Ask Anything Sunday: Church Membership, Denominations, Depression, Clubbing, and Christ the King

Yep.

All right.

Let's start this off with who would you consider the most sound voices in the faith in terms of both scripture and culture today?

Well, you just want to go back.

Well, happen, I do one, you do one, I do one, you do one.

All right, go for it.

Just keep going as long as we can.

Go as long as we can for the rest of the day.

Uh I'm heavily influenced by John Piper doctrinally.

Uh both his uh understanding of salvation, the sovereignty of God, but also his just passion for preaching.

I love watching that man preach.

He's old, he's always been a little dorky, but I I really like John Piper.

Yeah, he's still mine.

John Piper's my favorite.

Uh influential.

Um this person's only influential in a book that they put out that is like probably my my go-to for stuff like that.

And uh, that's Wayne Grudom uh in a systematic theology book.

Like that is like uh a staple on my shelf.

So for difficult stuff like this, I love going to that.

Wayne Grutom wrote a long, thick book called His A Systematic Theology, yeah, right?

Uh hundreds and hundreds of pages, but he and his son wrote a really short book that might introduce you to theology systematically.

It's called 20 Things Every Christian Should Know or Must Know.

So it's it's a good introductory book if you're like, hey, I want to try that.

Is that your crossway?

Don't know.

Um Alistair Begg.

Really like Alistair Begg, Truth for Life.

I didn't say it for you.

You're up.

I didn't want to get uh I don't want to get shot down.

That's why I didn't say Alice.

Number four to start off with.

Uh number four.

Um Vody Bacham.

Okay.

Unfortunately passed away recently, but he is a a staple in uh I love family faith.

Like how does a family worship together?

And he was a staple part of growing up and understanding how to worship and uh and really disciple family together.

All right, let's just give a list each of us now.

These are modern guys, right?

Is it modern, recent guys that say that?

It's a cultural Yeah.

Okay.

Um, okay, so real fast, let's just throw out some more.

Um so HP Charles is a phenomenal preacher.

Josh Howerton, though I might disagree with him on small aspects of ministry.

Um, Josh Howerton, follow him on Instagram.

What he says about culture is incredible.

Super thankful for that voice.

Kevin Young, short practical Kevin Young's incredible.

Don't know why I didn't say his voice his name.

Um R.C.

Srolls material is great.

I mean, are we talking they're so relevant today?

Theologians, Jim Hamilton, Tom Schneider's my favorite.

Guys that have passed away, John Stott, J Packer, Eddie B.

Tozer.

All good.

Okay.

I don't know if we need to keep going.

Okay, we'll go on to the next one.

It says, since church membership is not specifically mentioned in Scripture, is local church membership biblical?

Yes.

You're about to answer that.

I'm just gonna say yes.

I believe uh is it in Ephesians that covers well in Corinthians also, right?

Ephesians and Corinthians, he's both specifically talking to a local church when he's talking about the body of believers.

Um and so to quickly summarize that and try and go more in depth on that, uh, I believe it is because A, not only is it in that kind of things, but you can't really, in another sense, and let's just let's say biblical, yes, but also let's just say um to be a useful thing, if we have not come together as we did this morning to covenant together, most of the things that scripture calls us to do as a body can't be done, right?

If people are walking in and out this door and we don't know one another, how are we going to do the things in which the body calls us to do?

So if I don't know Trent and he has not come to know me, let's just say I'm a pastor and Trent's not, and he is he's just coming to us on one Sunday uh and he loves a preaching.

He says, Yeah, I want to be a part of this.

Um, but yet he hasn't engaged in any way because there's nothing to hold him to engaging.

Uh, and then there's also nothing to hold him here in moments that we we want to either encourage him, equip him, or even challenge him or call him out on things in in a biblical way.

Uh, and so I think, yes, it is, it's already mentioned in scripture.

I think some people try to loop around that and say it's the broad church.

I don't think it's the broad church.

I think uh they're specifically talking on two accounts to uh Paul's writings with the specific church that he's talking about that, but also without having church membership, I don't think you can't, if people aren't church memberships, you can't kick them out of the church, right?

So uh, and so those are just things that you can see that it's like people who fight against church membership.

I don't know why, uh, but people who do, I'm like, but you can't do most of the things that scripture calls you to do without church membership.

Yeah, that that's a really important point right there.

So let me just say a couple things real fast.

Um, the Trinity, the word Trinity is not found anywhere in the New Testament or the Old Testament for that matter.

Uh, it's a word that we've put there to define the nature of God as he's revealed himself in scripture.

We believe wholeheartedly in the Trinity.

Um, however, membership is put into the New Testament.

So you think of 1 Corinthians chapter 12, we are members of one body.

1 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

I think in his mind is the church at Corinth specifically, not the church broad, um, not like the Capital C church, the church spread across the uh the earth.

Uh so we are members of one body.

We have arms and legs and eyes and toes, and those different individuals that make up that one body have been gifted by God's Spirit to serve a specific purpose in that church.

The Holy Spirit divinely distributes gifts needed for one local church, two individuals to serve one another.

So, yes, you need to identify yourselves as a working serving member of a local church so that you might be of best use in that local church.

Um, also, uh, if you look at the very beginning of the inception of the church in Acts chapter two, the gospel was preached, people repented, they were baptized, they were counted and committed themselves to regular gathering.

The word church literally means assembly, gathering.

So um so you can't have church without gathering together.

You can't carry out commands within that gathering without identifying yourself as a baptized believer, a part of that covenant community.

Uh, because if you're to be excommunicated, which is a biblical thing, Matthew 18, 1 Corinthians chapter 5, 2 Corinthians chapter 2, what are you being excommunicated from?

1 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention 2 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

How are how is someone identifying you as that church, a part of that church body, unless you have formally been recognized as a part of that church body?

You're being kicked out of something, and then in first 2 Corinthians chapter 2, you're being brought back into something.

2 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

I think they were fine with that person attending.

Um uh so all throughout church history from the early church on, pastors knew who their people were, people who knew who their pastors were.

I don't think I'll stand uh before God to give an account for someone who attends for a short season of our church, but I think I will stand account, stand before God to give an account for someone who identifies themselves as a member of our church.

And I think I am called as a shepherd to actually care for them, their soul.

And so I want them to identify them themselves as, hey, I want to be cared for here, I want to serve here.

Um uh and so I think it's a biblical concept, I think it's actually a biblical word.

Uh, I think you you can't understand the the local church in the New Testament without people identifying themselves as members of it.

Um, the last thing I'd just say to talk about church for a brief moment.

Um the word church means assembly.

It meant assembly.

Uh the the um the New Testament authors, when they used the word church, were not inventing a new word.

The New Testament authors had a an Old Testament called the Septuagint in Greek.

So most of them did not refer back to the Hebrew Old Testament.

They referred back when they're writing the New Testament to the Greek Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament.

They use a word that was used pretty frequently in that Old Testament for the assembly of Israel.

The embodied people are gathered together, and they use that word to say the local church, the church of God.

So a church, most every time the word church is mentioned in the New Testament, with the exception of maybe one, two times, it's talking about a local gathering of embodied believers that have committed themselves together.

And let me just say, church membership is good for the believer.

Like it is a good thing to be like what I kind of think of uh if you are a somebody who wants to be kind of in a church but not of a part of a church, I very much think of it a lot like somebody who wants to be in a relationship and wants the benefits of the relationship, but doesn't want to marry that person.

Uh ultimately, yes, you're gonna get some of what we call the exciting things out of it or what the world looks at as like good, but ultimately you're not gonna get the true benefits of what that has to offer, uh, which is growing with that person, growing in who you are, growing in an understanding of not only uh the good things that come, but understanding through all the hard times, I get to grow as a believer.

And that's really what the church does.

Like if you just come in and you see and we don't know you, like you don't get a great opportunity to grow as a believer and as an individual.

Like the best conversations and the best way that I've grown is when I've coveted with other people, when I've challenged by other people, when people know me and can help me to grow in the things that they know, maybe I need to be sanctified in and in the ways or even encouraged in the ways that they see, like, man, you're really fruitful.

I wouldn't be on stage if it wasn't for being on being a part of a member of a church that said, Man, we see what you're doing and we know your faith and your spirit.

Let's let's help to equip you in this kind of thing and move you on in the way.

Yeah.

So keeping in line with questions about the church, we've had a few about denominational lines.

Are the different denominations of Christianity important or are they used to divide the church?

Repeat the last repeat the last little portion of that.

Well, are the different denominations of Christianity important or are they used to divide the church?

They're important in the way that we define ourselves.

So uh a lot of people maybe people may not like specific words.

It sounds heady, but it a word that you give, if you understand its definition, keeps you from explaining the whole thing that that word stands for.

Does it make sense?

I'm a Christian who believes blank, blink, blank, blank, blank, blink, blank, blank, blank, blank.

Okay, so so you would understand yourselves as a part of this fellowship of Christians.

Uh can that be divisive?

Sure.

Um in some ways, is our denominations um showing our lack of being able to unify on some things, probably.

God has, for whatever reason, made allowed, I probably should say, allowed some things in the scriptures to not be as clear as other things in the scriptures.

I think I'm fine saying that.

Paul said he didn't understand everything after he explains heavy doctrine in ten chapters in Romans.

