How can I glorify God in the face of death? Remember, it's 1-833-843-2673. You can also spell that out on your phone, 833-THE-CORE. You can also post your question on one of our social media sites, and you're always welcome to email us your question at questions at corechristianity.com. First up today, let's go to Martin calling in from St. Louis, Missouri. Martin, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Yes, sir, Pastor. I love you so much. God bless you. God bless you too, Martin. Thanks. I appreciate that. It's not a question. It's kind of your thoughts on Catholicism and the Catholic Church.
Hey, thanks for giving us a call. My thoughts on the Roman Catholic Church. Well, I was actually brought up kind of nominally Roman Catholic. I never went through my confirmation in First Communion. I was originally baptized in the Roman Catholic Church. I remember going to mass as a little boy. You know, you show up, sort of felt cold and cavernous.
I didn't really understand what was going on. It wasn't until later when I was in high school that someone shared the gospel with me, and I came into an understanding of what Christianity was about. The fact that I was a sinner, the fact that I needed the grace of God, and the fact that that grace was found in Jesus Christ. Now, you'll hear that hopefully in the Roman Catholic Church, but I never did, at least the time that I spent there. As I continued to grow in my faith and my understanding of scripture, going through college and then in seminary, I think I came to realize more and more that I didn't and don't believe that the Roman Catholic Church teaches in line with what the scriptures teach. I'm a minister of the gospel, not in the Roman Catholic Church. There are a number of issues that I think, sort of developments that happened over time in the Roman Catholic Church that led the church further and further away from the faithful teaching of scripture. I think we need to get back to the Bible. This is actually what Martin the Protestant Reformation was all about, going back to the scriptures and letting God speak to us through the scriptures first and foremost, and submitting to their authority to what they say to us about God, about salvation, about the church, and about the authority of the church. I think that there are some significant issues in the Roman, theological issues in the Roman Catholic Church related to their understanding of the sacraments, those ordinances that Jesus gave to the church, their understanding of salvation, the doctrine of justification, repentance, the idea of penance, even the understanding of heaven.
You get things like purgatory and whatnot. That's my view. We're grateful that we have many people in Roman Catholic churches who listen to core Christianity.
I love... I mean, anybody who wants to dig into the scriptures, I'm down to do that. Let's go to the word of God. Ultimately, that's the primary authority for us as Christians.
Those are my thoughts. Just really quickly, Martin, and may the Lord bless you. Hey, Martin, thanks so much for your call and for being a regular listener here to Core Christianity. We do appreciate you and your question. If you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life, doctrine, theology, or what's going on in our world and how your Christian faith intersects with that, we would love to hear from you. Here's our phone number. That's 833-843-2673.
That's 833-THE-CORE. By the way, if you have kids or grandkids, we have a wonderful book available that will help them understand the richness of God's creation, particularly how he made each of us as human beings unique and special. Yeah, it's a beautiful book.
It's called Creative God, Colorful Us. It really gets into some important issues for us to talk about as Christians and for us to talk about with our children as well. Just earlier today, actually, someone in my church was asking me for good apologetic resources for our children, things that will help them understand the faith.
This is less about defending the faith, but it is about knowing the faith, knowing how God has made us, what he's done for us, and how God calls us to love each other with all the differences that we have. I want you to get a hold of this resource. It's called Creative God, Colorful Us by Trillia Newbell. You can get a hold of it over at COREChristianity.com for a donation of any amount. Really is a fantastic resource that will help parents and kids learn about how God created human beings.
It's called Creative God, Colorful Us by Trillia Newbell. You can find it by going to COREChristianity.com forward slash offers. That's COREChristianity.com forward slash offers.
We do receive emails here at the CORE. Adriel, this one comes from Carolyn. It's a difficult one, but I want to share this with you. She says, I have an incurable cancer and I would like to know how I can be sure that I will endure dying in a way that glorifies the Lord.
