Matt Slick Live

The following program is recorded content created by the Truth Network. It's Matt Slick live. Matt is the founder and president of the Christian Apologetics Research Ministry, found online at KARM.org. When you have questions about Bible doctrines, turn to Matt Slick live. Francis.

Taking your calls and responding to your questions at 877-207-2276. Here's Matt Slick. All right. Welcome to the show. Hey, it's a nice day today.

It's, uh, let's see, March 5th, 2025. If you want to give me a call, it's easy. 877-207-2276. You can also give me an email. That's easy to do as well.

Just send it to info at KARM.org, C-A-R-M dot O-R-G, info at KARM.org and put a subject line rate of comment or rate of question, something like that. And we can get to them when it gets slow. Now, last night, uh, I watched the full two hours, full two hours of, uh, of president, um, uh, Trump doing his, his thing. And, uh, you know, they need a ball cap. You know, they had to make America great again, make politics interesting again.

And it's happened. Uh, politics is now interesting. When I used to watch a little bit of politics, I'd yell at TV, cause these liberals, these liberal Democrats, just destroying morality, the truth of God's word, uh, just promoting ungodliness. And it essentially is the evil. Uh, you know, it's so good to see, I don't agree with everything about Trump, but you know, uh, it's just good to see that, uh, that some good things are happening.

And man, I was sitting there rejoicing and, uh, clapping and stuff like that. Something you do at a sports event. I don't watch sports. I don't watch sports to me. They're just boring. So, uh, but this, this was interesting.

It's good stuff. And I know maybe a lot of you don't like him. I don't care. You don't like them don't like them.

But, uh, uh, I think it's going well and I just, you know, I'm, uh, worried about them trying to kill them again because, uh, the left has promoted a violence, uh, against them and take to the streets, do what you got to do. You know, the letter, it just, the diaper Indian wackos. I do not understand seriously how any Christian could be a Democrat, a real Christian. How could a real Christian be a real Democrat? Seriously, the democratic party is a party that promoted slavery. The Jim Crow laws, it promotes socialism. It promotes, um, LGBTQ, uh, L M N O P and all of that stuff.

It promotes, uh, ungodliness, the killing of the unborn. How could any Christian, uh, be a Democrat? Seriously, if you're a Christian and you're a Democrat and you like Democrat, this, a Democrat, that, and you call yourself a Christian, don't call yourself a Christian. The democratic party stands for evil against the scriptures.

So, uh, in my opinion, the democratic party is similar to a, an American terrorist organization or not terrorists, you know, per se, but they behave in a manner that is consistent with the destruction of our country. They want incredible debt. They want to dumbify the schools, stupidify the schools. They want the, uh, the unbelievable unborn killed. And they, uh, they censor people in free speech.

This is all just, how can anybody hold to that? And last night, watching the Dem Diaparinians hold up their little signs and not clap, they wouldn't even clap for the good stuff. The stuff that, how can you not clap for, for the good things, you know, finding a corruption in different areas and saving billions and billions and billions of dollars. We're not going to clap for that man and stuff. You know, they show their true colors and it's dismal, dank, moldy. It's bad. There you go. That's what I think. I wish they'd have me on there. I'd say a lot of stuff like this.

I'd say Democrats. Oh, let's get to Jermaine from California. I mean, California Jermaine. Welcome. You're on the air. Oh, hi, man. How's it going today? Oh, it's going, I'm hanging in here, man.

What do you got? Well, yeah, just today. Wanted to ask about Hosea and I know you're familiar how a lot of people can use, I think it's verse six, chapter four, verse six, um, about people perishing for a lack of knowledge. I, I find that that quote kind of gets turned into a multi-use verse and people kind of twist it to say what they want.

But, um, a cousin of mine who, who has a heart, but I don't think he's accurate. He, he seems to think that God will somehow punish our children. If, uh, say someone took yoga and I understand yoga to be something that I don't take a lot of believers should participate in, but I don't know about punishing your children.

You know, cause it seems more like a generational curse teaching. So I was kind of wanting to hear you break that down a little bit. Well, I'm not exactly sure. Um, but it's coincidentally, it's really interesting that you mentioned yoga. Uh, when I went to NRB national religious broadcasting network, it was there last week in Dallas, Texas.

