Is Your Theology Peer Reviewed?

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network mobile show you why your home work.

Steve is an ordinary man who believes in an extraordinary dog on his shoulders, grace, and lots of three no sacred cows call Steve no 866-34-TRUTH 866-34-TRUTH or checking out online, Steve Noble Joe.com now is your house Noble okay alert well Robin little note to our friends on YouTube.

YouTube, if you're listening to Facebook if you're listening to be using some covert terminology now doesn't mean just because I said it because I'm a conservative Christian lives in America doesn't mean that I'm necessarily disseminating misinformation or disinformation, but I am going to use the covert word I am to reference that in order to get us in the theology Thursday which I know doesn't sound like it makes any sense, but give me a second and it will so we all learned a lot of new phrases about a new terminology in the last couple years and I don't know about you but for me prepping for the show and add nausea and all things coalbed and masking and vaccinations and yada yada yada. When this is where we have to be honest with each other and with ourselves so you have a confirmation bias okay F understand that you you have a worldview you have a perspective on things and and that your position then we tend to see articles or things posted that's sure that up. You're like oh yes, either I told you, and you share that you tweeted you, you double down whatever and then when there's other articles that refute you or attack your position. You tend to dismiss those of the wackos. That's a conspiracy theory or whatever the factors so over the last couple years, you would find something of your anti-mass person or an anti-backed person or pro whatever and you would see there's some new study masking it doesn't work.

It does work to mastering whatever the case maybe we we also learned another phrase in that whole mess of the last couple years and that's the phrase peer review.

So what one person puts out research.

They do a study.

It looks awesome but in somebody else's not so fast there buckaroo bonsai because that's not peer-reviewed. You haven't had other people that are just as smart just as enlightened as the author. Look at the work and so you pass it through them first and if it's peer-reviewed. Now we can stamp it would put the gold star on their and now we can say okay right this was legitimate because it's been peer-reviewed, that makes sense to me.

In the scientific world. It really does but doesn't make sense to me or you or anybody else in the theological world.

Given that this is theology.

Thursday is our theology as our is our biblical understanding the positions we take predestination, free will, whatever. Is that something that should be peer-reviewed, meaning if you don't have a bunch other Christians agreeing with you on it.

Are you at liberty to be right and they're wrong that Danny Aiken is been a friend of mine, the president, Southeastern Baptist theological 74 years, used to say years ago used to say listen, if you're studying the Scriptures in your good theologian, all of a sudden you're saying I've actually figured something out that nobody has the last 2000 years. While we just cut to the chase, you're wrong and that's like wow I really got a shutdown conversation here. So let's take peer-reviewed out of the scientific realm and coalbed and let's take it into the theological realm should we have a peer-reviewed theology. And if you're writing your if you're in the theological world like our friends at BJ's seminary. Is this a big deal as a matter fact it is sort of unpacked this today and again were gonna there's a theological component here. There's a kind of an academic sign for people like me and my guest today right speak and do things like that but for you as an average Christian just trying to follow the Lord and hopefully trying to grow in your your strength and your knowledge and your understanding of the word. Should you really be looking to other people's opinions or when you go online to find something you have about theological question and you land on a webpage. How do you know that webpage is actually telling you the truth.

So what's the role of this kind of notion of being peer-reviewed in the world of theology and for us as individual Christians. Dr. Greg strikes back in the house, a professor at BJ's seminary down in beautiful Greenville South Carolina also talking about something that's gonna be a big deal this week down there it's ETS, which is evangelical theological site society which has great thinkers and great thought leaders. All the country and it's at BJ you at the seminary in the school grounds down there coming up this week with Greg great to have Jan how are you good to see you. Thanks. See you Tuesday. We are wondering about two or three minutes ago if the show was actually gonna start know I have complete faith in you. This was enjoying listening to you ramble for a while just good excellent point. Yes thank you I appreciate that. Anyway, it's great to have you think you for being back on and and I and I think in you started with the blood point today which I'll put up in the seminary viewpoints talk about collaborative theology. When we hear that when I hear that Greg I get a little nervous about that Mike will hold the second is the Holy Spirit enough to come to lead me into right thinking is the Canon close. Should I really be having collaborative theology and asking what other people think. So help us understand this from like a 30,000 foot level what you know it's really the whole idea of the fact you said a minute ago.