Well, sister, may the Lord be with you and bless you and grant you faith and perseverance in this time. This is the same thing that the apostle Paul wanted. He wanted to glorify the Lord with his life and even with his death. He says in Philippians chapter 1 verse 20, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body whether by life or by death. Then he goes on to say, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Now the reason he says to die is gain is because he knows I'm going to be in the presence of the Lord. I'm going to be in the presence of Jesus when I die.
That's the hope that you have, sister. The souls of believers are immediately, when we die, immediately made perfect in holiness. We're in the presence of the Lord worshiping God together with the angels around the throne of God. That doesn't mean that we should just say, oh man, I don't want to live anymore, that kind of a thing, but that there is a hope that we have that you have that's rooted in what Jesus has done for you. In the meantime, we want to be able to say, for me to live is Christ.
Now what does that look like? It looks like trusting in the Lord in the midst of whatever adversities we face, loving him and loving the people around him, clinging to him and knowing in a situation like this, sister, that the Lord himself is clinging to you, holding on to you. I think that's so important for you to understand in this time. I'm also reminded about the words of the apostle Paul, what he says in 2 Corinthians 4.
Listen closely to what he said there. Verse 7, we have this treasure in jars of clay to show the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed, always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our bodies. That's what we want, even through our suffering, even through your suffering, for the life of Christ to be manifested in and through you. For, he says, we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh so that death is at work in us but life in you, Paul says. Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, I believed and so I spoke, we also believe and so we also speak. Knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence, for it is all for your sake so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving to the glory of God.
Then he closes with these words, so we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day for this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. Sister, you continue to cling to the Lord, know that he's clinging to you and look to the things that are unseen and God is at work in you manifesting the life of Jesus by the grace of his spirit through your life. I would say continuing to trust in the Lord, to rest in the Lord, to cling to that hope that you have and in all things in the midst of your suffering to seek to please the Lord and to honor him and may God grant you strength, a sense of his presence and a sense of his love even as our outer selves are wasting away knowing that he is renewing you inwardly, that he is with you. God bless you, sister. Carolyn, we'll be praying for you and we actually have a resource that might be helpful to you or any of our listeners that are going through difficult times. It's called How Can God Use All Things for Good? You can find that by going to our website corechristianity.com forward slash free downloads.
Again, it's called How Can God Use All Things for Good? Let's go back to the phones. Ryan is on the line from St. Louis, Missouri. Ryan, what's your question for Pastor Adriel?
Yeah, I've got a dandy. I was listening to a Daystar ministry program recently and a minister by the name of Jesse Duplantis was showing a video of a sermon he'd given why humanity hasn't found the Garden of Eden yet. But here's what he said. He said that the Garden of Eden exists in a different dimension and that when Adam and Eve walked through the Garden of Eden, that the Garden of Eden moved along with them. I mean, the Bible specifically says in Hosea 4.6, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. And I don't understand why people believe that kind of heresy.
Well, Ethan, thank you for, excuse me, Ryan, thank you for that question. Really, I mean the question says, why is it that people believe these kinds of things? Well, the sad reality is there's just a lot of biblical literacy out there in the world, isn't there? And so people are looking to pastors to help them. And when you have false teachers out there and I don't have a high view of ministers like Jesse Duplantis and others who I think are peddling the Word of God in ways that are unfaithful for profit and for gain.
I mean, this is a serious issue. And so, brother, what I would say is, yeah, you're totally right. I mean, what was said there about the Garden of Eden was incorrect.
That's not true. There's no indication in scripture that the Garden of Eden followed Adam and Eve as they just sort of walked around. I think about what the Apostle Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 22, flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart, having nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies, you know that they breed quarrels and the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth. There are ministers out there who need to be corrected, who are not faithfully teaching the Word of God. Now, we ought to do that with wisdom, with gentleness, as Paul says there. But at the end of the day, we're talking about God's Word. And so part of the issue is many people out there who identify themselves as Christians are not studying the Word of God, are not in the Word of God, and so they're easily led astray. And a pastor comes along, someone who says they've studied and they've learned these things and they begin to teach weird theories about the Bible, and people just buy it hook, line, and sinker.
