Where Does Patriotism Fit In the Christian Life?

Where does patriotism fit in the Christian life? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Well, hi, I'm Bill Meyer, along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. We'd love to hear from you and our phone lines are open right now for the next 25 minutes or so. Remember, it's 833-THE-CORE.

That's 1-833-843-2673. You can also post your question on one of our social media sites, and we have a YouTube channel. If you go on there right now, you can watch Adriel live in the studio, and you can always email us your question at questionsatcorechristianity.com. First up today, let's go to John in St. Louis, Missouri. John, what's your question for Adriel? Yeah, I want to ask you a question.

I appreciate your show, by the way. What does it mean in the last days where it says people will be seduced by deceiving spirits, and what form does that deceiving deception come through? Is it through, I don't know, like feminism?

What forms does the deceiving spirits come from? They'll probably say they'll deny marriages and other things that are contrary to God's word. And one more thing, when Jesus comes and returns, it says that he will be riding on a horse and that he will meet the world system, the Antichrist. How does that differ from when Jesus is going to reign on the earth for a thousand years?

Is that after that, or is that before? Hey, John, quite a few questions there. You're talking about just Revelation 19, I believe, right there, Jesus on the horse coming in judgment. You also brought up 1 Timothy 4, which says, In the latter days, many will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons. And then Paul, right when he mentions that, he says, Through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. It seems like the heresy there, the issue was a low view of creation and of the body, this sort of spirit-body dualism. And this was what came to be referred to in time as the heresy of Gnosticism, one of the early heresies that was plaguing the church that Christians addressed and needed to address. And so that seems to be what Paul is getting at in 1 Timothy 4, or at least something that was related to that. And then also you brought up this idea of Satan coming deceptively as an angel of light.

That language comes from 2 Corinthians 11, where Paul, speaking of the false apostles, if you will, he says, For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, so it is no surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Now, just getting to your two questions, what is this end times deception going to look like? Well, the spirit of the Antichrist is already at work in the world, we're told very clearly in 1 John, and the goal of Antichrist is to take our focus off of Jesus, off of his person, who he is, the eternal son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity. So let's confuse people with what the evil one wants to do. He wants us to confuse people about the identity of Jesus, his deity, his incarnation, and also confuse people about what he did for us, the sacrifice of Christ for us and for the forgiveness of our sins. So however the spirit of the Antichrist can do that, he'll do that today, and that's the deception. It's taking our eyes off of Christ, his person and work, and fixing our attention on anything else, really.

He's happy to fix our attention on anything else. And so I think that's what we have to watch out for, and the way we guard against that is by being filled with the spirit and letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly, to know Jesus as he's revealed himself in his word. And then with regard to Christ's coming in judgment, to judge the world, specifically at the time of the second coming, which we read about in places like 2 Thessalonians, that's after this period of rain, the rain that's described in Revelation chapter 20, which I take to be the present rain of Christ. We know, according to Paul, for example, in 1 Corinthians 15, that Jesus is right now reigning in the midst of his enemies, that he's ascended into heaven, that he's enthroned in a very real sense. I think you get this also in Acts chapter 2 and in other places in the New Testament. And so that's clear, and right now Jesus is reigning in the midst of his enemies, and we're looking forward to the day where he returns to judge the whole world. And so that scene in Revelation chapter 20, where it talks about the millennial reign of Christ, I think that's describing the church age, if you will, the time that we're currently in as Jesus reigns from heaven for this very long period of time, subduing his enemies and leading up to the second coming, the final judgment. And so thank you again, John, for all of those questions, and may God bless you as you continue to dig into the word.