Is it just to be you and your closet with your Bible and that's all you can ever need to be able to figure out the word of God.

We went historically through a period of when individual was was on the rise Erica with a lot of preachers and theologians who said you know I I'm not to be answerable to anybody but give me the right hand of fellowship and I'm to go ahead and just preach the way God is telling me to preach but if you look at Scripture. You gotta pattern all the way through. You got a multitude of counselors you've got two or three witnesses. You got iron sharp iron sharpening iron and you even starting on church history.

The first thing that happens as soon as you people are not fearing for their lives in Constantinople or Constantine begins legalizing Christianity you start seeing church councils yell coming together from all over the Empire and what are they doing their hammering out the theology because you got this idea and that idea in some of these ideas with high Christology that the deity of Christ at the Trinity.

Nobody came up with that even in one generation. It's a couple of generations of godly men coming together to hammer all of these things out and is no different today when we come together and we say something biblically. I want to know what somebody else thinks about this. I was the apostle Paul when he got it given him the gospel directly through Jesus Christ and he still went up and wanted to check his gospel against the other apostles to make sure that he was not preaching the wrong thing and so this is a completely normal thing in a completely expected thing that we don't have the arrogance to think that we are coming up with everything on her own. That's all we need.

I know where we are completely dependent on not just God and the Holy Spirit, but that the resources he's given to us which are other believers were also desiring to know God's truth. Yeah, because nobody's coming to the table completely pure as the wind driven snow is at the Scriptures tell us we all see to the glass dimly, so were all handicap to a certain extent and in God gives people in different ways and and some are gifted to be teachers and preachers and leaders in what you're talking about administration. Whatever the case may be, and so we have to tap into that and if you think you've got it all figured out on your own and all you need is to watch David Jeremiah every Sunday and everything will be fine. You may be limiting yourself.

I'm not attacking David Jeremiah. I'm just saying. Should we be looking outside of our own selves to make sure that our theological positions are right and when you're encountering stuff online. Should you assume that maybe something is off here and don't necessarily trust anyone. Source will be effective for this back and see Noble to Noblesville theology Thursday with our friends at BJ's seminary of the world's research needs peer review you're talking about with all the covert why would we require anything less rigorous for typical study to validate biblical study, we must have collaborative theology we need to kind of, as we read in the Old Testament come let us reason one to another, and I think for some of us that can make us nervously as I can. Can't I just know something that's true I don't have to get validated by somebody else. But then there is all kinds of Scripture, both old and New Testament.

There's wisdom in a multitude of counselors in the New Testament we are just talking to our guest today, Dr. Greg strikes on the brink is a professor BJ's seminary about that the the use of the body is an example of how the body of Christ is supposed to work in an arm doesn't really function very well. If all it is is in our she got her right arm and left arm to get legs and got eyes and he got organs and all the other stuff so as we look at our theology should we subject our theology. What you actually believe that the Bible's teaching said you subject that quote or quote the peer review in the academic world. That's a normal part of the deal.

Nothing is getting out unless you have people that are older and wiser, more experienced in you checking yourself over. But what about for us as a just kind of cortical regular Christians under that's were talking about today with Dr. Greg strikes at the Bee Gees them again. Greg, thanks for taking the time to be with us today. No problem might look here so that that money can open up what that is is our Bible study kind of invalidated if we do it just purely on Earl well you know it's really interesting you say that II think that no matter when were studying the Scripture we audit have the ability and the willingness to submit when were finding in Scripture to other people. I think that's one of the beautiful things about the church in general is that God has brought a group of believers together were there discipling one another and sharing with one another and able to say you know what, I'm not sure that that means what it says I I've had experience as a pastor with congregants who come in and you know they've they've looked up the Greek or the Hebrew in the in the on the Internet and they've read the verse and date they found out that this word could mean five different things and then they take one of those and plug those meanings into the verse and all the sudden the verse mean something completely different than they've ever seen, and they, they're like wow I never knew the Bible taught this before. This is this is an easy thing and I'm I'm trying to say to them, well, you know, if you just look at the contents. I'm not really sure that that's what it's saying it and at that point. It's almost like you can't really say anything you because that's what the Lord showed, and we can't ever get that weight, it doesn't matter how many degrees we have how long we studied how much we've written in effect, the best writers know audience that their writing to and they know what the literature is saying and they are submitting themselves the time to be able to serve other people at the writing and collaborate with them. They're not just off making a statement and in the darting for the hills. You have been responsible for.