We need to be Berean brothers and sisters. That means we need to test the things that we hear on the basis of what the Bible teaches. And in order to do that, you need to know the Bible. And so this is a challenge for all of you, for all of us, to know the Scriptures, to draw near to God, through the Word of God, in seeking to gain understanding so that when we hear these kinds of things, Ryan, we won't be easily led astray. God bless you, brother. Hey, Ryan, thanks for your call and for being discerning and, as Adriel said, being a Berean and really searching God's Word when you hear stuff that's out there, and that's certainly one that would qualify. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez.
We'd love to hear from you. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life, our phone lines will be open for the next 10 minutes or so. Here's the number, 833-THE-CORE.
That's 1-833-843-2673. Got a message from Ethan, who's in Hamilton, Illinois. He passed this along. He said, Some people in my church are curious about the biblical definition for deacon qualifications. Particularly, is this a role just for males?
Hey, Ethan, thank you for that question. This is something that is debated. My view is that, yes, the deaconate is a role reserved for males, but I have a lot of friends and people that I respect who take a different view, so this is not one of the issues that I think we need to divide over. This is not one of those core Christian doctrines, if you will. One thing I'd do is I'd go to Acts 6, for example, where I think you have the institution of the deaconate. It says, In these days, when the disciples were increasing a number of complaint by the Hellenists who rose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution, and the Twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, It is not right that we should give up preaching the Word of God to serve tables. Your brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty, but we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the Word. It seems like the role of the elder, the office of the ministers, it's devoted to prayer and the ministry of the Word. I think that's key.
That's really important. Here, you have these individuals that were chosen to care for the physical needs of the church as those physical needs came to be. Here, in particular, in Acts 6, it's caring for widows in this daily distribution of food. Then, of course, you have the qualifications for deacons given in 1 Timothy 3, verse 8. Deacons, likewise, must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience and let them also be tested first. Then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own household well. For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus. Those are a couple of passages that I'd go to. I know with regard to that 1 Timothy 3 one, there's some questions there about the translation of their wives in verse 11. Could that be a reference to women who are serving as deacons? As I said, there's debate.
That's my view. Hopefully, that helps bring you some clarity. May the Lord bless you.
Ethan, thanks so much for your question. We appreciate that. This is Core Christianity. If you just joined us, we are offering a wonderful book today. It has to do with how God created us as human beings and the beautiful gift that he has given us. That is the fact that we're made in his image and that there's so much diversity and wonder in the human being. We would love to offer this book to you. It's called Creative God, Colorful Us. It's actually a book that parents and grandparents can read to their kids. You can find that for a gift of any amount by going to our website, corechristianity.com forward slash offers.
Again, look for Creative God, Colorful Us by Trillia Newbell. Let's go back to the phones. Greg is on the line from Wichita, Kansas. Greg, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? Yes, I have a divorce question. If you divorce and neither party committed adultery, is it possible to remarry and be in God's will? Greg, thank you for that question.
We're really cautious when we answer these kinds of questions on the air, especially because I know oftentimes they're so personal, so sensitive, and I don't know personally all of the circumstances related to the situation. Typically, we talk about two biblical rationales that are given for divorce, one being adultery, and Jesus talks about that in Matthew chapter 19. Where you do have adultery in the relationship, infidelity, then that is biblical grounds for divorce.
It doesn't mean that an individual has to get divorced, but there are grounds for divorce there. That individual who is sinned against could freely, with a clear conscience, go and get married. Another one that we sometimes go to in 1 Corinthians 7 is this idea of abandonment, where the apostle Paul talks about a believer who's married to a non-believer, and if the non-believer leaves, abandons the believer in the relationship, you're not bound to that person. You're free to be married only in the Lord, Paul goes on to say in 1 Corinthians.