In a way, just a follow-up question for you. You mentioned that passage about letting the word of Christ dwell in you richly. As you survey the church today, especially as a pastor, do you think that the average Christian in America right now is letting the word of Christ dwell richly in their hearts? Well, gosh, I think if we're painting with a broad brush, I would say, no, I don't think on average many of us are letting the word of Christ dwell richly in our hearts. And it's a great tragedy, and I think the evidence of that, there have been a number of studies done just pertaining to biblical literacy in the church today, and it's really clear that we aren't literate when it comes to the Scriptures, when it comes to basic theology, which I'm glad you asked, Bill, because it's another opportunity for us to plug the work that we're doing here. We want to help you be literate in the Scriptures, but to know those core doctrines of the Christian faith that are central to what we believe as Christians, and yet so often not understood by the majority of people who go to church today. So no, there's a lot of work to be done, and I think we have to continually go back to the Scriptures and back to the Gospel so that we can let it take deep root into our hearts and into our own lives.

That is so well said. By the way, if you believe in what Adriel just said, that's really the purpose, one of the purposes of this radio program, and if you are a regular listener and you believe in what we do and you feel like God might be prompting you to support core Christianity, we'd like to invite you to join a special group of people that we call our inner core. Yeah, this is a group of people that supports us with a monthly gift of $25 or more, a huge encouragement to me and I know to the rest of the team, and it's how we're able to continue to produce the content that we put together here, whether that's the broadcast that you hear every single day or the Bible studies that we print and some of the other resources that we have online.

A lot of resources that we give away, by the way, are just free. We want to help build you up in your faith, and so thank you for your support, especially those of you who have joined the inner core. Thank you so much for partnering with us, and if you've been blessed by the broadcast, would you consider joining the inner core, and we would love to have you join us. We'll send you, as a thank you, a copy of the book, Core Christianity, which is a resource that will help you be further grounded in those core doctrines that I was just talking about. Well, I'd love to see every Christian in America read the book Core Christianity.

I think we would have a huge revival. So, of course, the Holy Spirit's in charge of that. But man, oh, man, if you can get a copy of Core Christianity or if you can join our inner core, we'd love to have you do that. Just go to our website at corechristianity.com forward slash inner core to find out more about joining that special group of people. By the way, yesterday was our 1000th episode of Core Christianity.

It's pretty amazing that we have been doing this for that many years and that God is really blessed in such a tremendous way. We'd love to have you part of that group of people who believe so strongly in this ministry. Again, go to corechristianity.com forward slash inner core. Well, we do receive emails and you can email us anytime with your question about the doctrine, theology, Christian life, you name it. If you have doubts about the Christian faith, we'd be open to your questions as well. Here's our email. It's questions at corechristianity.com.

Here's an email from David Adriel. He says, I've heard you say that Christians should first and foremost remember their status as belonging to God's kingdom rather than to their nation. Most Christians I know agree with this, but does this mean Christians can't be patriotic or care about the status of their country? If you only think about yourself as a citizen of God's kingdom, you might become what some say is too heavenly minded for any earthly good.

I appreciate the question and thanks for the opportunity to clarify a little bit. No, I think we should totally be grateful for the many blessings that God gives to us. I think if you live in the United States like I do, you've been grateful for the blessings that the Lord has given to us here. Just wherever you are, in terms of being patriotic, no, there's nothing wrong with that.

Just like anything good, it can go bad places. I think that's where there have been warnings in the past or where we've sought to address issues. I think it's when you take the patriotism and you make it ultimate and you begin to deify, if you will, a particular nation of the world, a common nation of the world. There's only one holy nation, according to the New Testament, and that's the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the Christian nation on earth today scattered abroad throughout the whole world, but we're also part of the kingdoms of this world. That's a reality that we're told about in the New Testament. We should seek the good of the places where the Lord has us and participate in society and seek to do good to our neighbors and seek to engage with broader society in a way that is honoring to the Lord and respectful.

Ultimately, as I said, full of thanksgiving for the blessings that the Lord has given us wherever we are. The reality of our heavenly citizenship is something that we see throughout the New Testament. The text I often go to is Paul's words in Philippians 3 where he says in verse 20, this is in the context of warning against false teachers, he says in verse 20, our citizenship is in heaven. He's talking about the heavenly Jerusalem there.