I so I've got an example from this morning so that literally I'm going to the New Testament, in the year and I'm in Luke chapter 4 and then versus of this is the temptation of Jesus on the and in the wilderness by Satan himself. So starting in verse five, and the devil took him and I you you know I've got a very political background side attendant, think in the context of the talk about it a fair amount of air and the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time and said to him, this is in the ESV to you I will give all this authority in all their glory, meaning the kingdom, for it has been delivered to me and I give it to whom I will and assume I read that this morning because you know this, Greg. We talk about.

Let's just go back to trump and go. Oh God put trump in the White House.

Obviously, God's providential overseeing everything and so nobody's get anywhere unless God is okay with that so did God allow Donald Trump to get to the White House or did he put him in the White House and then of course one school of thought. He's like a Cyrus if you know this guy got crazy sure for out for about almost 5 years and I read this this morning to the going to. I'll give all the authority in their glory, for it has been delivered to me and I give it to whom I will close and I'm I thought myself. Could you make a case at some given point in time that some leaders somewhere in some country was actually given that job by Satan himself. In the night when I started to look around like I don't know that I really understand this fully so just an example Greg or I got a go.

Okay, maybe I'm maybe I'm on to something. Maybe I'm not but I should probably start digging and then how do I even know when I'm finding the answers that make sense right right ethic the first place to start is reading all of Scripture itself right and in letting Scripture interpret Scripture and then getting with some people who know the Scripture reading some on that passage any. Maybe that's come up in some commentary or something. That's a good place to start. Sure collaborate with other Christians.

I think of the fact that in in Revelation, which I am preaching to the whole book of Revelation right now and Satan is obviously given this authority by God and he doesn't give it to other leaders in the world during that time. But that that the that Revelation is describing and what you note, is that he can only go so far there's if you read the language really carefully he's allowed to have so much authority writers of stopping point. There were ants so not surprise all.

After reading through Revelation reading Luke four and thinking. Oh that makes complete sense where it might not have made sense side effect. We started reading that I got a little nervous because is like what was the talk about that.

I don't have all the answers right right but I don't sleep well, I mean really, I why are you here if you don't have all the answer you I remember even my my just by defense for my dissertation to finish up the PhD program and thinking you know I'm in a get me to get these incredible questions on every single topic and other were some I thought I had done really well on and they just hammered me to Hammersley and I thought I thought this high done. There were other topics where they were like I don't have any questions. He knows more about it than I do and it dawned on me, these guys don't know, every, every, every area there are some in which I had already studied more than some of them in in in some yes it is very humbly some key areas perhaps sure.

So again we need each other without especially when it comes to something as important as eternal truths know what about this exam. Let's go back to that I would look for this morning.

I read through it so it looks like Satan can give somebody a job ruling over a territory or kingdom. Whatever could even be the presidency United States got sovereignly on top of all that, but that but what about this old so I am a question so the only thing I'm going to do. Greg is him to go online and I want to go see what John MacArthur has to say about and then John MacArthur says that means this and then I'm done.

Is that okay because he's obviously an established theologians been added a very long time.

Probably just about as long as I've been alive.

Can I just assume he's right and take it, take it from there but I don't imagine you doing that but there were some people who may do that kind of thing I can think of all kinds of names in my head of people who said things and people I wouldn't call Mrs. or the hero worship yet but they follow that one person right in and that one person is the one that they have allowed to speak into their lives and it they may be listening to some really important really good theologian a lot of things. John MacArthur says I think of been really really helpful sure, but if you're limiting yourself again that's on a multitude of counselors and so I I think that we should maybe look at some others do not. Now also think this is an area of okay what where those counselors were they coming from fright but a lot of times we have the idea of what were looking at conservative theologians right wheat we can tell when we're started to go outside that that safety zone and finding things that just don't seem to line up with the rest that within that I think is a lot of good health. We can find system just before even to some degree point. Thank you so much for indulging me and that's oh by the way, if you're out there and all you ever do is listen to John MacArthur or David Jeremiah. I'm not attacking you. I might be nudging you might think that's probably true more often than not liking crazy what I'm about to say on theology Thursdays because it's not just me doing the talking. That's why we're so blessed to have this partnership with our friends Donna PG you seminary because they've got people that are far more studious, far more wise than I am. And I've at least got to this point my life where I can can comfortably say I don't know everything, but I know a lot of other people that know a lot of things, but none of them know everything.