Um John says we'll know as we've been fully known.

Um, and so there's some things we we just don't know.

Um, but we have to land where our convictions land, uh so long as our convictions are based in scripture, and so it it might lead to some division of fellowship.

Uh it's helpful to to def to define yourself um where you might land.

Um someone identifying themselves as a part of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America with that definition, I will not have them preach in Redeemer City Church.

That's helpful.

Um that division goes outside of the bounds of Orthodoxy, where if someone defines themselves as a part of the Presbyterian Church of the United States, sorry, Presbyterian Church of America, gotta be careful here, Presbyterian Church of America, I'll have them preach at Redeemer City Church potentially, just on a baptism.

Right?

So that's helpful identifying different fellowships on what they believe.

Does that sort of make sense?

Yeah.

Yeah, I was gonna say the same thing in a sense.

Are they maybe the perfection of what God visioned when his church well for us as a church?

Probably not.

Are they beneficial for us as believers to quickly identify churches that are healthy and unhealthy?

Yes.

That that's probably the greatest benefit of them.

The the detriment of them is when they believe it's them versus us mentality.

So if it and even for you, even as uh Trent was talking this morning in our own self-righteousness, let us not think that us as Baptists, we have it all figured out.

Let us not think that we have it all figured out compared to Presbyterian brothers uh and maybe some others who do things differently.

Let us not think of ourselves in a selfish, righteous, self-righteous way in that too, as well.

So I think the divide is in healthy, is it's it's an easy way to easy point people to a church or away from a church.

Uh, but don't let it create divide in our own hearts with other brothers and sisters who minister, um, unless you actually know that uh, as we talk through the three areas, like their main point is on one of the areas that, yes, should in fact divide us.

It's good.

Another one kind of along those lines.

It says, Does the Orthodox, Catholic, or Protestant Church most resemble the early church?

Well, you know that we're Protestant, and so quite clearly we're gonna answer that question.

We believe the Protestant Church to most accurate represent the beliefs of the early church.

Yes.

Maybe maybe explain a little bit more on what does that what does that mean, though?

Like Protestant churches, so what were they doing?

How do we how are we mirroring with them?

In a quick way.

Maybe for somebody in the room who's like Protestant, what is what do you mean by Protestant church?

What does that look like?

Um Okay.

In a quick way?

As quick as you can, man.

All right.

Okay.

So Protestant, we were a Protestant church, as are every denomination that exists within Orthodoxy.

Protestant means we protested against the teachings of the Catholic Church that were alive and well during the medieval period up through the uh Reformation era.

Martin Luther was one voice of many who pointed out errors both practically orthopraxy, doctrinally orthodoxy uh in the Catholic Church.

Um, some people who are Catholics, who I think there are genuine Catholic believers, I think Catholic doctrine is uh is awry, has erred significantly on any number of issues, but um there's so many things in my head.

I'm trying to say this clearly.

Um so sometimes Catholics will argue, well, we're the original church.

Now the Orthodox wants to put in a word there, but we're part of the original church.

However, I would push back to say where Catholic means universal.

Um, and so we would argue rather that the Reformation was trying to reform the teachings of the church as a whole, not trying to start a new church.

Um the Catholic Church by the 1500s had gotten so far off what we would argue as is early church teaching on indulgences and the papacy and uh veneration of saints and uh and the veneration, if we can say that, of Mary, um uh of you know papal infallibility, of um purgatory, of justification by faith, but not faith alone.

And so the Protestants said, hey, we protest against where they have gone awry.

And so we we cannot, in good faith, join or stay joined to that group of people.

Um and we would argue, while they may say, well, you're not part of the original church then, well, the original church is not defined by historicity but by truth.

Ephesians chapter three, uh, chapter two, right?

Um, the church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, which I take to be the old testament and the new testament, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, uh, the whole foundation being built up.

And so the church is being built on the teachings of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

And as soon as you uh bring in extra biblical or at worst unbiblical things as your foundation, you're building upon, you kind of cease to be the original building.

So historicity means nothing if truth is not not present.

We protested.

We're still protesting.

Yes.

That also answered the next question of what disagreements do you have with Catholicism?

So we'll take a shift into looking at some worldview things.

Um, how should Christians view going to the bar or the club?

Yeah, I can hear uh the golf club?

The golf club or the one across the street.

Probably the one across the street.

That's a joke.

Just remember your answer may determine whether you can keep going there or not.

Whether I can keep going there, yeah.

It looks a little sketchy, but pressure.

Say that on mic.

Alright, so I'm gonna I'll take this from a way, break it down, and then we'll make a wider view.

Uh so what m typically are the issues with bars or clubs that maybe us as believers have would have an issue with it, is drinking would probably be the main main problem, obviously.

Uh, and maybe for some dancing.

I don't know how you feel about dancing, but maybe some have an issue with dancing.

But typically it's gonna be the drinking in the environment.

So let's first say the only sin that that we necessarily see within the bars, because we don't want to call things sin that's not technically sin.

So one thing that we probably see in there uh is is probably drunkenness, is probably your number one thing you're gonna see in a bar, uh, which would first probably push us back.

So if you're saying, hey, the number one sin that you'd see in a bar.

Yes, the number one sin you'd see in a bar.

Um, and so maybe as believers, like, hey, listen, uh, I just want to go dance.

Uh, and you can dance if you want to.

You can leave your friends behind.

Anyway, you can you can thank you for those who got the reference.

Uh so if you're like, hey, listen, I just want to go dance and that and just have a good time with my friends, right?

There is not inherently anything wrong with that.

There is nothing wrong with you going to a place uh to to want to dance.

But I would say uh I'm gonna give you maybe a few things first that maybe we talked about last time on the Q ⁇ A about conviction.

If you are having a conviction in your heart that is saying, Man, I just I feel wrong going here, then don't go.

Like if if you struggle with a conviction, as we talked about, this conviction is sin.

Like if you struggle with something in that in your heart, then yeah, just don't go, right?

That's not a good place.

Also, there are times in my life where I ask myself, me being here for my own benefit, what is more important?

My enjoyment of this environment for a little bit of time or God's glory?

And there's there's things that I ask in life.

Like, is me being in this environment, and it's a little bit different, I get it because I'm a pastor, and so if you see Trenton or I at a club, maybe it's a little bit different than if you see some of our church members.

But is me being in this place going to somehow uh not bring edification to God, not bring edification to myself and and and maybe even the church that I'm a part of?

Like, am I gonna take an opportunity to ruin the name of God, of myself, or the church that I belong to being in this place?

And so that is just whether you're in a bar in a club or any other thing that you want to do.

And I can't specifically answer that question for you.

So I don't think there's inherently anything wrong with being in a in a bar at a club, but I would say uh there's a lot of stuff and a lot of temptations that would lead you to there.

There's a lot of places that that uh that you probably that are not gonna be godly, like that's not known as a godly place to be.

And so quickly to summarize is is if you a, you struggle with anything, please don't be there.

If you have a friend that struggles with alcohol and they're inviting you to go there, well, I wouldn't go because I'm not gonna put them in any kind of environment environment that's gonna encourage them.

Uh, if my conscience is telling me like this is wrong, I'm not gonna go.

But also, lastly, I'm gonna ask is this going to really edify God in any way, or is it gonna have a greater opportunity for people to see weakness in myself or the church or something else?

Glorify God.

Edifies teach.

Sorry, yes, glorify God.

Yep, yep, yep, yep.

All right.

Yeah, so because more questions could kind of come out of this, let me just maybe hit a bunch.

Uh alcohol is not inherently sinful, drinking alcohol is not inherently sinful.

So for every person at all times, the consumption of alcohol in moderation is not sinful, Jesus drank.

Uh, if you have a conscience that forbids it, meaning that you feel like convictionally you shouldn't drink, you cannot drink.

You should not drink.

It is sin.

That's Romans 14.

Um, if you have someone that you know that um that you know has that conscience issue and you push them against it, you're sinning and you're causing them to sin.

Um, if you know that someone has struggled with alcoholism and you push them to drink or you celebrate it in front of them, uh, you are being an unhelpful brother.

Paul would say, really, really, really, really, really not good.

Don't do that, 1 Corinthians chapter 8.

1 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

Um uh dancing.

Uh uh David danced, some Old Testament people danced.

Southern Baptists have been against dancing in the past.

We're meeting in a square dance center.

We don't think too bad about dancing, at least the right kind of dancing.

Uh bump and grind, don't do that.

Uh line dancing, probably okay.

Um uh the the question, like you mentioned, is okay, what environment am I going into?

Because there's an Apple, Applebee's that has a bar, but there's also a bar that's open until 3 a.m.

where people get picked up all the time after they get super drunk.

So those are two different environments.

What is this environment fostering?

Why am I going to that environment?

Who am I going with?

And what am I going for?

Right?

Uh so uh Luniverse is going to encourage a sorted dance type of dancing, where the Square Dance Center with 90-year-olds is going to encourage a totally different type of dancing, right?

So, what is that place in the world?

Is it the bumping grind?

This is not the bump, this is not the bumping grind place.

Um and so let's be wise.

Uh let's, as Spencer said, live our lives for the glory of God, enjoying the gifts of God to the extent that you can by your conscience in a godly way, bringing glory to his name in every witness and every place.