That's home for us as believers. Our citizenship is in heaven and from heaven, from it, we await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. There's a lot of debate, unhelpful debate sometimes where we get into discussions about patriotism, about our heavenly citizenship, and people just assume, does that mean you're saying that I can't be proud on the 4th of July like many of us are going to be celebrating here coming up?

No, not at all. I think we can have, like I said, a high view of our heavenly citizenship. That's primary. As you said in your email, you know that you agree with that while also celebrating the good things that God gives us here, and certainly we should. One thing I'll say, you said if we're so focused on our heavenly citizenship, doesn't that mean we're going to be neglecting this world around us?

I think it could. That's a danger, but not if we're doing it the right way. I think the more heavenly minded we are, actually the better we engage with society, civil society even.

C.S. Lewis has this wonderful line in the book Mere Christianity. This is what he says.

I just want to read it. He says, A continual looking forward to the eternal world is not, as some modern people think, a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The apostles themselves who set on foot the conversion of the Roman empire, the great men who built up the middle ages, the English evangelicals who abolished the slave trade, all left their mark on earth precisely because their minds were occupied with heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in.

Aim at earth and you will get neither, Lewis said. Again, that's a quote from his book Mere Christianity. I think the more we're focused on our heavenly citizenship and the more we understand it, the more we'll be better citizens of the United States or wherever it is that we live. Thank you again for that question. God bless your 4th of July celebration. That quote just reminds me again to commend all of our listeners to read Mere Christianity by C.S.

Lewis. It can be a little bit daunting at times because of his British language, but man, it is such a powerful book, and I'm so glad you shared that passage. Please even go to the library and get a copy of Mere Christianity and tackle it maybe this summer. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Our phone lines are open right now.

If you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life, maybe how your Christian walk intersects with what's happening in today's culture, we're open to any questions. 833-THE-CORE. That's 1-833-843-2673. We'll be taking calls for the next eight minutes or so. So jump on the phone right now. Let's go to Brandon in Nashville, Tennessee. Brandon, what's your question for Pastor Adriel?

Hey guys, thank you for taking my call. So I know Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are all very similar in those or similar books. So I have a kind of a challenge. If you can give movie title names to differentiate the four, what would they be?

I love challenges on the air, Brandon, and I love movies too. So this is a fun one. So movie title names for the four Gospels. I guess if we're thinking about the Gospel of Matthew and Matthew giving us a picture of Israel's Messiah, maybe the Gospel of Matthew could be titled, you know, Jesus the Messiah or something like that. The King has come. The King has come. There you go. I mean, Bill, you're way better with the movie titles. There you go.

Bill's going to help me out with this. The King has come, right? The Messiah has come. And throughout the Gospel of Matthew, you have so many references to the Old Testament proving that Jesus is indeed the anointed one, the Messiah. Mark's Gospel, what's so interesting about Mark's Gospel is the shortest of the Gospels, it's also very fast-paced.

Things are happening immediately, one after the other. And so it seems like it's action-packed. Maybe we could say that Mark's Gospel was the action movie, if you will.

For sure. And the focus there being Jesus as the Son of God. And so, I don't know, Bill, what do you think? Son of God, fast-paced, some action. What do you say? Keeping up with the Son. I don't know.

Sorry, Brandon. That's a challenge. Luke, let's say Luke is a historical record. One of the things I love about Luke's Gospel is just how it begins because Luke starts off by basically saying, Look, here's what I'm doing. Verse 1, inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. Sort of like an investigative documentary. Maybe that's the movie that Luke has for us.

That's what he says. I'm laying this out for you, this orderly account of what we've seen, because I want you to be certain of the Gospel, of who Jesus is and what he's done. Let's say, certainty in Christ.

I don't know if that could be the title. And then for the Gospel of John, you get to the end of the Gospel and he says very clearly, I'm writing these things so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ. It's this argument, if you will, throughout the Gospel, an evangelistic argument throughout the Gospel that wants you, the individual reading the book, to believe.