It was there for a couple of days. And Charlie, uh, and I were there and, uh, also Dave. And, um, you know, we kind of went our own ways with looking around at different booths and things like that. And I ended up talking to an SDA guy and I was telling him, uh, just politely trying to witness to him because, uh, you know, SDA is bad. And this woman heard me talking and paid it. She goes, she stopped and just listened. I could tell she's listening. When I was done talking to the SDA guy, she and I got talking, she has a doctorate in, uh, uh, in theology or something. She wrote a book about yoga and I'm going to get her on the air. We're going to do some, some, uh, nice arrangements of some things. And, uh, she was talking about how bad yoga was and how it's infiltrated so many areas and it actually alters your brain chemistry and you become liberal and there's liberal and there's secular studies that show it.

It's really interesting that you mentioned that I'm going to get her on some time and we'll talk. But, um, okay. So, but anyway, back to, to, uh, I, uh, Hosea four, six. So, uh, the, uh, it refers, I believe that, you know, for lack of knowledge on what God has said, what his law is, what the knowledge of truth is because they've rejected him and they're priests.

Uh, they were neglecting to do their proper jobs as well. So I think that's what's going on and that's how we should understand it. Okay. Okay.

That's actually my understanding. But then, um, he, of course, he, uh, bled over into us needing to follow the 10 commandments and I went ahead and broke it off there. So we'll, we'll continue later. But I, I, um, don't believe we're held to the legalistic aspects of it, but wouldn't that be more of you morally following the 10 commandments? Well, when someone says they got to follow the 10 commandments, what's the reason? Uh, generally people who say this kind of thing don't have a very good understanding of biblical theology.

So let me help out. Okay. We are not supposed to follow the 10 commandments in order to be saved. We cannot follow the 10 commandments to do anything before God that then makes us right with God or keeps us right with God or keeps us saved. It's just impossible. So if he, your friend is saying, he keeps the 10 commandments simply because you love God.

Okay. As long as he's not saying in order to please God and stay saved and whatever. So that's that. But we have done, excuse me, we've died to the law. Romans six, six, Romans six, eight, Colossians three, three. We have died to the law and Romans seven, one through four, particularly those who died with Christ, we are free from the requirements of the law. So we're not obligated to follow any law.

We're not. Except what Jesus says, love God, love your neighbor. So if you love God and love your neighbor, then you're going to accidentally do the other stuff. But we love God because we're already saved. We love our neighbor because we're already saved.

We don't add those works to the blood of Christ in order to become saved or stay saved. Okay. All right. Sounds good. All right. Good, good, good, good. Write your name. Anything else? Um, well, he's a relative, so I guess I'll make a joke about Old Testament stoning if he didn't follow the 10 commandments properly.

So I'll, uh, I'll let you know how it saves goes and hopefully we'll turn back to more. Yeah. Cause you know, if they carried too many sticks on the Sabbath, they could be stoned. So that's a good point.

That's right. Are you working on the Sabbath about a stone? You know, sorry. You know, come on over.

I got some stones I got from, uh, you know, the hardware store and that went around, so it won't hurt as much and we'll stone you. Just come on. Yeah.

I got a couple of big ones for the finish off. You know? So there you go.

Yeah. All right. Talk to you tomorrow, man. All right. Sounds good, buddy. God bless. All right. That was germane. And if you want to give me a call, it is easy.

Um, eight seven seven two zero seven two two seven six. Okay. So that was on a lack of knowledge being destroyed. Now we don't have any waiting right now. Now, you know, um, when I talk about politics and stuff like that, uh, you know, I know what a lot of people get upset with me. I don't care.

Really. I don't. I don't care. Uh, what I care about is pleasing my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. And, uh, we need as Christians, we need to follow the Lord Jesus, not your ideas of what you think he wants, not your church and it's women pastors and women elders and it's contemporary DEI woke stuff. We're not, that's not our obligation.

Our obligation is to follow what the Lord Jesus Christ says. You don't judge people based on their color and their skin or their gender. Uh, God made male and female.

He didn't make them kind of transy, whatever. And the alphabet mob is going to dictate morality to us. As a Christian, you're supposed to, you're, you are obligated to follow God, what he said. So do you treat everybody with respect because they're made in the image of God. You treat everybody equitably with honor, with truth. You don't lie to them. You don't take advantage of, excuse me, advantage of them. You don't harm them.

That's what it is. Now people will say, well, if you don't call me by they, them, it'll harm me. You know, that's, you know, you can live in your own deception. You're not going to have me require me to participate in your deception because it's a greater harmony. You're going to put upon yourself and the promotion of your sin. I'm not going to enjoy that. I'm not going to participate in it.