There you go.

Next one.

Should I let him go first?

You just I'll be talking about bumping grinds.

I don't know.

Next one up is how should Christians handle the use of medication, for example, for anxiety, ADD, depression.

I started the last one.

I'll let you do this one first.

Yeah, thanks, bud.

Um so this is gonna seem like a total cop-out.

It depends on a billion factors.

Um have you prayed about it?

Have you thought through it?

Not prayed about prayed your anxiety away, just have you prayed through the use of this particular strong medicine?

Have you, you know, is your doctor trustworthy?

Do you know your doctor?

Have you uh there's a billion factors?

How intense is the situation?

Um is the reason you're anxious because you're on your phone 12 hours a day, you haven't gone outside, you're eating junk food, and you know, you're super vitamin D deficient, you're not working out, you haven't done anything you've accomplished throughout the day, like go and pick up groceries.

Do those things first before taking very hard medicine, probably.

Most assuredly.

Um, but is hard medicine uh a sin?

I I mean I I'm I'm not gonna sit here.

I I'm not a doctor.

I'm not gonna sit here and say you should or shouldn't take this or that.

I I don't know.

I don't know.

I I don't know a lot of things about that.

Ask a question one more time.

How should Christians handle using medication?

I anxiety, ADH, ADD, G person.

I would I I'm just gonna tackle anxiety.

That'd be the only one.

Scripture is pretty specific about anxiety uh and anxiety being a sin.

Now, obviously, there's some kind of medical form, so I won't tackle whatever we want to cross that line or barrier.

But anxiety, it's it's pretty clear in in uh scripture.

I'm gonna say, do you remember off the top of your head?

Matthew talks about it, but also it talks about it somewhere else.

Uh not me, not James.

Is it James?

Maybe the end of James, he talks about yeah, yeah, James talks about it too as well.

Uh, that not casting your cares upon God uh is actually a lack of trusting in him.

Um 1 Peter 5, verse 6 and 7.

1 Peter 5:6

So before medicating yourself specifically for anxiety, I'd be very careful uh that you're not running away from something that you are actually being challenged with in front of you.

Uh and so remember, we we with anxiety specifically, man, we have the the God and creator of the universe who loves and cares for you.

And scripture is so clear about how much he cares for you.

Like it talks about if he cares about the birds in the air and the and the fields, how much more does he have a plan for your life?

And go ahead.

Matthew 6.

Yes, yes, that matters.

Thank you.

And so, and so be very careful to uh I think anxiety is something that can push us actually closer to God when we're challenged with it.

And so let's let's be careful with the word anxiety, be like, man, I'm just I'm just an anxious person.

Because there's sometimes I'm like, yeah, you're like I don't want to go much further, but but be careful in the way that you do that, that you you try to mask anxiety, especially as a believer, as a disability, rather than you maybe not so focused on God or turning to God.

Again, it depends.

Every person, every situation, chemical imbalances, lack of faith.

It depends.

Yeah.

Looking into some current events, what is a biblical response to the recent No Kings protest?

Okay.

This is a small gathering.

Let's jump into it.

Uh what is it?

Biblical response to the No Kings protest?

Israel cried out for a king and it was a bad thing.

I don't like kings.

Um it went really bad after Israel tried to get kings.

So I'm not really super excited about kings.

Let's just start there.

Jesus is king.

He sits at the right hand of the Father.

I do think he has the scroll in his right hand.

He's overseeing his church.

That he will ensure they make it to the end where he will come and consummate his reign on earth as it is in heaven.

We serve him and him alone.

If a government tells us to go against uh King Jesus, they're wrong, we die.

The recent No Kings protest, regardless of every tweet that Donald Trump tweets or the recent video, it was random that a friend sent me that he put on True Social.

Um the recent No Kings protest was pretty wild.

And here's why.

But politics has to do with biblical worldview.

Uh so there was one political party that mandated we couldn't gather, one political party that mandated we must take a vaccine, one political party that mandated that we must stay in our homes, one political party that violence that runs certain cities, that violence is going corrupt, and they scream and got mad.

That political party, verifiably, I'm not trying to get angry, got really vocal when uh our current president sent in troops, sent in military personnel to try to fix the cities of Chicago and Memphis.

I will just say in the city of Memphis, they found 44 missing children in a week.

A city that was now a city no one wants to visit.

Once our president acted, now they found 44 missing children that was missing under the mayor.

Thankful for that.

And so we might cry out no kings, but I'm thankful for that sort of action.

If that was a kingly action, praise God.

Um so no kings.

Uh I am not convinced.

Our president knows the Lord.

I am very thankful for the decisions our president has made.

Yeah, I I guess I was thinking more maybe towards the protesters.

What is a biblical response to the protesters?

Did I veer off too much?

No, I think yours was the right response.

I think that was what I was.

Um in that group uh might be frustrated for a particular thing, might be nervous about a particular thing.

Uh, a good way to share the gospel with such a person if they do not have a relationship with Christ is that there is a king that he is in control that we need not fear.

Some put their trust in chariots and horses, we put our trust in the name of the Lord our God, and it leads us to this sort of unshakable hope that's different than the rest of the world.

That's our really good witness when we're not scared and politically motivated, but everything that we can have this sort of like um unanxious presence.

I'm coining a term that someone else has used.

It's not my favorite guy.

I shouldn't have said that.

Unaxious presence uh in the midst of a tumultuous world.

That's a witness for a world beyond our own.

I think that's good.

Um if you're asking my political opinion, I like small government.

And the side that's doing the No Kings protest is actually the big government side.

A little ironic.

All in there.

You said enough.

Now we'll pivot a little bit.

Specifically, how would you recommend spreading God's love as a college student?

I mean, I think there's so many avenues of I mean, you have opportunity to be with people maybe more than a lot of other people.

We've already discussed how um on many universities, there's many, many, many countries that are present upon that.

Uh many unreached people groups, uh countries that would be represented.

And so you have the opportunity uh to share the gospel many ways that maybe those of us won't ever have for the remainder of our lives who are not in uh a college university.

And so I would encourage you A to let me make sure specifically I would you recommend A to be connected to the local church first, obviously.

Um, but in that I mean there's many ways to spread.

Start a Bible study on your campus, join a BCM network or or some other kind of uh biblical network that's on the campus to be a part of.

Um man, take students out to coffee, do do life with other students.

Uh I know it sounds a lot easier than it is, but I mean it's it's the same thing.

It's like I wouldn't say much different than what anybody else could do.

I would say just l live life with other students and be um the one the one issue I see with maybe college ministries in some way, or students who are connected to college ministries or students university, is be very careful not to be swept away by the university.

Meaning, I've seen many people who've been on fire for God who quickly their fires diminish by being at a uh a secular university.

Um so be careful to always be on guard for yours, but man, just just live life with other people and and encouraging them and equip them and continue to share the gospel.

Um, the best way I think I was just thinking of how I'd answer that question.

The best way to show God's love on the college campus.

There we go.

The bet the best way to show God's love on the college campus is to have a real genuine daily relationship with Jesus.

Like genuine I think that's the best way to show God's love on the college campus.

Because if we walk in step with God's Spirit, which is the Spirit of Christ, if we are led by God's Spirit, which is being led by the Spirit of God, who is the Spirit of Christ, who has revealed Himself in His Word, that we might walk after Christ and be convicted to a pleasing a life that's pleasing to God, that personal relationship with Jesus spent in the quiet place will spill over into the public sphere.

This is what it means to have fruit of the Spirit.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness.

That is loving.

That is fruit of fellowship personally with God.

So if you want to be loving on your campus, you need to be in your word, in the word.

Um, it'll remind you that you don't need to be anxious, that you can have relationships with people you disagree with, that you um have a God who loves you and cares for you, uh, that people, no matter how far they are, um uh can be radically transformed by the power of God through your witness.

Uh like the best thing that you can do just to be loving on your campus is to be first in the word of God and then after being filled with God's word, go out and live as Jesus lived.

Um, uh a couple things on that as far as what that looks like, just that life.

Romans 12, verse 9.

Romans 12:9

This is marks of a true Christian.

That's how the ESV is titled this section.

Let love be genuine, hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good, love one another with brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor, don't be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord, rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

And it goes on and goes on.

What should we look like to a world that needs Jesus?

Well, we should look like Jesus and it looks like this.

Um, the last encouragement I would have in the Word of God is read the life of Daniel.

Um, he lived in uh as a young boy in a different culture than what he grew up in.

Uh when you go up to the college campus, if you're a believer and your parents were believers and they had you in the church every week, and you go to a college campus that just is a totally different environment.

Look at look at David David, look at Daniel's example in Babylon.

He was taught in the school of the Chaldeans.

They taught you know dream star books uh to interpret the future of the stars, and they were indoctrinated with this sort of new Babylonian school and culture, and how he lived as a believer in the Lord Jesus is a good example uh to us uh on a college campus.

What does the Bible say about war?

Well, the Bible mentions war a lot in the Old Testament, and typically it's God's way of bringing people to him, judgment and wrath upon a people group who have hurt his people group.

Um and so, yeah, a lot of times God uses war in in the Old Testament for his glory and his good.

Uh, I don't know if it I don't what what else do you want to say to that one?