And so it's very persuasive. It's giving evidence, signs, various signs throughout the ministry of Jesus that are compelling to believe in who he is. So again, I think I would say Jesus the Lord or something like that, because especially in the Gospel of John, you have that focus on the deity of Christ, on him being the uncreated one, the one who made all things.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And so that gives you a snapshot of some of the differences. Sorry, because those movie titles aren't that good. Bill, it's your fault. I didn't think that the ones you suggested were that great. No, wait a minute. I only suggested the Matthew one. Excuse me. I did have one for Luke, because remember he was a doctor?

Okay. So you could call it The Doctor's Diary. Well, it's kind of like a narrative.

Bill, I'm with it. The Doctor's Diary. So that's, I don't know how many people will watch that movie, but I'm okay with that. So Brandon, hopefully you can come up with some better titles than we did, and that information will help you with those titles. Appreciate your challenge and your question. God bless. Great. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adrielle Sanchez. Let's go back to the phones.

Corrina is on the line from St. Louis, Missouri. Corrina, what's your question for Adrielle? Yes, I do.

Good afternoon and thank you for taking my call. I am a Bible believing Christian and I believe it to be the true word of God in all sense. And my children have been raised likewise and I have a conflict and I don't know how to interpret it. And worst of all, I don't know how to explain to my children when they ask me about it. We drive around town and we see all these different churches with gay banners and displays and colors and, you know, all that stuff with signs saying, oh, we believe we're all God's children and everybody's welcome here and all this. And so how do I explain that to my kids? Because I'm teaching them love the sinner, hate the sin. And I tell them we should not hate gay people. We should love, embrace them, and pray for them. But how do I explain to them what these churches are doing? Hey, Karina, thank you for that question.

An important one, and I love that you're wanting to talk to your kids about this. I think it's really important that from a young age we're able to help our kids discern between good churches, you know, the kinds of churches that are faithful to the word of God, and churches that might have buildings and call themselves churches but reject, you know, the teaching of the Christian faith, the ethics of the Christian faith. And there are many churches that have done that.

And you know what, Karina? That's something that's been happening since the days of the apostles. This Sunday I'm preaching on Jesus' letter to the church in Thyatira. And he says to them, I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first, but I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. In other words, you have somebody in the church, Jesus says, who's saying it's okay to practice sexual immorality, who's letting the ideologies of the broader pagan culture take over and infiltrate the church so that the church is beginning to do things that are compromised, compromising the truth. And so I think one thing that we can say to our kids is, look, this is a real issue that has been around since the days of the apostles, and Jesus calls churches to repent, to be faithful to his word, to what he says in his law about that which is good and right, and to reject those things that the Bible says we're not to celebrate. Anything that leads people astray, that holds them captive to sin, bondage, those aren't things that we rejoice in or celebrate or put banners on our churches for.

So in one sense, I think that they're waving a flag to say, hey, we're okay with this. We're inviting you to come here, and we're not going to call you to repentance. We're not going to call you to repent of your sin. We're probably not even going to refer to these things as sin. In that sense, I think they're doing just what the false prophetess Jezebel did that Jesus is speaking about here, teaching the servants of God to commit sexual immorality. Again, this is something that Christ rejects.

I think it's something that we should reject, and I think it's so important for us as Christians in the world today, in the church today, to hold fast to the truth of God's word. But I really also appreciate, Karina, that you recognize that we're called to love all people. Loving all people, and this is the other part of the conversation, doesn't mean affirming everything that they do. We're just saying, yeah, whatever you want to do is fine. I mean, as you raise your kids, you know this. There are things that our children want that we say, no, you can't just have this right now.

This is not the best thing for you. Loving all people means being honest and truthful and ultimately speaking the truth in love. And so I would say it's having those two things together. It's a firm conviction in the truth of God's word and loving those people that God calls us to love so that they might experience the grace and forgiveness of Jesus just as we have. Thank you so much for your question. Thank you.