I'm not going to encourage it. So we Christians are obligated to follow what God says about what man says and not what a guy on the radio named slick says either you're obligated to follow the word of God. Now I hope you're studying it. I hope you're going to a church that is promoting the truth of who Christ is and that, uh, he is Jesus Christ. God in flesh died in the cross, rose from the dead. You are obligated to follow him.

You are obligated to live your life for him. He purchased us with his blood. Acts 20, 28 he is the one who did this and we are, are his, we are the holy ones, the Haggioi. We are the holy ones by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ because Jesus cleanses of our sins and you can go to John first, John one, six, seven, eight, nine. Go read those verses are great verses. He is the one who gives us the righteousness by faith. This is flipping three, nine, uh, yeah, flipping three, nine and flippings one 29.

So he does this. He grants his faith and he grants that we have the righteousness of God, which are received by faith. Romans three 28 Romans four, five, Romans five, one. So it's really interesting that, uh, there's so many Christians don't take the word of God seriously. And I was on an interview someplace not too long ago where someone asked me, what's the number one reason you think the Christian church isn't doing as well as it should be. And I said, they're not believing the word of God. That's it. If you trust the word of God, you believe the word of God, then you're going to behave according to what you believe.

That's the issue. If you believe something is true, you behave accordingly. You don't behave according to what you don't believe you behave according to what you do believe. So if you believe the word of God in truth down deep, then that's how you're going to behave. So if you're out there and you claim to be a Christian and you're living in sin, you're living with your partner and you're not married, you're having relations, you're, uh, going to a church with a woman pastor and elder, you're going to the east north of the doctor, the Roman Catholic church.

Uh, you should, you know, all these things are bad. You need to, to, uh, study the word of God. You need to believe what the word of God says. And if you really believe it, you'll act on it. If you don't really believe it, you won't act on it. And what, if you say one thing and do another, if you say you believe the word of God, you don't act according to the word of God, then you're a hypocrite. And we know that those who are hypocrites are cast out. So you need to make sure that you're right before God by faith, trusting Jesus Christ alone, and then you live for the Lord Jesus Christ. It doesn't mean you're going to be perfect. Trust me.

I know what that, I don't know about that. Not to be perfect, but you're supposed to live and you're supposed to seek his will, his face, his, uh, his knowledge and his scripture. So, uh, we'll be right back after these messages. Please stay tuned. Live taking your calls at 877-207-2276.

Here's Matt Slick. Everybody welcome to the show. Welcome back. If you want to give me a call, it's easy. 877-207-2276.

Let's get to Reese from Charlotte, North Carolina. Welcome. Hello. Uh, can you hear me? Okay. Yes I can. Yeah, sure. No problem.

What do you got? Okay. So my particular, uh, kind of topic and question was, I mean, I know you were talking about the stuff that Trump did, um, recently and, you know, kind of giving some commentary on that, but I really don't like think a lot of that was, um, I mean, justified. I really, to me, the, the big red flag that I saw was the tariffs towards, um, Canada. And, you know, as, as somebody who is, and I, I know you're evangelical, I'm Catholic, but it, you know, I do think there's common ground in that. I, I just don't think something like that is justified, you know, really punish, you know, our neighbor that we've been, you know, peaceful with since like 1814.

And, you know, haven't had really any complications with just going out there and attacking them, you know, and they're also a Christian, you know, majority nation, and they share so much in common with us. And I've just seen a huge backlash online and it just seems like it's a completely unjustified, you know, I mean, Mexico, I understand. There's just there, but Canada, I mean, just that, that came out of nowhere plus the annexation comments and stuff. I mean, I, I find no justification for it. And my opinion of, you know, all that has just completely cropped off.

So. Have you researched what the reasons are that he's doing that to Canada? Well, I understand it's, it's an economic reason, but I mean, we have NAFTA or the, uh, equivalent to it, right.

For a reason. So, I mean, he says there's trade imbalances and the tariff imbalances and things like that. And Canada has taken great advantage of America. The liberals, uh, liberals have just given, uh, given so much away to people and to other, I personally think they're giving getting kickbacks.

Uh, the reason I say that is because when the Democrats, excuse me, uh, politicians on both sides, they go into office or making $200,000 a year, they come out millionaires. Something's going on. That's that's behind.

The scenes is bad. So, uh, there's trade imbalances and tariff imbalances that are, that are between our countries. And I suspect that a lot of politicians are getting kickbacks.

I can't prove that, but that just, that's one of the things. Another thing is the illegal immigration and the drug trafficking, uh, illegal immigration that, uh, Canada allowed to occur. People are coming in from different countries coming in through the, through the Canadian border down in the United States. And Canada wasn't doing hardly anything to stop it. And also the drug trafficking, the same thing. And Canada really wasn't doing much.