Yeah.

Um, so Baptist history, uh, there's two kind of groups that some people say that we came from as Baptists, we are Baptists, so let's talk about that for just a moment.

Anabaptists, I don't think we came from them.

Um Anabaptists are uh um they're pacifists, which means they don't believe we should be in any war as Christians representing Christ at any time.

Then there were the English Puritans who had a sort of just war theory that there is a right place for war, um even for the Christian to participate in war for their country for the good or um uh for the good of their country and the eradication of evil.

It's called just war.

This war is just.

And so I think we come from medical puritans, not for that reason, but we come from a line of just war theory people.

Uh that there are reasons to go to war.

We believe Romans 13 says that the government, which is an institution of God, they are servants of God to wield the sword against the evildoer.

There are evil people.

That's why you lock your doors at night.

Um there are evil people.

Uh, that's why attacks happen in different places that were unprovoked.

Um, restraining evil is part of being stalked in a culture in the world.

Uh, and so I think there are reasons for just war.

Do I think every war is just?

Should we go to every war, yada yada, yada?

No.

But I think there are cases where war is absolutely justified.

I think the government has the right to go to war.

And um uh doesn't mean every war they go into is right or every move they make in war is right.

So just war theory, I'm on that side.

If you want to see a good debate on this issue in particular, I would really encourage you.

Uh Andrew Wilson, English theologian, he's a pacifist.

I love Andrew Wilson.

I'm not a pacifist.

Uh he talked with a United States pastor, I can't remember the guy's name.

If I thought about it enough, I would think about it.

Uh TGC put good faith debates out.

They debate just war theory and Christian pacifism.

Great conversation uh to be had to continue to learn on that issue.

Okay.

What's one spiritual discipline you think most Christians overlook?

So I would add to that, and how do we not do that?

Well, we overlook, um I think we I think we is your mic done?

Your mic's about the dive.

Oh, is it really?

Check.

All right.

So I think we know prayer.

I think if we were to list spiritual disciplines, we'd say Bible reading prayer, um, you know, and and any number of other things, even going to church.

Um, but I think prayer is one we practically overlook.

Uh we busy our lives to death, and we do not pray as we ought.

And I am absolutely pointing to myself.

Um we live our lives too busy to pray.

Um, the great reformer Martin Luther said, I have so much to do today that I must spend the first three hours in prayer.

Uh, that's probably the right outlook on prayer.

Um, prayer changes our heart.

Uh, prayer softens our speech.

Uh, prayer, I think, brings us closer to the heart of God.

Um, prayer causes us to rethink decisions we might make uh without it.

Um, that might be ungodly.

I think prayer.

Yeah, I was giving me my same agreement.

I think it's prayer.

I think sometimes we because it's not such a I mean, you could read your Bible and sit down and you know you could mark this is something I've done.

And a lot of times we feel we feel that.

But I think prayer, a lot of times we just because there's not results right there and we're results-driven people, a lot of times it's just it either becomes meaningless to us or it's it's not impactful or even as powerful as we believe it to think it should be.

And so, yeah, a lot of times, you know, it just becomes a quick thing at the beginning of the day or after the end of the day, and we we barely even think about the things that we're praying for.

I had somebody challenged me who said, Man, if if the things that you actually pray for come true, would you even know?

Like, would you even recognize those things?

Um, or even remember.

And so, yeah, that's kind of challenging my prayer life.

So I said the same way.

I said the same thing.

I think prayer is it's typically a thing, the discipline that is forgotten about or pushed to the side above everything else.

How do you build a relationship with someone you spend time with them?

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7, one of the scariest passages people say in the in the New Testament, look what all I did for you, all I did for you, all I did for you, all I did for you, all I did for you.

Matthew 7 · chapter mention

And Jesus will say, Depart from me.

I never knew you.

How do you know someone?

You spend time with them.

It's possible to do a lot of things for the Lord without knowing the Lord.

Uh, how do you know him by spending time in prayer with him?

Um uh John Piper, we mentioned his name earlier, he's been very influential in my understanding of the Bible and the Christian life.

He said that one of the great reasons for social media in the last days will be to prove that we had a lot more time for prayer than we said we did.

Um should Christians think about the death penalty.

It's a great question.

It's a great question.

Um there's sometimes like a false equivalency from some that say, well, how can you be anti-abortion and pro-death penalty?

Well, uh we can have the abortion conversation, and I won't veer off to get into it a whole nother discussion right now.

We're happy to get into it, but I just won't get into it right now for the sake of time.

Um, we believe what's in the womb is a life.

Taking that life is murder.

Okay.

Uh that's a significant thing.

Murder is punishable according to Old Testament law by death because of the significance of life.

Genesis 9, 6.

Noah comes off the boat.

God commands Noah.

Whoever takes a life, their life should be taken.

Just because God wants a massacre?

No, no, no, no, no.

So they won't take a life.

We do so much to protect our own lives.

You should not consider yourself your life protected if you go and kill someone else.

Um, and so I I I am pro-death penalty um in that way that it would be a preventative measure for people taking lives.

Life is that significant.

Um I might personally advocate, and I've thought through this because I think the Bible's generally speaking, pro-death penalty.

If you were to take another life, your life shouldn't should not be uh uh should should should come into question.

Um there are false accusations, uh, there are lack of witnesses.

Um and so all those have to things have to be taken into account.

I think maybe I I would argue biblically, there might need to be two witnesses for such uh a death penalty, two visible witnesses or something like that, so that you you you don't have the issue that we hear about where someone is put to death and years later you find out they didn't actually do it.

Uh so we want to be really careful about that.

Does that make sense?

Life is that valuable.

You shouldn't uh you should consider your your own life in question if if you're to take someone else's.

That should prevent you from taking a life.

But if we're gonna go through the death penalty, I think there's got to be witnesses, I think there's gotta be due process, I think there's gotta be great care there.

Yeah, I'm kind of on the same page, everything.

So what does it look like to stand before God in accountability as a pastor or as an individual?

Are we doing pastor verse as individuals that what it is?

So for a pastor, scripture says that we as pastors will stand and give an account of all those who we already spoken to it, who are members of our flock, and so how we minister to them, how we uh helped to guide their spiritual life, like those will be on our shoulders uh as we get before heaven.

Now, I don't know specifically the details of what that's gonna look like and and how that's gonna walk through, but that scripture alone is enough to know that to become a pastor is a serious position to put yourself under.

And when you are a pastor, the seriousness of it to take that position to as well.

Um, and so does account for that.

Go ahead.

Hebrews Hebrews 13, 17.

This is talking about a local church talking to its members, obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account.

Um, your pastors will give an account for the way that they led you, taught you, and shepherded you.

Uh and so I will stand before God.

I don't know how exactly that looks, to give an account for how I led, shepherded, taught, fed, guided those under my care.

Um, I have a stewardship from the Lord.

I am an under-shepherd under his heavenly care, uh, and he wants to care for his people, and um and he will not stand for bad shepherds.

Uh, and so uh a good pastor hopefully feels weight there.

Uh, but there's also uh another word I just want to add, it's the next verse, or it's actually the continuation of that verse.

They are keeping watch over your souls as those who will have to give an account.

Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to the to you.

And so as a church member, you're to think, how how can I be a good church member so that it just not does not cause my shepherd that will give an account for the Lord?

If it's a good shepherd, he knows he's gonna give an account for the Lord.

Let's not make him not only have that weight, but with agitation.

So I don't know exactly how it looks.

I I don't.

Um, but uh there's weight there and it's it's coming.

Does God hear the prayers of non-believers?

Um He may not listen to them, but I don't think he is impervious to them, like he just doesn't hear them, like he can't hear them.

Um there are four or five.

You have to go look at the reference.

I actually wrote on this one time and said, uh, here's a passage that says he won't listen to your prayer in this situation.

Here's a passage he says you won't listen to your prayer in this situation, here's a passage he says you won't listen to your prayer in this situation.

One of those situations would be 1 Peter chapter 3.

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

We were just in that text not long ago.

If you hurt your wife, he's not listening to you.

It's not like, oh, I didn't hear that.

It's like I'm not listening to you.

Um and so uh while the prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Um so does God listen based on how good you are?

No, but his anger may lead him to hold his ears.

Um I think I I will say I want to say something else.

Sorry.

Um I think if someone sincerely is seeking the mercy of God, unbeliever, there's no chance he's holding his ears.

No chance.

Um what's the verse in the Psalms?

Uh uh He will not turn away.

I used to have that memorized.

It's the the this summary of it is the one who comes to him in humility, he will never turn away.

Um, and so if you seek the Lord in humility, recognizing him as God, I I do believe he hears and he listens.

No person, um, we can get in the sovereignty of God debate all the live-long day.

No person sincerely seeking mercy will be told to go the other direction.

We'll be will be turned away.

How can we understand the image of God without seeing the face of God the Father?

Or does the image of God refer to the non-physical attributes of God?

Um either I'm confused or the the question's a little confusing.

Um we were created in the image of God, Genesis 1 and Genesis 2.

Uniquely, out of any other creation that God created, he created us in his image.

I think um that would mean that we are rational, we're able to have a relationship with God the Father.

Uh we're not just built on instinct, we don't make decisions on instinct.