Those are the two that we go to. I know as a pastor that when you get into issues of sin and difficulty in marriage and divorce, things are complex. Would someone who was divorced, there were no biblical grounds for divorce, could they later repent? One thing Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7, if two people are separated, instead of getting divorced, that kind of a thing, if there isn't an issue, they ought to be reconciled. One thing I think a couple could pursue is reconciliation, but down the line, could they potentially marry someone else? There are many couples like this who were married in churches today. Does that mean that they're cut off from the grace of God? No, I don't think so. I think that there can still be genuine repentance in those circumstances later on. Again, it's very complex.
Without knowing your situation, your story in depth, and the history there, I would be very cautious to give you any advice one way or another. Stick primarily with those two reasons that are given in the scriptures, and may the Lord give you wisdom, brother. Thank you, Greg, for calling. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adrian Sanchez. We always receive emails here in a daily basis, and you can email us with your question about the Bible or the Christian life at questions at corechristianity.com.
Nathaniel has this email question for you of Adriel. He says, What advice or guidance would you give someone who feels a calling to ministry of some kind? After attending a ministry conference, I feel I may be called to some sort of ministry, but I'm not sure what kind. The elders of my church are praying over this call, but I'm just looking for some additional guidance.
I think that the Lord over time guides us providentially. I know for me, when I first became a Christian, I felt a sense of call to some sort of ministry. I thought, well, maybe the Lord is calling me to be a missionary. But then over time, as I continued to pursue the Lord, to walk with the Lord, to be a faithful member of the church that I was at, I think more and more I had this desire to teach and preach the Word of God, and others in the church began to affirm that and say, Hey, we feel like you're gifted in this area.
We want to encourage you to pursue this as well. You have this sense of call internally, this feeling, this desire or aspiration towards ministry, towards serving the church as an elder, a pastor, an overseer. That's confirmed by others around you who are in your local church, who know you. They know your character. They know your gifts and how God is using those gifts, and they say, Hey, we agree with this. There are all sorts of things that we look to. We look to the circumstances, God's providence opening up opportunities for you to serve in certain ways, the people that God has placed in your life, giving you wisdom and advice and encouragement, your own personal sense of call, that desire that you have.
It sounds like you have that desire. Let that continue to grow. Over time, especially as you're serving in the local church, and I think that's key, a call to the ministry doesn't happen apart from the church.
This isn't just something on your own. It's as you're serving the body of Christ and growing together with the believers there and working with your pastor. I'd love to hear that they're praying for you about this.
Things will become clearer, I believe, and you'll have more of a sense of direction over time. Of course, you look at the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and in Titus 1. It's not just the calling that needs to be in place, and it sounds like that's what you're feeling out right now, but also the qualifications of character. Are you someone who walks with the Lord, who is humble, who is exhibiting the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Are you someone who is competent in the word of God?
There are a lot of people. I was talking about this earlier on the broadcast today, who say, I'm a pastor. I'm called to be a pastor, but then instead of rightly handling the word of God, they mishandle the word of God.
They say weird things about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden and all sorts of other things, as I was talking about earlier. Having that competency in the scriptures, being a student of the word of God, studying, as Paul said, to show yourself approved, a minister rightly dividing, handling the word of truth. Those are all the things that you're going to be wanting to think through, and may God give you wisdom. Remember the warning that James gives in James chapter 3 verse 1.
Let not many of you become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we'll receive a stricter judgment. It's such a wonderful thing when an individual feels called to the ministry. I hope that you do take that seriously and take God's word seriously.
It's the word of the true and living God, and it's the word through which we have eternal life, and so we want to be extra careful with it. Thanks for listening to CORE Christianity. To request your copy of today's special offer, visit us at corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu bar, or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833-The-CORE. When you contact us, please let us know how you've been encouraged by this program, and be sure to join us next time as we explore the truth of God's word together.
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