So, uh, Trump's had enough of this. And that's why the tariffs and that's it put an economic strain on them to get them to do their job. I mean, I think that could have been better achieved with, you know, some, some, uh, kind of meeting because I mean, I especially equating that to what Mexico had because Mexico, I would say seriously, you know, deeply affecting us far worse than, you know, Canada and the topic, the percentage of the drugs and the, and the percentage of the immigration and they're given the same, the same tariff.

Well, you're going to give you a, or ask a question. So you agree with the tariffs on Mexico, but not Canada. Is that what your position is? Well, I think, I don't know about agree with, but I think, I think it's at least somewhat justifiable in that case rather than Canada.

The reason the tariffs are, we could say are the same for both in that the tariffs were on inequitable. They're taking advantage of our economy and privilege to be in our economy and allowing, uh, illegals and drugs to come into the borders. So I think Trump ought to squeeze them personally, squeeze them, make them do what they're supposed to do as a proper country. You don't, don't let this happen. That's it.

Squeeze them. And when they, uh, well, let me, let me back up and say something here. I saw an interview with someone that I've only saw it once. And this woman said she'd worked with Trump for years and years and years. And she knew something about him that most people didn't ever pick up on. She says, he's a genius at going into a room with people and know and figuring out their weaknesses and using them that he, that's why he can, he's such a rich man. He knows how to make deals. He knows where their weaknesses are. He knows how to use it to his advantage.

Now right or wrong. That's what he's able to do. And if he's in the power of the United States and he can raise tariffs just by the stroke of his pen, then he knows the weakness of Canada in her socialistic structure, which are already having inflation and all kinds of problems. So he's no certain their problems.

He's saying, get the border taken care of, stop the drugs coming through. Let's get the tariffs equitable. I have no problem with that. Same thing with Mexico. Same thing with any country. I have no problem with that.

Do you? I think I have more of a problem with them doing it to Canada because there's, there's so little of an issue comparably. I mean, and I know you explained that it's, you know, an equitable, I guess, tariff, but I mean, there's this, um, it seems out of left field for me, just considering the scale difference between them. And also, you know, on top of that, um, the different, you know, comments he made, and I know it's partially unrelated, partially related, but I mean, annexation, I mean, that's a pretty serious, you know, even if he was, let's just say he, he was joking. I mean, they definitely took it seriously.

And I, you know, I, I love to visit Canada and I want to do a working holiday up there and I, you know, I'm, I don't want, I don't want to go up there and be, you know, damaged, viewed as, as somebody, you know, hostile to their nation. I mean. Yeah. He, he, he's, I just believe he's playing with them. He's keeping them, he's keeping them off balance.

They're not sure what to think. And I, and it's a, you notice what he's done. Uh, he's gone in swinging. He just came in. I mean, things are happening. The world doesn't know what to do.

They're backing up. I mean, even before he got into office, there were already improvements economically in different countries and releasing, uh, hostages, releasing, uh, issues. Well, you know, all kinds of good stuff were happening. I just think he's a, he's smart.

That's what I think. I don't agree with everything. I'm not a Republican, but, uh, I certainly enjoy seeing America not be taken advantage of again. It's, I've been so upset with a group of Southern California and I would see the illegals coming across the border all the time and nothing was ever done about it. It was ridiculous all the time. I had to learn to speak Spanish in order to get around and do stuff. It's part of my jobs, which is ridiculous.

And I worked at a hospital registering patients in Spanish and majority of them were, were illegals. They could tell me to ask questions. You could, you know, I'm not, you know, I don't blame them for trying to want a better life.

I get that. But the thing is it, the liberals, they, they destroy our country and then they take these liberal policies and they get other countries to help destroy us. I mean, look at it. Our schools, our schools are horrible. The most money of any country in the world is spent on per students and we're what, 50, 60, something like that.

As far as competence goes, it's, it's, it's insane. The national debt is just going up and up. It'll collapse our economy. It'll collapse our country.

This is the kind of stuff you do. If you want to destroy a country, you do these kinds of things. You let the borders be open. You make it so that other people come in, don't have to speak our language. You give them citizenship rights when they don't deserve it. And the people come in legally, they're the ones who are punished. Our veterans are the ones who are sitting on the streets who don't get the proper care that they need from the trauma that they've suffered in war and difficulties.

And yet the illegals, they get phones and they get hotels and they get everything else. It's insane. It's insane. And Trump's stopping it.

I'm glad he is. Here's a break. Okay, buddy. Talk to you later. All right. Thank you.