We were meant to resemble and reflect God our Father in a way that no other creation wasn't is capable of.

I think God wanted us to stand as statues of his goodness and grace so that all the world from beast to bird could see how good God is, and we turned our back in sin and we marred that image so that we don't perfectly reflect him.

That's what it means to be made in the image of God, to resemble him in such a way that we are intended to reflect him, um uh, though marred now because of the fall.

However, um if we're talking about what God looks like, uh he is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

That's Colossians 1.

Um, the fullness of God was pleased to dwell in the Son of Man, that's Hebrews 1, I think.

Um so if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.

If you want to know what God the Father looks like, God the Father is spirit.

Um we will see him one day face to face, and the apostle John followed Jesus all his life, and he said we don't exactly know what that means.

First John chapter 2, going into chapter 3.

1 John 2 · chapter mention

We don't know exactly that me what that means, but that will be awesome.

And then, of course, he sees a vision of the Son of Man descending in Revelation chapter 1, and he's terrified, but then comforted.

Revelation 1 · chapter mention

So mystery, yes, Jesus is the perfect image of the infallible and invisible God.

Is that maybe how you Yeah, that's I mean, my I thought my answer was gonna be that it's that most of scripture is not so much focused on the physical image of God, but the qualities of God that we are supposed to be an image of attributes, yeah, yeah, characteristics.

And you basically answer all those.

And so if God is holy, holy, holy, what does holiness look like physically?

It looks like Jesus.

Is the new heaven and new earth to be understood as a renewal of this creation or a total replacement of it?

I'm gonna let you that one, buddy.

Yeah.

Uh so there's two Greek words for new.

Um, the word used for new heavens, new earth in in Revelation 21 uh is um is a little unclear.

Sam Storms wrote an article on this.

Um in one way it's totally new, but it does not use the word as if it never existed in its fullness before.

It's the word that you would use if you were totally gutting a house and kind of like putting everything around it on it, in it, brand new.

Uh so it will be heaven and earth joined together, perfect, like we could never even fathom even the language used for it in Isaiah 65, which is the language in Revelation 21 and 22 it's pulling from.

Um, it just uses symbols.

So one of the symbols of the new heavens and new earth, my favorite symbol of the new heavens and new earth, is that the infant will play in the cobra hole.

Okay.

Do I think there's actually going to be infants in cobra holes in the new heavens and new earth?

I don't think so.

I don't think we're gonna live like infants for the rest of eternity.

Um, I don't know what that age will be that will be in heaven for all eternity.

I I doubt it's in diapers.

Um, so what is that picture meaning to communicate?

Well, the cobra is the serpent.

What is the uh most incident prone human that exists?

Well, an infant that to be cared for at every level.

And they're just having fun in a cobra hole.

So there's no reason to fear.

We're dancing over the den of the serpent.

Um I got way off track there.

I'm sorry.

But New Heavens, New Earth, everything remade.

Uh, my wife and I got married.

I did I say this last QA?

My wife and I got married uh in a field in the uh in the in the in the land that she grew up on.

Um the field was not pretty until we got married on it.

Well, it was pretty like a month or two before that.

But like six months before that, it was nasty.

I mean it had bugs and snakes and and the grass was high and and like filled with like thorns and all kinds of stuff.

Uh but we saw okay, this this this is we we want this to be a beautiful place without all of that.

And so what do we do?

Well, I didn't, but my father-in-law burned it.

And what grew was like a totally new field that he took care of.

It's just like a beautiful, lush grass.

Um, and so uh I think the earth will be baptized by fire, first Peter or the apostle Peter, sorry.

Um, and uh I don't know exactly what that looks like, but I think what will be when Christ returns is something that is new.

Not that it every part of it didn't exist before, but that it is without the stain of sin, sickness, sorrow, or strife, without the stain of the thorns and thistles that come out of the ground, without the serpent being able to party there, because we'll partying on its den.

Um it will be different than the Garden of Eden because there's no tree of the knowledge of good and evil, there's only the tree of life.

There's no serpent coming in trying to trick or deceive, he's gone.

Uh so it will be new in the fact that it is never before seen.

Do you believe there is a New Testament precedent on how much an individual should tithe to their local church?

Uh I will my my only advice my only thing is I don't know about the New Testament.

Old Testament says give to 10%.

Um I just tell people Yeah, that's a good starting point and to go from there, but I don't know what you have.

Yeah, same thing.

Um so the um the Old Testament law has been fulfilled in Christ.

Some of those laws, ceremonial laws, have been abolished.

I use that word straight from Ephesians chapter 2, if you're not comfortable with that word.

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

It's there.

Um differentiating on every law that has been abolished first fulfilled, and if fulfilled means we don't have to follow it, is a matter of debate amongst Christians.

Um so the tithe, which was more than 10% at the end of the day, once they gave more money, sometimes it was up to 23 to 25 percent, uh, was going to the the Levites because they did not get land.

So that was their inheritance, was the tithe of the the Israel, the Israelite people.

Um so the Israelites, the the Levites didn't tithe in that same way.

Um God says he blesses a cheerful giver, he wants a cheerful giver.

We shouldn't give out a compulsion in the church.

The church survived out of the generous gifts of its members.

Uh while you could argue, well, the Bible and the New Testament does not teach the in the New Covenant the church to give 10% as a mandatory tithe.

Um, usually grace calls us to give more, not less.

Um argue that Melchizedek, the gift given to Melchizedek, um was 10% uh in Genesis chapter 14 that existed before the law, and so there's a tithe.

Genesis 14 · chapter mention

So it existed before the law, and so if it existed before the law and Jesus fulfilled the law, then we don't have to give, then we do have to give 10%.

Here's what I'll say be a cheerful giver, give to your local church.

10% is a really good precedent, a really good if you're if you're wondering how much the Old Testament says 10%.

Should Christians leave a job if it is hostile to the faith, or if their coworkers don't encourage or build them up in their faith.

Uh well, we're in first Peter in in that kind of way.

I would say, should you leave a job if it is hostile to your let's define hostile to your faith.

If the job is limiting or if the job is making you live a life that is also making you sin in some kind of way, meaning you cannot live God, you cannot honor God in that job.

They are forcing you to do something that is against God's will for your life, uh, then yeah, you should leave.

If it is just a rough work environment, and then there's many questions you should have.

First of all, if you're a father of a family and you're the provider of the family and you have nothing set up but you just can't stand your job, you're to stay at that job.

Like you're to provide.

Like that's that's I'm gonna quickly get off.

We somehow got into this world nowadays where we feel like we all have to have the perfect job.

Right?

And so I don't I don't want to discourage you from enjoying your job at all.

But man, this is what I think Kevin DeYoung wrote a book about that's what he said in his book where he's like, Man, if you ask people like 50 years ago if they love their job, like a lot of them just say, I just work.

Like I provide what does that mean?

I I put food on the table.

Right.

What does it mean to love my job?

And so uh, and so I would say this if you're just disgruntled by your job because you're just like, this is it does not bring the fulfillment and joy of my life.

Well, yeah, your job's not I hope it does, but I hope it's much more your family is a fillment, fulfillment and joy of your life.

But if your job is limiting or creating an environment where you are forced to live against the God's will of your life, then yes, get out.

Uh if you if your co-workers are say that one more time.

Are the questions up here?

So I can't.

If they're not encouraging you.

Yeah, I would say so.

If if your coworkers don't encourage or build you up in the faith, then I would say, welcome to the world.

Like, welcome to the mission field.

You are in a place where you now get to share the gospel because people do not know the gospel.

And so, yeah, maybe not run from that because guess what?

If you are a part of the local church, you probably most of your friend groups are a part of the local church.

So it's gonna be harder for you to find places for you to evangelize and share the gospel, and God has now put you in a place where you are with people who do not encourage or build you up in the faith, and so in turn, you can be the one to encourage them and build them up, hopefully, to the faith.

So, quick answer if it is not forcing you to sin and you have.

Nothing else set up that where you could go work, then yeah, then just hang out until you can find a maybe another job that seems a little bit better, right?

Uh or just just go work and make money and go home to your family, love them.

But man, disciple these people, share the gospel, invite them to church, love on them, and do what we're called to do as a mission field.

In short, under few circumstances, few circumstances should you leave your job.

It depends.

I think this is why we have local churches that share wisdom and pastors who would love to talk with you and help you think through why you might want to leave your job and what for, and are you leaving an opportunity to share the gospel there?

Uh, but maybe you work for a non-profit and they are an arm to help a certain community, and they restrict what you can say or do things that actually harms that community that being mixed in this might lead you to make a different decision than working at a place where there's a lot of people that may just disagree with you on Christ and you have opportunity to reach.

Does that make sense?

Like I can see a scenario where, okay, this is hurting people, and and I see it's kind of the original mission of this organization, mission of this school, mission of this, mission of this is actually doing harm.

That mixed into not being encouraged in the faith, that might be like, okay, maybe you should back out of that.

Because that's that's that's not good.

Does that make sense?

But most cases probably not.

We've actually had a quite a few about this next one.

Um can or is birth control considered to be a sin?

Well, we don't we want to be careful here.

There's different varying ways of birth control.

But if we're talking about medication, I would assume.

You've got five kids, man.

Go for it.

