worship God and, you know, as the Bible says, ascribe the glory due his name. And I think that is one of the keys too, of spiritual victory. Because, I mean, you think about it when you're in a posture of, you know, praising God, thanking God for the ten thousand blessings of knowing the Lord every day, if you're in a heart and a mindset and a state of worship, it's going to be very rare for Satan's temptations to break through to you.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. And what happens privately and publicly, the worship is real. And I have found out if I do not worship God, God privately, when I get to the public place where I'm gathered around with other believers, it takes, it takes a while. I, I, I'm using this term, forgive me if it's a bad one to get warmed up. You know, like before you play a game, you, you warm up, you, you stretch and do that. Well, listen, when I spent my time, right, privately worshiping the Lord, again, I, I can't carry a tune, but when I'm by myself in a vehicle, man, I worship the Lord singing praises to him and, there I hope he receives it the way I give it, as, just a proclamation of who he is, but that worship private and public. And, so let me encourage everyone, make your private worship real. So when you come to the public, you don't have to take half of the time warming up. You come in ready. So, Alex, I appreciate what about the worship. I agree with you.

>> Alex McFarland: for me, springtime, one of my favorite times of the year. Yesterday I was driving to come to the radio show, and they were working on the road, so I took a detour out through the country, and so many of the fields are just exploding with greenery. And there's some colorful buds on the trees, and there's birds and bees, and spring is emerging. And I was just saying, lord, I give you the glory that is the most beautiful green meadow. Leaves are coming back. Glory. Glory to God. I know it's been said, you know, this world is pretty beautiful, God's creation. But you just think about it, 2,000 years ago, he said, I've gone to prepare a place for you. this world was built in six days, and God rested on the seventh. And it's been under the curse of entropy since Genesis 3. Just imagine what God has made for his bride, the church, that he's been working on for 2,000 years. And there is no curse nor anything that defileth.

>> Bert Harper: Amen.

>> Alex McFarland: I mean, we just don't have the vocabulary adequate to say how much God deserves our worship and praise. And he gave us life and bought our salvation. I mean, glory to God. Well, speaking of that. 18, 19, 20. Let me read this and Bert, if you would comment. Paul says this, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints and for me. So praying for all the church. Paul is saying, pray for me too. Verse 19. That utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, which I am an ambassador in chains or in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak. Notice Paul doesn't say, by the way, please pray for me that I'll get released. No, he says, pray that I'll be a powerful proclaimer of the gospel. Isn't that amazing?

>> Bert Harper: It is. And Alex, one thing more about 17 connecting to 18. Before he mentions prayer, he mentions the word of God, the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. I cannot tell you adequately how much you need both in your life. yes, God hears the prayers of his saints. Amen. But when you have saturated your mind with the word of God, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the spirit, that gets you prayer ready, as I was talking about, the helmet of the public and private worship. Listen, the word of God taking it, taking it in and let it speak. I'm not just saying read and say, well, I'll check that out for the day. No, God speak to my heart. And then you come to praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. Now notice the tie in the sword of the Spirit and praying in the spirit, Alex. The Holy Spirit of God using those tools in our lives and for his kingdom. I just want to tell you, it is powerful. And most of the time, we have no earthly idea. And prayer changes things. But I, And I'm not making an excuse. You know what prayer changed more than anything? Bert Harper. spending time with him in prayer and him convicting me. Hey, Bert, I know you're asking this for me, but, you know, what's that attitude you have? And I have to go and check it. And the word of God does that, so it gets us ready. And, that is the whole thing. And as you said in verse 19, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. So all that you see in verses, you know, verses 14, about the truth, about righteousness, the peace, the faith, it comes to here, which is said that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel. I think it was built, as you said earlier, when we first started the most important prayer. I think all the others were building up to that. What do you think?

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. I think so, too.

Who is somebody in the New Testament who accompanies Paul on missionary journeys

And, Paul, he is always on mission, isn't he?

>> Caroline: He is.

>> Alex McFarland: So, let me ask you this. As this book, concludes, who is somebody in the NewSong Testament that is a companion of Paul on, different missionary journeys? He is described here as a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord. He is a bearer of the letter to the church at Colossae. he's mentioned as somebody that Paul might send to Crete. And he was once sent by Paul to Ephesus. Five times this faithful foot soldier appears in the NewSong Testament. Bert, do you know who I'm speaking of?