Sure. I've always yelled at the TV for years. Now I'm clapping at the TV like it or not.

That's my position. We'll be right back after these messages. It's Matt Slick live, taking your calls at 877-207-2276.

Here's Matt Slick. Everybody welcome back to the show. If you want to give me a call, it is easy.

All you have to do is dial 877-207-2276. Let's get to Chuck from Ohio. Chuck, welcome. You're on the air.

Hi Matt. I'm trying to, I keep going over this trying to understand if I'm in the Lord's will or if I just really missed it completely. Um, I, I've been going to a KJO church that it's nearby where I live. Um, my wife and I are in our seventies. Uh, we moved close to our youngest daughter from another town and left my church there. And the reason I got started going here, it was during COVID in 2020 as close to home.

They had a lot of services and I could go up in the balcony and wear a mask. And, you know, my wife's got a COPD. She, uh, we discovered through her doctor and she had cancer and she's been treated for that and she's doing well on that. They've cleared her, but she still has COPD.

That's not going to go away. She doesn't go out. So I've been, I have to go get her meals and I have to do, you know, a lot of things. What's your question? What's your, what do you say? I'm a caregiver and the church that I'm going to, uh, the pastor's bivocational and they're really, uh, they're really active in, uh, church planning and missions and they preach the gospel, but they don't have any officers in the church and they, there's basically, uh, not much, uh, you have a question, not much help.

Yeah. What does an older person do in a case like that? Do they, do they just kind of, uh, try to do the best they can to, to, uh, help you some questions. Let me ask you some questions. How many, how many people are in the congregation? Rough, rough estimate. Uh, well, roughly on a good Sunday, over a hundred. Okay.

So a hundred people, roughly. Okay. Good Sunday. Which means that, uh, if there's a single pastor, they should also have at least one elder, probably two elders out of that proportion. All right.

This is not, uh, there's no mathematical necessity in scripture, but generally speaking, um, that that's perfectly normal. Okay. So are you saying they don't have any elders?

Not, I haven't been able to, no, I've asked several of the older Christians that I thought would be elders and they don't know anyone that is an elder. Okay. Are there any deacons? No.

Okay. So you, why don't you go to the church, pastor, pastor, and ask, do you have any elders? Do you have any deacons? And if he says, no, ask why? Just ask. And what's the reason? It needs to be a biblical reason, you know, something like, well, we're new and we're working on having two guys or a guy that we're trying to work with to develop, to get him to become an elder.

That's okay. You know, uh, a deacon, uh, likewise must be a man of one woman has to be male according to the scriptures. So, uh, ask, have deacons, because the deacons are the ones who are going to have to help you. That's one of their jobs in the church is to take care of the people in the congregation and their varying needs. The main responsibility of the pastor is to preach and teach and equip the body of Christ for the work of ministry. The elder, excuse me, the deacons, they do the work of service and they administer certain things that the church possesses in order to help the people in the congregation with varying needs that they might have.

Like, uh, you know, paying for car repair or food or rent, if need be, or visitations, not that the elders can't do it, but of course, uh, these kinds of things. So, uh, you need to ask about that and find out. Well, generally speaking, one thing, generally speaking a King James only church obviously has to do with the thinking of King James only church oftentimes are legalistic.

I'm not saying this one is, I'm just saying that a lot of times they are legalistic and we need to be aware of that. That's all. Okay.

Yeah. One, one thing that I had asked about, um, calling, you know, I had asked the pastor about and James about calling for the elders of the church, uh, to pray over, uh, over the sick. And, um, he was, you know, he met me at the church.

This was for myself. And he met me at the church and he was the only one there. And the pastor. Yes.

Okay. So the pastor by definition is an elder out of first Timothy five 17. So if your wife is really homebound, then you ask him to come over and anoint her with the oil and pray over her. He should do that. This is a good reason not to, but he should do it.

It's one of his responsibilities. Okay. Even if he's the only one that is an elder. Yes.

And you don't need to have a kid. It doesn't have to be only elders. You can have other people, men and women come in, anoint your wife and pray over her, lay hands on her. We are, we have what's called the priesthood of the, of all believers. We have the priesthood of all believers. I don't know if you're familiar with that.

Yeah. She looked in first Peter two nine, but you were a chosen race, a Royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of the darkness and a marvelous light. First Peter two nine. Now the idea here, the Roman, the priesthood is not like a priest, like the old Testament style, but what it means is we're saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, by the sacrifice of Christ. And we have his, uh, his spirit upon us and within us. And as those who are called, we have that right and the ability to be able to intercede for others and go over people's houses, lay hands on them and pray for them. It, you know, the Bible says, ask the elders to do that.