Yeah, there's only one birth control that I yeah, I'm just gonna let you answer.

You've done more seed for you.

Go for it, man.

Uh I would say uh I'll answer this question and then I'll let you go specifically on that.

Um I would say as a married couple, one of the primary means of being a married couple is to be fruitful and multiply.

Uh and be careful not be careful in limiting the beauty of what God has given us for the ease of your life.

If I could say that, and then I'll let him go into that.

Meaning, like, if you said, and I don't be careful how I said because I don't want to I don't if you're like, man, I want one or two kids.

Let's just say, let's say this.

I want, I want few, I'm scared to have kids because we're living a wicked world.

That's a lot of times what people hear.

Uh man, we our God is bigger than the world.

Like, our God is much bigger than what's than what this world could offer.

And guess, and here's something new the world's been wicked for a long time.

Like, it's been going on.

And so, what better way to combat a wicked world than raising up disciples who can then go out and share the gospel?

And guess what?

If you have more kids, those are more disciples.

But in another note, also, I would also be careful to say I'm going to limit through means, uh, and he can speak more on this, because I think you've done more research than I have on on birth control.

But I uh I'm gonna limit the means of how many kids I have because I want my enjoyment of life to be a specific thing.

When, like, man, having kids is a beautiful thing.

Like, it is, it's a beautiful thing that God has encouraged us to do, and it's one of the primary means of a marriage, of us coming together is to be fruitful and multiply.

So be careful and why you're using birth control and why limiting and things like that.

Like, when we had our first kids, we we were not financially ready for kids either.

Like, God is going to provide in those kind of means, obviously, wisdom and prudence in that, but like God's gonna provide in means that maybe if that's something you're worried about or specific reasons of the why you're using the birth control.

A board of fashions are off the table.

So anything that destroys um uh the after the process has has has begun, after things using language here, after things start, uh is wrong.

Um we believe life begins at conception.

So aboard of fashions are off the table.

Uh the the the answer that I can give is it depends.

I agree with everything he said, and I still say it depends, uh, because I think there are a few small places where I might say, okay, um maybe there's a common grace in some part of this where um things have been really, really, really, really bad.

And here's a a a preventative from something that's been really, really, really bad.

I I would want to price it down and talk with what I mean by really bad.

So I'll keep it at the it depends.

Uh in most cases, there are a number of of types of birth control uh that might be healthier.

Uh I'm you're just talking to a guy up here.

That this is probably not my biblical advice, but just my personal advice.

Big big pills scare me a little bit.

Um I'm a little leery of changing hormones and changing the body and stuff like that.

So so that's gonna play in for me to that.

Um but it it just it depends.

That I gotta say it depends.

Are there any popular pastors, speakers, or influencers that you would recommend faithful Christians to steer clear of?

You want to go back and forth?

Yeah, you start.

Oh gosh.

Uh this is the part we're gonna clip and put on Redeemer Speed.

We're genuinely not afraid to say this.

It's just let's make sure we're not saying because we uh in in all I mean, I can start listing ones to you that are like, okay, Benny Hinn, he's a heretic.

Kenneth Copeland.

Kenneth Copeland, very clearly heretic.

I mean, they're not preaching the gospel, they're preaching have a lot of money, right?

Like, and they're making a lot of money.

And then there's categories that we would say there might be a gospel presentation in there, but they are really unhealthy.

And we could list those off for a while because they're very common right now.

So I mean, uh, I mean, the ones that are just uh off their rock or that are popular, we could name Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, um Jesse Duplantis, uh I'm gonna keep going on the list, I don't know.

That uh uh um who's the smiley guy in Texas?

Oh, uh Joe.

Joe Lostein.

Joe Lostein, okay.

Um Joyce Meyer.

Um if they're specifically asking you to donate through their Instagram, I'd probably steer away from them.

But we haven't tried that yet.

So uh we would say that category would be heretical, unorthodox, um, because we would put them in the category of maybe not saying Jesus is not God, but we would say charlatan.

Okay.

Charlatan.

Um I would just want to clarify when First Corinthians says if someone says Jesus is Lord, they can only do that by the Spirit of God.

I don't think that means that Joyce Meyer, for example, could say uh couldn't say Jesus is Lord if she's not a charlatan.

I I think that she can't actually believe if she's actually a charlatan, right?

So define charlatan real quick.

Um that's a swindler.

I mean for me.

A swindler.

A swindler.

Yeah, yeah.

Uh uh an unhealthy, ungodly swindler who's profiting off the church rather than profiting the church.

So uh, and then there might be a category of super unhealthy right now that I don't think you should listen to.

I don't think their churches are healthy.

Um, I think there's believers in those churches.

I think um that that you can hear the gospel and probably be saved in those churches for sure.

Um are we gonna clip this?

Okay, uh Mike Todd uh in Oklahoma.

Yeah, that was my first no go.

Um anybody from his camp really from that do some research.

Um uh my name, though, names are just going out from my head.

Uh Stephen Furtick, uh No Go.

Um I don't know, most of the modern you guys have to that.

You just guys all yell at the city.

Those are anything.

The older crowd knows the Kenneth Copelands, the younger crowd knows Stephen Furtick and um and Mike Todd.

Yeah, I would just say, man, just find discernment in it.

Um I think there is something about reverence from stage, and typically you could look at people and see reverence from stage, uh, people who who use their church in a reverence way.

I mean, we can get into the lights debate and stuff like that about things like that, but just just look at what they're marketing more themselves.

Are they marketing themselves more or are they marketing God?

Are they marketing their accomplishments more?

Are they marketing God?

Are they marketing um how great they can sell tickets to worship events?

Are they marketing God?

Like just use some discernment in looking at the things.

Um, yeah.

I want to say this.

So I'll just say different eras um are tickled by different things.

Watch out for those who who scratch your ears, knit your ears, and speak very nice things.

Um, the older generation, and I'm not saying it's because it appeals to the older generation, but just the older pro the older bad heretical preachers that we have in the United States uh preach the gospel of personal prosperity, getting rich, wealthy, and wise.

Because God wants to bless Abraham and your Abraham's children.

And they'll go to blessing is a financial blessing.

Um, that is that generation.

The generation we see often now is not the gospel of personal prosperity per se, but the gospel of personal potential.

You can do it.

Look who you can be, fulfill your purpose.

If I have to hear the phrase, fulfill your purpose without it defined any more times in large mega Christian conferences, I am going to hit my head against a wall, right?

Your purpose is clearly defined in the scriptures.

Yes, you can say fulfill your purpose, just make sure you define what purpose is.

God has called you for the purpose of glorifying himself, uh, dying to yourself and evangelizing everyone.

Um, can we just say that clearly and stop saying your purpose is greater, your purpose is more?

Um, that's unhelpful, and that's what a lot of people can peddle and still fit into like orthodoxy, or at least what it looks like orthodoxy.

Yeah, and I would say that is why like we are here.

So one of the greatest things I would ever, and I even do it now, like if there is a writer or a pastor who I just don't know much about, I'll just send it around to a group of guys and say, Hey, do you know anything about this guy before I start jumping into his stuff?

Like, I want I want discernment from maybe other people who know this person.

Same thing for you.

Like, the biggest thing that you're gonna allow speak into your like the greatest thing of allowing people to speak into your life about your faith, like your faith is the biggest thing.

And so be very careful.

And and it is good to nitpick about those who you allow to speak into your life about faith.

And so ask, ask other people who are around, maybe ask if you're in a Bible study of some kind of sort before just trusting any voice you heard, especially if you're like, I don't really know how to discern who is good and who's not right now.

Like, ask people you can trust.

And if if someone's preaching something that is new, it's probably not true.

We have 2,000 years of Christ followers, a part of the church of God, filled with God's spirit.

If they're preaching something new, it's probably not true.

Um and go to your pastor.

This is what pastors are for, right?

Um, yeah, what's his name?

The Bethel guy.

Oh uh Johnson, Bill Johnson.

Bill Johnson, also not healthy.

Um so uh maybe in even maybe the heretical camp.

Um uh we could talk about um yeah, the the different charismania things, um uh sucking up anointing on graves that they taught.

Um one of their pastors, uh female pastors, were selling prophecy pants for$90 that were Spanx pants that you could get an anointing from.

Um that stuff's crazy.

That's just crazy.

Um gold there's gold dust coming from the ceiling that they put dust, gold sparkles in the ceiling and called it prophetic.

And that's crazy stuff.

So yes, dear clear.

What are your thoughts on the age of accountability?

I d I don't really I don't I yeah, I don't see anything specific in scripture, so I'm gonna let you I'm not uh I don't think there's a defined age.

So um I think God will do what is right always.

Um and I think God has mercy.

Uh is there like, hey, at age 10, before that, if you don't confess a personal age of the Lord Jesus Christ, you're safe.

I don't think there's a specific age.

Uh however, there's like two passages that are just worth your study on this matter.

Um's uh about David saying that his son who died um he that he will looked forward to seeing him again, that he had some hope of seeing that that son again um after he dies.

That's worth considering.

Uh a second is during massacres uh in the Old Testament, uh there are phrases used throughout the Old Testament of the blood of the innocent.

Make sense with a T, not C, innocent.

Like there was innocent people, um, and it was the the young.