So when you combine all that together gets what you get. It's much better for my faith their faith.

All of our faith if we work collaboratively and come let us reason one to another, as we see in the Old Testament, the function of a body that we learn about all the New Testament and that's why were talking out of today and theology Thursday collaborative theology, improving research within community.

Don't let that title scare you. What were really talking about is is you go to measure up what you believe to be true with what other people are saying what other learned people are saying and will just take one person's word for. That's why asked the question prior to the break. When I was wrestling through a something and in my reading this morning and I was in Luke chapter 4 in Micah of this means I will just go to a John MacArthur says and that's a settled deal. John MacArthur is a brilliant theologian have a lot of things figured out is not God and is not infallible.

So the word of God is infallible men that in women that that learn about the word of God. Some turnaround teach the word of God, they're not infallible. So we have to remember that and that's why collaboration is such an important thing in all areas of life and before over talk to Dr. Greg Sykes who's a professor. PG you seminary this was something Greg that that let me take it out of context or for second I was very and I think a lot of us Christians struggle with this.

I was very anti-counseling anti-Christian counseling on my head just become a better student of the word be more full of the Holy Spirit walk in faith walk closer to Jesus and everything a be fine, and where the word children, says he sleep you ever heard the phrase there's wisdom in a multitude of counselors and maybe you by yourself. Even with the Holy Spirit isn't enough because the only person in the Bible that I read that really handled isolation well perfectly. As a matter fact was Jesus himself. None of us handle isolation very well whether were out alone by her computer in the middle of the night or where you're working for the Bible so collaboration is such an important topic that's I'm so thrilled to have Greg with us today and again. Thanks Greg for taking the time problem so I was assigned to work. Go ahead, but I was just to say I think that you, you've got passages such as first rent is 11 we read this every time a comer in the Lord's table were where he Paul says if we judge ourselves, we would not be judged. In other words, is that there's an aspect of our Christian life.

We do need to study the Scriptures on her own and be sort of self-correcting and confessing to the Lord will be no sin, and in learning and growing individually. But then, then beyond that you mention Christian counseling. All that is is a kind of discipleship where where we cannot figure out how does the Scripture connect with this problem we go to somebody who's seen this problem several times. They they've been rehearsing how to take the Scripture they've seen it in other people's lives, and they've learned a thing or two about this particular need and how the Scripture connects with it. And then there's that aspect of accountability where not only do we say here is what the Scripture says and here's we need to do about it.

There's a follow-up. Are you really walking with the Lord. After that exactly where it comes down to right at the end that you we can have our heads full of knowledge about certain things, but the actual collaboration ought to lead us to walking in the spirit you and that's when the church body also cranks in and in and wheat we sort of police one another in that way for functioning the way the Lord intended to search the function so let's let's jump at a sacred cow here because I love doing. That's like a hobby for me. Should we should we approach even our own pastors. This way, Greg should we be like hey you know I don't be like a Marine little bit more numb in the testing to see if something strikes you is funny or maybe it's a little bit off. I'm not sure that should should we should we apply the standard Aro Pastorino I do not know how a lot of other pastors would respond to that. I have found over the years I pastor about 30 years in in the associate pastor and then quite a number of years as it is lead pastor and I invite that kind of thing. I've never had any person it in a congregation whose benefit of saved believer okay of a believer who does awards walk with the Lord is asking a question, just a challenge, and they want to trick you and that sort of thing that's usually evidence of lack of faith. Actually not genuine faith. And I invite that if a guy I remember as a young pastor of a young lead pastor getting a question by a member the Carnation and my answer was, you know what I don't know the answer that question.