And he's an elder. You should ask them, but you can also ask other people to do it as well. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. It makes it tough because there's no, um, there's no directory or there's no bulletins or anything.

It's just really loose knit. And I, it is because you almost have to, you almost have to go up and tackle people. Well, um, I can't tell you to stay in the church, leave the church. Uh, you, you know, you have to assess if it's good or not for what you, you think God wants with, uh, for you there, but it's up to you. And as far as that church's requirements go, uh, there's, there should be enough people there to have at least another elder and, or a deacon and have someone who does this kind of stuff.

And you can ask people to come over and pray for your wife. There's nothing wrong with that. Okay.

Yeah. And would you, would you consider that maybe the, the reason why I feel like the Lord wants me there is because someone needs to talk to the pastor about that? Well, I don't know if God specifically wants you there for that reason then.

Okay. But I don't know. I mean, I don't know if you're hearing from the Lord or not.

I mean, I'm not saying you are or aren't, it's just, I don't know. So that's between you and God. But, uh, you know, you've got to ask the pastor questions. Why are there no elders?

Why are there no deacons? Uh, et cetera. And find out what their reasons are. If there's no good reason, then there's a problem. And, uh, so then you have to, well, I had asked the question, I had asked a question about, you know, do you guys really believe that the translators of the King James Bible were inspired by God? Um, yeah, that's another topic.

And that didn't go well. Yeah. Yeah. So my recommendation, my recommendation is on King James only churches. I stay away from them. That's just me.

My encounters with people from King James only churches has been always been difficult. And they, uh, my experience has been that they are legalistic. So I'm just telling you what my experience is. And by the way, Charlie, he's a friend of mine.

I've known for many years. He anointed a friend yesterday, I believe it was on his deathbed. And you don't have to be an elder to do that.

I did a Monday or Tuesday. He did this and you don't have to be an elder. He's not an elder.

Anybody can do it. All right. Okay.

Okay. Now what was the verse that you gave on that? Well, first Peter, two nine, that we're a Royal priesthood, a chosen race, a Royal priesthood. The priesthood in the new Testament consists of four main categories. The, the old Testament style, which was what the Jews had before the crucifixion of Christ and going into the temple that proceeds into the new Testament in the gospels up to the point of the crucifixion. Then the new covenant is instituted. And then they don't need that old Testament priesthood anymore. There's a priesthood of, I think it's Zeus that's mentioned and a, uh, a priesthood of all believers in first Peter, two nine, then the priesthood of Christ.

And he's the high priest, I think part of Melchizedek. So that's what it is. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Thank you.

You're welcome. Well, God bless. Okay. All right. Let's get on the phone with Sarah from Philly.

Sorry for the long wait. Sarah, you're on. Hey Matt. How are you doing? I'm doing all right. Hanging in there. Oh man.

There's a music about that. Sarah. So, uh, hold on. We'll you have to tell after the break, we'll get you right back on. Okay.

Sorry about that. Hey folks, be right back after the, uh, the messages and we'll talk to Sarah. We'll be right back.

Okay. It's Matt slick live taking your calls at eight seven seven two zero seven two two seven six. Here's Matt slick. All right, buddy. Welcome back to the show. If you want to give me a call, the number is eight seven seven two zero seven two two seven six. Sarah, thanks for waiting. You're back on the, on the air. Okay.

Matt. Um, thanks for taking my call. Um, I had my husband and I spoke with you, uh, like two weeks ago on a Friday night. I don't know if you remember, but. Oh yeah. Yeah. I remember that.

That was fun. Yes. Yeah. So, um, my question tonight is, um, I wanted to hear your thoughts on God speaking audibly to people. Um, I know that it's, um, you know, a debated issue. Um, I, I used to think that, that God did speak audibly and you know, as I, um, you know, I, I started listening to like Justin Peters and Jim Osmond on the topic and other various charismatic related topics. Um, and I, I understand that you have maybe a little bit of a different viewpoint than them. And so I just wanted to hear your thoughts. I, it came up in my life again because a friend of mine, um, I was going back and forth with her on a couple of different theological issues and or discussions. And she had mentioned that she does believe God speak audibly to her. She gave me an example and you know, just said that as much as she does listen to those pastors and she does respect them, love them, she doesn't, she believes that what they're saying is a lie. So I just wanted to kind of hear your thoughts on that. Yeah.