And so uh while we believe we are born in iniquity, that we all have a proclivity to sin as young as we are, um, that God in his grace might have um uh a I I don't like this phrase, a dispensation um to to care for unique circumstances like that.

Yum circumstances?

Yeah.

I say I just I trust in God being God and his way is much greater than ours, and and uh and so yeah, there's an understanding of we just have a lack of understanding of really what that is.

Yeah, so here hear us, you're like, well, that sounds this or that sounds that.

Our convictions that we're willing to communicate from the stage on specific issues like that, especially, we want to kind of begin and end where scripture begin begins and ends and kind of end there.

Uh and so those would be two passages I'd just consider.

If marijuana is legal in a state or a place, is it still wrong biblically don't smoke marijuana, come on.

Um if it prohibits your mind in any kind of way, scripture says it's wrong.

Um Yeah, if it if it if it brings you out of a proper state of mind making ras right uh making sober decisions, it's wrong.

Um so that an argument could be said, uh JD Greer makes this argument, and I think it's a wise argument.

He says, um, you know, people will advocate against alcohol, and especially against drunkenness, because drunkenness is a sin, um, to say you should not drink any drink, and that's where the convictions lie, that's where you should be.

Um but and we can nuance this to death, but you can have one beer without being immediately drunk.

That doesn't mean you are out, I mean you should drink one beer and and like test it, and how can I take two?

But you can drink one beer, and most people because their body weight, the way your physical body works, you won't be drunk.

But you take like one hit of marijuana, you are already bringing yourself out of your mind, if that makes sense.

So so there is a significant difference between the two.

I'm not trying to justify one, I'm not trying to like say this is better than the other.

I'm just saying there is a significant difference from one of the the second.

And if you're like, well, you can take half hit.

Come on now, let's be real.

Um, I've been around plenty of people in college.

I I can say that, attest to that as a fact.

So I think, I think um, Ephesians chapter five, that's a good text to go to.

Um, be filled with the spirit and not drunk with alcohol, not drunk with spirits.

And so um to be with to be sober-minded is to not allow anything to take your mind out of reality.

Do books not commonly accepted by the church as part of the biblical canon serve a purpose to us as believers, or should we avoid them altogether?

Is this an apocrypha question?

Do books not commonly accepted by the church as a part of biblical canon serve a purpose to us as believers?

Oh, yeah, okay.

Yeah, Apocrypha.

So intertestamental books between the old and the new testament that the Catholic Church would recognize as a part of the canon, but most of the Catholic Church hopefully would say, hey, this is not on par with the Old Testament books or the New Testament books.

Athanasius certainly didn't think so as a church father.

Can you read intertestamental books and benefit from them in some sort of way to learn church history?

Sure, why not?

Read the Maccabees.

But it's not scripture that it is inspired by God in the same way.

So yeah, read about the Maccabean revolt in the Maccabees and be helped in what took place between the Old Testament period and the New Testament period.

Um, but no, it should not be recognized and was not recognized, as some may try to argue um uh in the early church nor throughout the majority of church history.

So read from it, benefit from it, it's not inspired.

I was literally gonna say Sam.

Read it, study it, learn it, but yeah, it's not the authority of scripture.

There's errors in it too.

If someone who never heard the gospel or knew the gospel exists and they died, do they go to heaven or hell?

Say it one more time.

So okay, this is how it's written.

Someone who never hears the gospel or knows the gospel exists and dies, heaven or hell.

Yeah, so we believe in general revelation.

General revelation means God um uh um reveals himself in creation so that everyone knows that there is a God, and they suppress that truth for a lie and sin.

Choose not to seek the Lord, right?

And so if you look at a starry night sky or a sunrise, you should know there is a God.

To say there isn't is a lie that you're suppressing in your own mind so that you don't have to obey a God.

General revelation.

General revelation cannot be salvific.

You must know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and you must put your faith and trust in Him as the only way to have a relationship with God the Father.

So, no, if you do not hear the gospel, you will not be saved.

And if that, if you're just like, is that true?

Romans 10 says that verbatim.

How will they hear?

How will they know?

How will they be saved if someone is not sent and teaches the gospel?

And so that's motivation.

You should go.

How else will they hear?

How else will they know?

How else will they be saved?

So I do not think someone can look at the stars and put it together and see the name of Jesus in the sky, right?

And and and say, okay, I'm saved now because I I heard the name Jesus, but I don't really know what he did for me, and so on and so forth.

Um, how is God just in all of that, you might ask?

Um, the writer of the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul, says, Who are you to question whether God is just?

He is just.

Uh He will have mercy on whom he chooses to have mercy.

Um that's that's tough for us a little bit because we don't understand how good God is sometimes, um, how merciful he is to save anyone.

Uh that that's that that's something we might wrestle this side of heaven on.

Um I I I just want to put this in here, and sometimes this makes people uncomfortable.

It makes me kind of uncomfortable, but I I don't think anyone can I've told you this.

This is what I told you before.

I don't think anyone can have a relationship with God salvivically without knowing Jesus is the Lord, put their faith and trust in him.

I just want to say that God always does what's right, and he can do some pretty incredible things to make that happen if he wants to make it happen.

I I just want to say that because in the book of Genesis, you have a man named Noah who has no book of the Bible written yet.

And God gave them the exact way to build an ark for a flood that they'd never seen before, and he did it perfectly.

So God communicated very specifically, very clearly.

All I'm saying is God can do what he wants to do to make sure someone hears the gospel by someone being sent anywhere he wants them to be sent, right?

He he he can he can do that, he can do incredible things.

How'd that work?

As a follow-up back to the No Kings protest question, which Christian leaders in the political sphere do you most trust or believe they are genuine men or women of God?

Can I just recommend a podcast that I listen to?

All right.

So I listen, so a couple of my friends are on this on this podcast together.

There's four guys on the podcast.

It can be a little goofy sometimes, but it's called the Bully Pulpit Podcast.

Uh one of the guys is a pastor in Lebanon, Tennessee, not too far from here.

Um one of the guys is a ethics professor at Sun Baptist Theological Seminary.

Uh, one guy's a pastor in Tallahassee, Florida.

Another guy is uh a pastor, sorry, in Lebanon, Tennessee.

And then there is a politician on the podcast as well, his name is Andrew Teetzel.

He calls himself a political operative.

Uh, he lives in DC.

Um, I really like their conversations they have about politics.

Uh, they're worth listening to.

Um, you know, I I like a lot of politicians.

Do you want me to list them?

Uh I like that Pete Hagseth is going to a really great church, it seems, in DC.

That even though I may disagree on some of the finer points of that particular denomination, I'm real thankful for that.

There's a lot to list.

We might disagree with some small parts of their political philosophy.

This next one is about the age of the earth.

Public schools and universities teach evolution in the old earth.

So do you hold to a literal seven-day creation in a young earth if it's less than 10,000 years old?

So I hold to a little, I take it literal.

Literal seven days that God created in literal seven, yeah.

Yeah, same.

So we're we're both what's called young earth creationists, YEC, young earth creationists.

I think you can be an old earth creationist and be a believer.

I just think you're wrong.

Um, B.B.

Warfield was a godly man who was wrong on that.

Um, there was a lot of Puritans uh who I think were wrong.

Um but they weren't evolutionists.

Let's be clear.

They they thought there was a different period of time uh within the Genesis account, or they thought maybe the days were ages.

It seems to be the most clear reading of the text that the days are days.

They could have used different words, or uh Moses could have used a different word to talk about ages.

What routines do you have with your wife and in your home to keep your marriage strong and Christ-centered?

What routines do we have?

Let's see.

Uh well, lately we've been reading a book together, and the way that we literally do that is one of us reads the book out loud while the other person listens.

And it's I'm a very fast reader, my wife knows that.

So it's a Christian book, fiction book.

Right now it's a Christian book.

Uh uh, no, it's not a Christian book.

I lied.

It's a a You're just trying to sound Christian.

Yeah, I was trying to sound Christian.

No, we we just started a different book.

Uh we've read the George Orwell book, 1984 together.

So cute, dude.

So cute.

That was weird.

Uh so what do we do?

So talks.

So our kids play outside every day.

So one thing's really big to us is uh I am bad about having conversations.

Like I just get done maybe with some other people in the room.

Like when I'm done with my work for the day, like job for the day, like I don't want to talk.

And so sometimes I have to pull myself out of that.

And so we will sit on our front porch while our kids ride their bikes, and we will just talk and have a conversation there.

Yesterday morning, we sat outside and just we did our Bible studies together, two different separate Bible studies, and then just kind of talked about life and and what we're loving right now and things that we can approve on.

We have um what we call business meetings, which are not the fun days.

We do those, try to do those every Monday night where it's like we go over the rough stuff so that doesn't come up during the week.

And so those things are like budget, those things are like how can we approve one another?

Um, what are things that are maybe frustrating one another throughout the week?

What are things that uh we've done that we can kind of work on?

What are sometimes just like hopes and dreams?

So what what are things that you would we you did the same thing, right?

With Darren Saley at in Tampa.

Did you ever do that?

The mayor's thing?

He has a really good card that's called the Daily Something Something.

I don't know, I can't remember.

Uh but anyway, it lists like things that you are to go through as a couple and it's biblically or it's it's it's Christian based.