I'll have to have to look at that and they were they just step back and they were amazing. They said you don't know something, and it wasn't because I try to come across as I know everything, but because they expected the pastor to say OEL you know is what will think it won't week survey can make a right. Really I feel like if we really are trying to learn the Scripture and grow. There's a confidence that we have that we don't have to know everything and we at least can know how to find out, and so I think if you have that kind of approachable spirit with people in in the congregation people in your church. Not only will that I think their respect grow up for you, but I think the respect for the process that we are all in together. Sure is sitting at the feet of God through the word trying to learn what his will is for and so I think it can be a very, very helpful things and he mentioned this earlier and by the way, the links are up for today's seminary viewpoints. The actual blog that our friends at PG you seminary right to goes along with the show but then there's a page that has all the different blog posts that we've done for months now Caleb and at this for a while and we started way back last year it was all it was like basically I think September October right so we have so many different articles in your fascinating topics to help you sharpen yourself as a theologian, listen it you that one of the theologians even just your garden variety Christian, every Christian's a theologian, you're either a decent one, a terrible one a really good one, but your theologian already. So this is a great way for you to come to sharpen your knife and the website is always the same for that. Okay seminary.BJ you.edu\radio seminary.PG you.edu\radio can't write that down. Just on my Facebook page later for the Steve Noble shall check out the Facebook live from today and you'll see it. I just posted again so you have access to that.

But great things to do there in in the in the world of seminarian and academics Greg like that you mention the 2022 SE. regional meeting of the Evangelical theological Society. This is honestly a big deal collaborative efforts and theology. But why because I know we have a couple things in the blog post today like it prepares writers for future evaluation and then the second point was writers can take the research further with input from experts. How does this operate in kind of your world and with ETS and what is ETS by the way. Sure, a lot. ETS is the Evangelical theological Society and quite a number of decades going way back into the 20 century where they come together different teachers and students were studying for their doctorate degree in even even students who are our demon students and active students. They come together for a time of collaboration reading papers listening to papers and so forth. And it's it's really the community that is out there all year long researching and publishing in journals and so forth.

Getting together for camaraderie it and it's it's really an important thing we haven't had that have we haven't had it in person is a co-because I hope yeah so it's it, a lot of people commented in my emailing you going back and forth people to get this set up that were looked really looking forward just to the fellowship. I know people who come to ETSU who don't really listen to a lot of papers, but they take a lot of time to catch up with other people, you know, they might've gone to school with them have had the students at school, but it's all in the effort of the fact that we are in this together were studying the word together were trying to learn truth together and it's really a wonderful time for the for the regional ETS. I think it's really important because a lot of students have the opportunity to read papers at the regional ETS. It week and on the national level. It's a lot harder to get your paper accepted, but in the regional level we try to accept most of the papers that we have yeah and there's about 2025 students actually reading some really good papers this this weekend and so their learning. The about the collaborative effort and the professors who are reading from other seminaries and their several seminaries in schools represented around the Southeast region. Professors from those schools are to be here reading there their publishing and doing things all the time it's good for them to because it's it's great to have a little checkpoint to say it. II submitted a paper idea. I gotta get that paper done it sort of drives you forward to finish that research get it out there so people can look at it you comment on it.

We try to leave time for Q&A you at the end of each set of each paper reading session so I really is a wonderful time to come together and enter practice together what we say were supposed to be doing all your law yeah got such a great point. So when something when an article comes out and I and I referenced covert stuff because we are looking at that for two years and is it peer-reviewed or not. What is that mean in the academic world when all of a sudden let's say Greg Dr. Greg Sykes writes paper and it comes down to gets published and its peer-reviewed. What's the process. What happened it it if it's in a peer-reviewed journal which were not all journals are truly peer-reviewed.

So you have to yet the checks the introduction there but it's purely peer-reviewed and I turn in an article and has something to do with you know an idea in New Testament studies while the editor or editors of that journal have different professors different schools whose expertise is in that area and they will send it to one or two of those and it's just sort of a given bill will participate in the process you by giving it a look over and they might say you know what this is just rehashing the same thing everybody knows of something new. You attributed you know so that you know all that got there I go back talk that I could rinse the back shell theology Thursday with our friends and seminary. BJ you.ED you write this done a steep slowdown is also like my dad okay the cilantro on the page that will show you all of the incredible resources that our friends at BG seminary have developed specifically for us to use on the show it happens the week of the show.