Be careful. I was saying it's a lie because I didn't stand implies to people saying they're lying and they know they're deceiving people. But the idea would be they don't agree with that.

They think it's not biblical. Now I know Justin. Okay. And we've done things together. And one of our last conversations we had over the phone, I said, Hey, how about if we'd have a discussion on the charismatic gifts and he, he wanted nothing to do with it.

He said, Nope, it would even talk about it. I remember that. But, uh, but he's a great guy. You know, I'm not knocking him. He's a great guy and a great resource to the Christian church. But, uh, as you know, I believe in and affirm all of the charismatic gifts for today. And I do so on biblical grounds now and first Corinthians one seven so that you're not lacking in any gift.

That word is charisma. You're not lacking in any charismatic, charismatic gift awaiting eagerly, the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. So I can go to first Corinthians 13, eight through 12 and do the thing, you know, where it says when the perfect comes, the imperfect shall pass away.

And, uh, most cessationists teach that's the Bible when the Bible, you know, it doesn't make any sense. And I, and I will debate it, you know, I'll debate it if people want to debate it. Um, but I won't debate it as an angry thing.

It's not how it's to be. All right. So can God speak to us audibly? Of course he can. Of course he can.

He can do whatever he wants. He's God. He spoke audibly to people in the Old Testament. Why can't he speak audibly?

Now? Nothing in the New Testament says thou shalt not believe God can speak audibly. Nothing in there says it can, it, it stopped. God spoke to, uh, to, to, um, uh, Paul audibly in Acts chapter nine after the crucifixion, he spoke to him. And so we know that that happened in the New Testament economy and the New Testament covenant. Now what they're going to generally come back with is that's okay until the Bible's completed, but that makes no exegetical sense in my opinion. Okay. Okay.

Uh, they can go through that if people want, why it doesn't make any sense. So can you do that? Yes. Let me just tell you a story.

Not, and I'll do it quickly. Not that a story makes anything true, but I used to do, uh, when I was in Southern California, uh, I met a guy and, uh, he used to be a Hollywood producer, rich guy, but beautiful wife, beautiful car, beautiful home, great job. And, uh, long story short, someone did some bad stuff. He got blamed for it. He wasn't guilty. And, uh, he ended up doing two years in jail until a judge found out what really happened and then got him out immediately. And okay.

But during that time he was became a committed Christian. So we would go to the prison in Tijuana and go, I mean, we'd go into Tijuana. This is not a good place to be. Whether it was at one time, one of the 10 worst prisons in the country, or in the world, I think it was. And we would go in there and, uh, you know, I'd preach a sermon.

He would teach it. So, okay. That's the context. The reason I'm bringing this guy up is because he told me to my face, I remember us sitting in a car. We're waiting to go into a prison. We're waiting. And, um, he told me, he's, I said, what happened?

You know, tell me some more details about your life. When all of it hit the fan and he was going to lose everything. He's going to go to jail. He had a gun in his hand.

He was in his room by himself and he, uh, was putting it to his temple. He's going to blow his brains out because his wife left him, lost his job. He had nothing. He's going to prison. Everything's gone.

Everything. The gun is to his head. He said, and he audibly heard a voice in the room. He said it was not like a little inner voice. It was audible as if someone else was there speaking in there in the room with him, audible saying, don't I love you.

He audibly heard it and he put the gun down and long story short, there you go. I have no problem with believing that is true. No problem at all because of the fruit bore witness of it because people can hear voices. It doesn't mean it's from God. So how do you judge the fruit? True faith has true fruit.

And in that man, there was fruit all over the place, all over. He was born again and he told me that's what happened. Okay. There you go. Okay. You there?

Yeah, I'm here. Like, so like for instance, the scripture that, um, someone opposing that viewpoint would use, like in Hebrews one, where it says, um, that, you know, in times past God spoke through the prophets, but now he has, he has spoken through his son. It's not Ruby him, obviously. Um, what are your thoughts on some of the scriptures that they use to, um, to, um, yeah. First Corinthians, first Corinthians 13 to, um, you know, to share that, that, that doesn't happen anymore like that.

Cause, um, let's look at it. God is Hebrews one from starting to verse one. God after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions, in many ways in this last days has spoken to us in his son whom he appointed all things through whom he made, uh, in the world. So, um, he spoke to in Jesus, right? Well, what about Paul?

What about Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Jude? Are they excluded? Well, of course not. So it's a lot of times what people will do.

They'll come to the text with an agenda. The gifts have ceased. This is how he speaks to us through Jesus.