And it's and so we try to do that.

We haven't done that in a while, but we try to do that, and so uh that kind of helps in alleviating maybe just conversations that may come up out of the blue out of frustrations and getting those out.

Um, we try to do we we do we have five kids, but we do date nights at home, and so we know on the schedule, like these are date nights at home.

We also do that with our kids, like our kids get scheduled date nights.

So every Thursday on Thursday nights, one Thursday is our kids' date night, so that kid gets to stay up later and do whatever they want.

Uh sometimes it's just literally I think we played Minecraft this week with one of our daughters, and so we did that, and then the next Thursday, it's gonna be my wife and I, and so we're gonna do something at home, and then uh hopefully at some point in time we're gonna get out and out and actually go on a date here soon.

Uh, but yeah, just continue dating and loving one another as much as you can.

Know what each other are reading in the word, know how to encourage one another, know how to love one another.

And I think I answered most of that question, yeah.

Strong and Christ in her.

So, yeah.

So my wife is gonna encourage me.

What have I been reading the word?

I'm gonna encourage her.

What has she been reading in the word?

Uh, we're gonna ask each other what how can we be praying for each other throughout the day?

Um, we send texts all the time that is like, hey, I made it to work.

Hey, how's your day going?

Like it's just constant conversation.

So we try to never let our marriage get boring.

Are we perfect at this?

Absolutely not.

So I don't want to paint a picture now, but but we do, we love each other so much, and so we want to continue on.

Why would I not want to spend so much time with the person that I was so eager to marry one day and and now I just enjoy being with her all the time?

You you guys probably have a little more routine than we do.

Um, we don't have like like the business meeting or whatever scheduled or anything like that.

Um that's not me.

I don't I don't love those things.

Okay.

So my wife is good at making sure that we uh we attend to those business meetings.

Every couple is different.

Every couple has to figure out, obviously, kind of what works for them best.

Um so uh our kids go to bed uh pretty early because they wake up pretty early.

So we have set time at night together just to spend time together.

Um, I think if you're a young couple or an older couple, we can affirm that uh communication is necessary where there's lack of communication, there's lack of trust, there's lack of there's heightened frustration, so on and so forth.

And so uh I think my wife and I communicate pretty well on an every evening basis about hopes, dreams, frustrations, concerns, um, what we're learning, what we're confused about, what we're concerned about with our kids, what we're excited about with our kids.

Um uh we're both reading scripture.

We have read devotionals together.

Um it's just it's like not totally my favorite thing, and if it's your thing, do it.

Um we read Paul Tripp's marriage.

Yeah, what was it called?

New Morning Mercies, it was good.

Uh we read another one by um someone to give it to us early in our marriage, uh, James Dobson.

It was good.

Um yeah.

Uh so I think where there's communication, there's transparency, there's repentance, there's saying I'm sorry, uh, there is laying your life down and what you want.

Uh, there's treating one another, there's date nights, there's intimacy, because without intimacy, the devil can creep in your marriage.

That is directly from scripture, so you should not withhold one another, or that's awkward to say, you shouldn't.

Um uh, and so you should be generous in just your time spent together and your care for one another.

Uh, first Corinthians chapter seven.

Uh 1 Corinthians 7 also says that um your um attention is rightly divided in serving the Lord.

You are to serve your spouse.

And so those who are single can serve the Lord totally, but those who are married should consider how to serve their spouse and serve the Lord.

And so um we're we're kind of figuring out.

That this side of heaven until Christ returns.

So um yeah.

And I would say one encouraging, and you may, I may be way off on this, and you might be like, hey, this is our thing.

I would be very careful for every moment you spend together to be like watching TV together.

Like I would just be careful in doing that.

Like, and you may say, hey, that is your thing, but man, be careful every night to just get home and turn on Netflix together or watch TV together.

Because it's like, man, you're not you're not growing together in that.

You're going for a fondness of a TV show or something like that.

But man, I find that that times are the most times, like my wife and I will like something just stems out of that.

It's like frustration things, which is like we're not really spending time together.

Like we feel apart even though we're sitting next together each other in on a couch watching TV.

So just be careful letting that become your every single night routine too, as well.

Yeah, and be careful that your wife's just not, your husband's just not your complaining buddy and your gossip buddy.

Right?

Uh let even the conversations you have be encouraging and and just helpful for one another.

And uh and and dream together.

Like that's a good thing.

Dream together.

Um, and don't let the only time you guys stare each other in the face is during intimate time.

Look up from your phones.

I mean, seriously, don't like look down your phone all day.

I mean, we all can say we're bad at that and we are, but yeah.

Oh, one more let's.

You gotta take a good one.

That sure I can answer.

You can pick a if there's like a help helpful one and like just like an off-the-cuff funny one or really random.

Oh, I've got an off-the-cuff funny one for sure.

Plastic surgery.

Is it sinful or vain?

Uh there's what's why and where.

Yeah, exactly.

That's what I'm gonna say.

Multiple reasons for it.

Why and where.

Okay, so now moving on.

Yeah, moving on.

Uh let's end with as a pastor, how did you discern the call to ministry?

I think we did this one last time, but yeah.

How did I discern I discerned 30,000 so I didn't try to keep it?

Yeah, we'll do really fast.

Uh, how did I discern my call to ministry?

Was in 11th grade.

We talked about this last time.

I wanted to be a roller coaster designer.

That was my dream, that was my passion.

And then was in youth ministry, saw the students around me, seemed to be hurting, struggling, saw the people in my school, very unrealistic school.

Uh man, I was like, Man, this would be awesome to be in ministry.

I feel like God's calling me to this.

I have such a care for these people.

I have a desire so much for them to know the gospel.

Went to my pastor and said, Hey, do you think this is something that I could do?

And he said, Uh yeah, I definitely feel it in your heart.

Hey, let's test it out for a while.

Why don't you kind of intern under me?

So, so I felt the call.

I went to somebody, multiple people, to to affirm the call, and then I tested the call to see, hey, is this something that I can live out?

Uh they continue to affirm me along the way, loved it, enjoyed it, went to college to learn about it, uh, and then started serving in my local church.

Uh grew up in a home that loved and served the Lord.

Um got involved in church at every level I could, uh, whether I wanted to or not, I was happy to I did I did want to.

Um, and uh got into high school, started considering what I wanted to do for the future.

Um, I wanted to drum, I wanted to run cross-country and track.

Um, I want to go to maybe you know, maybe Mizzou or uh and then maybe some Christian schools, Cedarville and uh Sanford.

Um when I was uh in 11th grade, uh a youth pastor had poor in my life, my parents had been pouring in my life.

Uh a summer camp caused me to consider what would ministry look like and ministry vocationally.

Uh, it began a desire in my heart that I took back to my dad and my grandpa and my pastors, and um that began a journey where I had the desire you see in First Timothy chapter three, like the one who desires the office of overseer, he desires a good thing.

Uh, and then uh my character obviously at that age wasn't what it should be.

And so God molded me and shaped me and convicted me and used people in my life.

And I went over to a uh university uh that taught me the Bible and had served in a church immediately, in a in a church that's faithful and godly and gave opportunity for internship.

Uh, and then that pastor, uh, as I was studying to you know pursue a call to ministry, that pastor of that church, freshwater church in Balover, Missouri, asked me if I'd be willing to preach at a small country church 12 miles north when I was 19.

And uh reluctantly I said yes, if he'd help me pre if he'd help me prepare.

I preached um a few weeks later, uh the next week they asked me to preach again, then I preached again.

Uh, and then um uh they asked me to be an interim, went to a lot of guys and said, Hey, is this right?

I'm 19, I don't know if I should.

They said yes, affirmed that.

Uh and then uh versatile church West Plains, heal representatives are here in the room, uh, affirmed that in ordaining me for gospel ministry.

Uh I was 19 or 20 at Rondo Baptist Church in Flemington, Missouri, and served that church for two and a half years.

And so there was aspiration, I think, character qualification.

Uh we talked about this this week.

Aspiration, character qualification, uh uh church affirmation, and then opportunity.

Uh and so that just worked its way out in many years.

Uh and so anything else?

Nothing else you can think of?

Okay.

Hey, we hope this has been beneficial.

Uh we know it's long, but we want to give opportunity for a lot of questions to be asked.

Uh, we hope that it was edifying.

We hope that it was, again, encouraging.

Uh, we hope maybe even kind of challenging you to think through, okay, what does that text actually say, Genesis 9, 6, or 1 Corinthians 5, or so on and so forth.

We hope you pointed you back to scripture where there is scripture speaking explicitly.

Let's pray.

We'll dismiss.

We've got coffee.

If you're a part of Redeemer City Church, we need you to help put up tonight.

And then let's all go get some sleep and start work and be godly at our jobs on Monday morning.

God, we thank you for our time together.

We thank you for this opportunity to open up your word, to share truth.

Lord, I pray that if anything that was said that was unclear, that you'd make clear if it's true, Lord, if anything was not true or unhelpful, Lord, that you would make it unclear so that it wouldn't be the memorable thing.

Uh Lord, we pray that you'd be glorified in our conduct uh tomorrow as we go back into our jobs and back to our schools.

Uh, Lord, we pray that we would uh be obvious witnesses by our