This is fresh, thought leadership, and that it also gets used in everything that BJ you seminaries doing so this is a great wealth of information. Since we started theology Thursday all the way back out of October of last year so it seminary.BJ you.edu\radio that's a melange on this page and it is Cialis information. You can read it different things going on for seminary as well as the University so that's kind of a gateway for you and we appreciate BJ you seminary set that up for us and that's just one kind of place where you can find all this information that we talk about week after week. Today were talking about the outcome of a collaborative effort as we move trying to have better theology in our lives whether you're theologian or writer in academic or just a regular Christian out there on the street and that's one of the dangers. For me personally were talking to Dr. Greg Sykes is a professor at BG seminary. This is something that it's because I live my life on the air 40 5 PM Monday through Friday. Greg, I live my life on the fly's live radio I'm not reading a script.

I'm having a conversation.

I'm I'm fairly well educated.

I'm not as well-educated as you are, but I'm more educated than the average bear, but I know that sometimes I can be wrong what I'm talking about a political issue scientific issue.

Even the theological issue and a and I tell people all the time, especially people that I'm closer to listen if you hear me and you think something's off base from a theological perspective of misrepresenting the Scripture somehow. Please tell me because I'm flying out a thousand miles an hour for an hour day working through conversations and stuff and I think we all don't we all need a little peer review in our lives. Yes I think that's true. I think that is as a believer walking with the Lord.

One of the first things you need to do is be interested in Scripture love the word and and when you're reading Scripture don't just read it and then keep going.

Look at it and follow the argument of the Scripture look at it really carefully ask yourself all the time. Okay I understand with the size and what does the author mean and you can figure that out by following the argument and then submit yourself to the word but then in your doing that you need to be in fellowship with other believers who are doing the same thing. And if you're going to begin making theological axioms like we know this is always true in Scripture God always does this or God is this way etc. we start making those those larger observations about the word which means that we've been drawing inferences from Scripture as we compared the culture to Scripture as we compare Scripture with Scripture. It starts getting a little more complicated and it is the most helpful thing to do to find other people who are drawing the same inferences and compare them. If it will sharpen what we are saying and sometimes will pick up ideas when their people were where we were we saying I didn't take that far enough. That's brilliant. I never thought about the implications that sometimes we were like oh I didn't think about the implications of that in every grace that downward to get a wrong path. So there's a corrective. There is an encouragement. There's an inspiration. You just can't divorce the life journey of trying to put truth out for people from the collaborative effort with other believers who are interested in the same thing.

I think it be dangerous to try to do it on your own you. You may get it right. A lot of the time.

You may also get it wrong a lot of the time and that's why God has given us each other.

Yeah, that's a great point. Should we.

I'm non-Christians over the years Gregor talking to Dr. Greg Sykes for is a professor BG seminary. I know Christians over the years that this is a sound ugly and I don't mean it's me this is not a qualitative statement. The quantitative statement they they they're just not that into a deeper theology that they have a pretty simple faith. They have a childlike faith like hey you ever think about the six days of creation or how old the earth is no, not really what you think about mankind says the earth is green a billion years old in Scripture say it's on the sixth a 10,000 years old. What about that yeah I mean I don't care I just believe the Bible says is wrong with that. It could, I could say yes and I could say no.

It just depends first of all, there are II would say no if you're if you're talking to somebody who says I love the Bible I'm trying to learn it and some people just get really confused and they surrogate weighted down if you start approaching them with a lot of theological layout and so forth. You and enter their living for the Lord there obeying him and so forth and and and that may be the grace that God has given to them. You also. However, I would draw the line. They if it's just on apathy, a lack of letter to his work were not driven by what we know were driven by what we love, and if there is is an answer that session.

I just want to know about this up because I just don't care enough about truth and truth is fundamental for everything we do in life that I would say no that that indicates a deeper spiritual issue. I would say and so well God is given different people, different levels of ability both in no just competency and sometimes just in time and resources.

Somebody said that to be a scholar. It takes a lot of leisure time. You have to have money, you have to have time in your hands because if you if you if you have to work every single day just to make a living to tell yourself those few minutes to study your knocking to get a lot of scholarship done and so there's a lot of things that that it takes to actually be in the larger conversation and God hasn't given everybody that ability.