>> Bert Harper: Well, how do you say his name? I have a nickname for him. Is that all right?

>> Alex McFarland: Okay.

>> Bert Harper: Ty, Ty. T Y T y Ty. that is amazing. Here's this great hero. And you know, he really is. Look what he had in his possession. Alex, go ahead. But. Amen. Exactly.

>> Alex McFarland: You know, and I don't know if it's Tychicus or Tychicus, I don't know, but verse 21 and following. But that you also may know my affairs. And how I do. Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord shall make known to you all things whom I have sent to you for the same purpose that you might know our affairs and he might comfort your hearts. before we kind of wrap up and tie bow on this, you know, Bert, I've told the story when I was in ninth grade, I got to go be a page for the governor. And, all week long I just wanted to get out of school. But, then Governor Jim Hunt was sending me Oliver Raleigh. And there were several other pages. And, they handed me a manila envelope, told me to take it to a certain building. And the secretary of the governor said, go straightway, take this. It's a check for, I think it was about 120, something, thousand dollars. And just go and hand it by hand to this person and I'll call and tell them you're on the way. And my little heart was beating. I was like, oh, my goodness, check. And you know, I was in high school and. All right, a delivery of a valuable thing. But you know, this Tychicus or Tychicus who is carrying scripture from Paul to the church at Colossae, or a message to the church in Ephesus. Talk about mission critical delivery of a valuable thing. one of the letters that would become God's word in the NewSong Testament. Amazing.

>> Bert Harper: It is. And what a privilege we have. How beautiful are the feet that carry the good news of Jesus Christ. And we need to understand how valuable it is that we have the Bible in our language, our heart language. my son, that Nathan, when he was ministering to refugees, and, you had all kinds of languages there in the Atlanta area where he was ministering. And, there would be people there that had spent 14 years in a refugee camp, and now they had gotten permission and they were coming in and trying to find them, and they would witness to them. But what would happen, if. If they didn't have the Bible or even someone there to speak the language in their heart language. There was always a. A gap, a communication gap. And I remember one or two of when they found someone that came and they were a Christian and they spoke the language, the heart language of the individual they were witnessing to. It made all the difference in the world. And so, Alex, here it is. The church at Ephesus, the churches, the church in Colossae, Philemon, that here he has these in his possessions. How beautiful are the feet that was carrying this. How precious, how important it was. But those of us who let the word of God be a part of our lives, we're carrying a precious message as well, aren't we?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, we really are. I mean, and every one of us, like Paul, who said that he was an ambassador in Chains, verse 20. We're an ambassador for Christ. we are.

>> Bert Harper: What's the difference in A. What's an ambassador? Is he carrying somebody else's message and not. Not necessarily their own, are they.

>> Alex McFarland: That's true. He's on mission with. He's got his, as we say, their marching order, you know, and that says we don't have a message, but we are commissioned to take Christ's message.

>> Bert Harper: Yes.

>> Alex McFarland: That's why, you know, we sometimes we'll use the phrase a high view of scripture because we Christians, but especially ministers. you know, when I was coming up, people were concerned about liberal theology. now they say, you know, woke. Listen, no church in any generation has the authority to change or improve upon or twist or water down. It is the, as Jude 3 says, the faith, once delivered, in other words, it doesn't need revision. It's not open for revision, but it is commissioned to us for proclamation. And Ephesians 6, Paul is wrapping up with a closing salutation. 23, 24. Peace be to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. And, may God grant that.

You can listen to AFR wherever you go with the AFR app

That's everyone listening. That we would love the Lord Jesus. Not going through the motions, not ritual, but insincerity in relationship and reality.

>> Bert Harper: Alex, notice one thing. Notice how much of the armor of God that he said each individual should put on and take up. And as he closes, those are part of what he says that we need, that they need, that he wants them to have peace, love, faith, sincerity. the whole idea. Yes. Let it be a part of your life, and that it is just so much a part of your life that it is seen and given over to others. What a. What a book. This is the book of Ephesians. Paul would write it. It was written in a Roman cell, imprisoned. And he wrote and he said, this is what I want for you. I want you to be ready to do the work God's called you to do. That's what exploring the Word is all about. Wanting you to come to Christ and then equipping you to do the work that God has called us to do. Well, Alex, we're going to take phone calls and let me give that number. Write it down. You know, put it in right now. 888-589-8840. We'd love your question today.