No other way. If that's in the scriptures. Well, it doesn't say that for one thing, it says only in the scriptures. Now I'm not saying the scriptures, aren't sufficient, they're inspired, but the scriptures tell us we're not to lack any charismatic gift while we're waiting for the return of Christ. First Corinthians one seven and tells us that.

So I find a great deal of inconsistencies in the cessation aside. Now this is the reason I know about all about this is because I was a pastor in the PCA Presbyterian church in America and I lost my pastor over this very issue. They basically politely lovingly kicked me out of the pulpit because I believe that God can still communicate today through a speaking in tongues or word of knowledge, word of wisdom, though not normative.

And it doesn't threaten the scriptures or the authority of the word of God or anything. And they said, sorry, you can't be a pastor anymore. And I lost my position and couldn't, uh, it was traumatizing. I rarely tell the story, but it was absolutely traumatizing for years. What happened?

Trauma took me 10 or 15 years to get old. It's no joke. So I know this topic well, and I'm not angry about it. God's sovereign, but I believe that the people who hold to this view of cessationism to the stricter stations of you, I don't believe they're taking the word of God seriously. Furthermore, a lot of these people, they reject the movement of the spirit through the church fathers and through Presbyterian divines. There are accounts in the history of God's speaking, moving and prophesying and things can be happening still. And if you go to this verse here, now this is not the best verse to use, but it says in Matthew seven, they could, you could use it either way. Matthew 7, 22, 23, many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, do we not prophesy your name, cast out demons, perform any miracles. He says, get away from me.

I never knew you. So a lot of these charismatic things were occurring. Now Jesus condemns them, but he's not condemning them for doing them. He's condemning them for saying that this is why they're to be saved because they're combining works and, and faith.

But the thing is Jesus doesn't condemn them for doing miracles because they are doing miracles and he says they are. So this is, it's not the best verse to use, but you can see there's some, some stuff going on here. And let me, and I've experienced, I prophesied, I did it once in my life of prophecy and it came to pass very specifically. And another time I had a word of knowledge over someone very clearly. And, and I've heard twice the voice of God in my heart and mind, that inner voice on two separate occasions.

I've heard it very profoundly, very strongly. Anyway, not, not Nick and Dr. out of this stuff, but you know, it's a big deal. Yeah. Yeah.

Thanks for sharing that. I, cause I had, um, in like the last five years or so I came out of the charismatic church and I used to think that I could speak in tongues and, um, you know, I, I, I, um, believed in the gifts of the spirit. Um, but then I believe that, you know, the Lord was taking me out of that church and brought me into more of a reformed theology and, um, you know, and a lot of that comes along with, um, cessation.

Yeah. So I had learned a lot about that and I just like laid all that down and just, um, you know, I, I did believe what they were saying. And also that coupled with, you know, how discussing some of the charismatic churches can be, um, I put church in quotes, um, um, and so that, um, you know, I sorta had my mind changed, but I appreciate hearing your, your viewpoint and, you know, we'll certainly, you know, look back into the scriptures and do some more studies and, and praying about it. Well, I tell you what, uh, you know, I'm a very strong Calvinist and, uh, I try and be as biblical as possible. So let me tell you about another website I've got where I've dealt with this issue and you can read the documentation and the exegesis and it's Calvinist corner.com, Calvinist corner.com. That's where I write more advanced stuff from a form perspective.

And in there, in those, uh, in those, there's a lot of articles, it's very simple site. Uh, you'll find under the category of other experiential Calvinism and the charismatic gifts and I go in and I analyze exegetically these passages and also John Knox prophesied and it's recorded and he died in 1572 and we have Robert Fleming who died in 1694. He heard the voice. I think it was him or the other guy who heard, uh, it was a him or their guy.

Uh, let's see, you know, he had dreams. I'm looking at, Oh yes, the strange and extraordinary impression I had of an audible voice in the church at night. You know, and uh, George Wisher, these are, these are called Presbyterian divines. They're reformed.

These guys wouldn't be allowed in a lot of Calvinist churches today because they moved in the charismatic gifts. Yeah. I mean, even like reading R.C.

Sproul's book, um, the holiness of God, I believe it is. And if you read like the beginning part and it was, it's his experience. Sarah, I'm sorry to interrupt you.

There's the music. We have to go there. I'd love to talk more about this tomorrow. If you call back, I will end on this topic.

Call back. All right. Take care. Take care. Sorry about that, sir.

We're just out of time. Good night. Bye bye. Okay, good. And why do call back about that tomorrow? Talk to you later, everybody. Another program powered by the truth network.