If there's a desire to know God and to walk with him and to love him that I think that over time those ideas of Scripture are going to deepen and affect. You can find a believer is walking with the Lord for years may have only a high school education something like that, but their understanding of what God wants for them and what his word says and who God is, may have a profound level that is beyond a seminary student is already maybe graduated and haven't hasn't walk with the Lord that I and so I it's a complicated question to answer, but I would say I draw the line with there's apathy.

I think that that indicate something deeper going on the that we would want to see in somebody who's really wanting to grow in the Lord. Yeah, that's where we need to be willing to look in the mirror and in my David.

You'll search my heart Lord revealing meaning unclean and wicked thing in this case, my have to apathetic my apathetic about your word in my apathetic about your truth in my apathetic about your mission and what you're calling me to outside the road that went down driven by what we love what it's oftentimes you can look at your checkbook.

You can do this anymore.

You can look at your online balance. You can get how you spend your time. What you do with your free time that such a great point so should all of us and I and I know I'm speaking in absolutes. Greg should should most of us kind of be trying to steer our our our life stealer steer our vehicle if you will, into some oncoming traffic in terms of trying to go deeper trying to learn more. Should that be a purposeful part of our of our discipleship.

Well, I think that if you have a congregation of people who are really hungry to know the word and you have a shepherding teaching in the church and discipleship in the church that is deepening their understanding that that is exactly what you're going to have me with you. You look at the model of the New Testament where even Paul tells Timothy to find find other faithful men who can teach others also gathers a modelers and expectancy in the New Testament of an older, more experienced person.

Even women teaching younger women to there's there's an older model teaching younger as I an older person trying I got it model that's that's in Scripture. Okay so why would it why we got set up that way because he's expecting the younger to have a hunger for God's word for God's truth but need somebody to help him or her along the way to be able to know what the word says and how to obey it, and so forth.

And I think that there is going to be a deepening II don't think it can, it can be helped and we ought to have more of an appreciation you you look one cannot example, but you look at the Gospels, you've got Matthew Mark and Luke and then you have John and when you read about Christ in John you're getting so much more Christology.

You start out with in the beginning was the word while Matthew Markowitz never said anything like that you think about the fact that there are several decades more of the church, fleshing out who Jesus Christ was talking about it among themselves thinking about the theology and John is been living in leading and teaching in all of this and by the time he writes the gospel. I got so much more that he has figured out deeper, not necessarily because God just through ideas into is that because he's been interacting with the community of faith. I think that's really the dynamic, at least in part that's going on in the gospel of John. I think every believer's or recapitulates that in their lives if they are really eager to know truth and are willing to get under that truth when they see it and in the Scripture. Yes IE9 I one of the things it's been a huge blessing in my life is how much are you learning how much are you growing outside of that hour on Sunday and then your small group Bible study or you go back up to PSF on Monday night, or whatever. How much are you growing during the week and if all you're looking at all you're being fed is by 35 minute sermon on Sunday. You can't live the whole week just on one meal. You have to continually feed and and that's where huge blessing for me. Greg and one of the reasons I started the whole idea of theology Thursday years ago was because I knew that if I did something like this purposefully I be bringing Bible scholars on the air that could not only be a blessing to the people listening or watching, but would be a blessing to me as well so you kind of raise the average temperature by getting around people that are deeper and no more, and that you mention that I was in a mention it as well. Paul and Timothy, and Paul that he follow me like I follow Christ. Following Christ will follow me.

But as I follow Christ as follow me, so we should be around people that are maybe deeper thinkers than us and make sure you get stretch to make sure you're learning and that's a collaborative effort which ballpoint never talk about today. Dr. Greg Sykes, always great to have you on appeal say there will pray together after the shows over and Facebook and YouTube live but it's been great having you today my brother thank you so much very much you're very welcome. Okay, tomorrow for everybody. Sorry I'm in a pick my family over you to go see my daughters got a solo dance tomorrow happens to be in the bewitching hour for me between four 5 PM, some to play best of show. I don't know which one tomorrow. This all just kind of came up recently, but I'm a pick in the family every tomorrow so you should cheer me on, don't yell at the snowball and see Noblesville, God willing.

I talked again real soon and like my dad always used to say whatever form or another program powered by the Truth Network