>>  : The AFR app is a powerful tool, but it does have limitations. You can't use it to change the oil in your vehicle or get rid of carpet stains. It won't walk the dog, won't Pick up the dry cleaning or take the kids to practice. But while you're doing those things, you can listen to your favorite AFR content through the app on your phone, smart device or Roku. Just go to your App store or visit afr.net Listen to AFR wherever you go with the AFR app.

>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who has and years and years to come. With all creation and sing praise to the King of Kings. Cause you are my everyday.

Alex and Bert welcome back to Exploring the Word with your Bible questions

>> Alex McFarland: Welcome back to Exploring the Word. We're going to go to phone calls and your Bible questions. Alex and Bert here. By the way, the number is 8885-8988-4088-8589-8840. We'd love to hear your Bible question by the way. everybody, please keep me in prayer tomorrow morning. I've got the great privilege. I'm speaking to Fellowship of Christian Athletes in North Carolina, fca. And, really a great honor to, be in front of the young people with fca. And then I'll be driving to the Greenville Spartanburg area. Because tomorrow night in Spartanburg, South Carolina, I'll be at Zion Hill Baptist Church. Pastor Keith Davis, Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday night, Sunday morning, in all services. And Bert, we're going to be doing some Christian apologetics, defending the Christian faith and preaching about revival. And their website, by the way, is zionhill Us. If you're in the South Carolina area, maybe I'll get to see y' all this weekend.

>> Bert Harper: You would be blessed by being in that area of the upper part of South Carolina and a double blessing by here. And Alex, if you can go, I would recomm. I hope it goes great and we'll be praying, Alex.

Tammy from Virginia praises God for her son finding the Lord

Well, let's go to the phone lines and we're going to start off with Tammy from Virginia. Tammy, go right ahead.

>> Caroline: Yes, I'm calling with the praise.

>> Bert Harper: We love to start off that way. Go ahead, girl.

>> Caroline: My son is in boot camp for the army and I've been praying for years that he would find the Lord. And I got a letter last night that he's found the Lord. He's going to church in boot camp and they gave him a Bible and he says he's reading it as often as he can.

>> Bert Harper: Hallelujah. Amen. Amen. We need to hallelujah chorus right there.

>> Alex McFarland: Hallelujah. Sister, we rejoice with you.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Hey, is there if I pray, Tammy, and thank God for that?

>> Caroline: Oh, absolutely, Father.

>> Bert Harper: I thank you for Tammy praising you and passing the praise on to Us. And we're praying for her son, that he would grow in the Lord, just as we've talked about it today, the armor of God being put on and father each one of them, and that he might be your vessel there. And thank you, Lord, that he would serve, and I pray you would be with him and those others that are serving, and, Father, that your will would be done. And again, we praise you and thank you in Jesus holy name. Amen.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

>> Bert Harper: M. Amen. Tammy. Thank you. Thank you.

Tim: I do FCA at our local high school

Okay, let's go to Ohio. Tim, thank you for calling. Exploring the word. Go right ahead.

>> Caroline: Hey, God bless you, Tammy. Hey, fellas, I got a question for you. And I was happy to hear you guys say you're doing FCA tomorrow. North Carolina. I do FCA at our local high school. I'm a teacher. I've been doing it for 42 years.

>> Bert Harper: Am. Amen. amen. Let me stay. Let me stop a minute. Hold you fca. I want to just tell you, they are in the. The ball game. They're not sitting on the sideline. They're in the ball game at these schools. And Christ. And I, just want to say thanks for Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Go ahead, Tim.

Tim Ferriss: What about Holy Week is especially significant in your heart

>> Caroline: All right, so we've been spending the last six weeks touching on each day of Holy Week. Next Thursday will be the last day we get to meet prior to spring break. If you guys could teach a topic or an event that during Holy Week that maybe we don't teach enough of, what would you guys touch on?

>> Bert Harper: Alex, going to take me a minute to think. You go ahead, if you are ready.

>> Alex McFarland: do you know what I might, And we're going to do this next week. And this is Palm Sunday. And folks, really, I've got my prerecorded show that's on AFR this weekend. Just. The Alex McFarland show airs Saturday and Sunday. I do a real deep dive into what Palm Sunday is all about. And I tie it to Daniel, 9, 25, which is an amazing prophecy where Daniel pretty much predicted to the day Passover, where Christ would go to the cross. and so please listen to my prerecord over the weekend, if you would. But then we're going to go through every single day. And I think one of the amazing things would be the seven unfair trials of Jesus, where, he was kicked back and forth between Annas, Caiaphas, Herod, and, then ultimately he was nailed to the cross. I believe it was Friday. Good Friday. and I, know there's some people don't think that that works out. But Bert, how about you? What about Holy Week is especially significant in your heart?

>> Bert Harper: Well, Palm Sunday is that. But him, I just say him before Pilate in our day, and Pilate asking him what is truth in our day that we're living in with students, that really thinking of the audience, that comes across strong, what is truth? And Jesus is that way. Tim, you got a lot to pick from. Alex gave you a lot there, and mine is more simple than that. But I do believe that, man, when we get a hold of truth, like we were talking about the armor of God and everything else based upon that, you can add to it. But if you don't have truth, you have nothing to add to. And so. Hey, Tim, can we pray for you during this week and all the fca? Alex, would you mind praying? And you see what I'm talking about? Probably fca. A lot of folks this week going to be involved in that, I think.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Let's pray. Father God, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for the ministry of fca. And Lord, I thank you that I get to go tomorrow. And they said there'll be at least 100 teenagers there. And Lord, I just pray you'll give me the ability to, share the gospel. I thank you for Tim there, and ministering as he is for 40 years plus, you know, serving you and reaching these young people. And Lord, all of the, people, Laine Downing, who is a teacher here in North Carolina that leads fca. And so, Lord, we pray for your Holy Spirit to send the gospel forth. And many of these young people, the lady was telling me this morning that so many of them have never set foot in a church before, but they're eagerly coming out at seven in the morning to hear the gospel before school gets started. And, the huddles they have where they pray and through sports, you're building relationships and then getting the gospel of Jesus Christ into these young lives. Lord, we praise you, Lord, as our nation needs a great revival. Lord, we say please, Lord, in your mercy, in your power, sweep the Holy Spirit across the United States. Save the lost, revive the church, hold back the darkness, convert the Muslims. And Lord, we just pray that the gospel and Jesus would cover our land. And we need it so desperately. And we ask you for it in Jesus name. Amen.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Amen. Thank you, Tim. And we will be praying.

The soul and the spirit can be dead or alive, Alex says

Let's go to Arkansas. Julie, thank you for calling. Exploring the word. Go right ahead.

>> Caroline: Yes, I was called to ask what the difference is between, or how you discern or how you. The soul and the spirit.

>> Bert Harper: Okay, great question.

>> Alex McFarland: Yes.

>> Bert Harper: Let me go back to Genesis. God breathed into Adam and he became a what, a living soul. The person. Alex, the spirit can be dead or alive. The soul is always alive, isn't it?

>> Alex McFarland: Yes. And I love to teach on this. I think it's really vitally important. And I want to say, like if, If I read 1 Thessalonians 5:23, only Christianity, only Christianity accurately spells, out the various components that make up a human being. Here's what 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says. The very God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of, our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, very often people say, well, you know, you're a body and a soul. But really, to be precise, the non physical part of every individual is really two components. Spirit, which is the word Pneuma, the breath of God. That part of you that is everlasting, that's your spirit. That then your soul is really in the Greek word, the word psyche, P, S Y C H E, from which we get like psychology. So your soul, that would be your mind, your knowledge, your intellect, your emotions, your personality, your soul. And then your body, is the word sarx, the flesh. Okay, so when you come to Christ. And by the way, we are a trinity. We are reflective of our creator, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, well, man. Humans are spirit, soul and body. All right, you put your trust in Jesus, your spirit is regenerated, made alive forever. Your soul, your mind is renewed for as long as you live and walk with Jesus. One day your body gets glorified. Bert, Jesus saves the whole person, doesn't he?

>> Bert Harper: He really does. And the difference is amazing. Physically. Now I had a friend and he was away from God, lost. And man, he had, he'd been in fights and had some scars from him. Believe it or not, he got saved. Now he had a whole new different heart. Soul he had. The spirit was alive. But guess what? His body, his body was the same. Those scars remained. But the good part of it was one of these days those scars are going to be gone. And the only. Have you ever heard this? The only thing man made in heaven are the wounds that sown Jesus hands and feet. And praise the Lord, but God brings alive the spirit in man. And the soul is renewed day by day and again they're separate. And the word of God is The one that kind of separates those because they're so. After you say, they're so intertwined, Alex, that it's hard to, you know, delineate. But the word of God, it will speak to you and help us want it.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Thank you, Julie.

Alex: To give illustrations is much more effective than just general statements

Great call. Great question. Let's go to Louisiana and talk to John. John, thank you for calling today.

>> Caroline: Yes, I would just like to say

>> Alex McFarland: that,

>> Caroline: it's very important, to, serve the Lord to use. To explain, definitely from Scripture or different illustrations to, share truth. For example, the shield of faith. We have the example of, Pilgrim's Progress. How he was, confronted with these eight or nine or more, different confrontations. And he dealt with them, effectively by having faith by courage and sticking with it in thick and thin. And so to give illustrations is much more, effective than just saying general things. And we think of, also Paul with the Athenians, Paul before the Philippian jailer, and other things, and how they dealt with people, and then they became saved. So let's use those for effective teaching and communication of the gospel, rather than just general statements.

>> Bert Harper: John, let me share this with you. I remember taking my hermeneutics class. That's preaching and putting the message, the sermon, the message together. And one of them was explanation. Explain the scriptures. sometimes you do it word by word, sometimes you do it geographically, historically, and do it all. And then you can illustrate the different illustrations you have. And one of the best is Scripture. On Scripture. I agree with John. That's one of the best illustrations there is, isn't it, Alex?

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, it really is. It really is. I appreciate that. I'm glad he mentioned Pilgrim's Progress and another great John Bunyan book. Fascinating. The Battle for Mansoul. M A N S O U L It's a city. everybody knows about Pilgrim's Progress, but, seek out that other one. The Battle for Mansoul.

>> Bert Harper: Was he in prison when he wrote that one, too?

>> Alex McFarland: He sure was. They've been in print 400 years.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Praise the Lord. Thank you, John.

Jacob asks what Christians should do when confronted with public announcement of Jesus Christ

Let's go to Michigan. And it's Jacob. Jacob, thank you for calling. Go right ahead.

>> Caroline: Hey, guys, thanks a lot for taking my call today. I got a question. Last year in, my city, there was a public announcement of Jesus Christ. And, there was a guy on a microphone, and he had a big screen up. And, it was pretty, disrespectful. I didn't know how to handle that, and my wife didn't either. because I don't like feeding into that stuff, and I didn't want to give it power, but I wanted to know, as a Christian, what is the right way to react.

>> Bert Harper: Okay. The whole thing is, I started out, don't have a lot of time, and a lot of the answers is in the book of Ephesians. You stand and then you withstand. And, that means you stand against untruth no matter what it is. Now, how you handle that publicly and privately, sometimes you have to negotiate and navigate. I should say navigate that. Don't you, Alex?

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. and do you know what? I think people like that. you know, respectfully. But, we need to say, look, let's talk about this because, oh, my goodness. The evidence for Jesus Christ is compelling. He is the most verified, validated life of the ancient world. And, we believe by faith, of course, but the life teachings, the miracles, the deeds, the death, the resurrection of Jesus, it's easier to believe that than the life of Julius Caesar. And so a public denouncement, sounds like a guy that, A, doesn't know Jesus, but B, doesn't know what he's talking about either.

>> Bert Harper: I'd say so. Sometimes it's a phone call to them and at least their office to let them know. I've known folks that used a letter to the editor to make known what was going on. So there is ways to, use the word. We're talking about warriors and combat to combat such, untruth. Hey, Alex. Tomorrow is Fire Away Friday. You gonna be ready?

>> Alex McFarland: Fire Away Friday. Tomorrow, folks. All questions, all the hour. Be thinking of your Bible questions. Listen in, call in, and we'd be very happy to share with you tomorrow on exploring the word Blessings. The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.

The Armor of God: Ephesians 6:12-23