S1: Live from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. It's open
S1: line with doctor Michael Melnick. Hello, friends. Welcome to Open Line.
S1: This is Moody Radio's Bible study across America. My name
S1: is Michael Melnick. I'm the academic dean at Moody Bible
S1: Institute and also a professor of Jewish studies there. I'm
S1: so grateful you're joining me around the radio kitchen table
S1: this morning. We're talking about your questions about the Bible,
S1: God and the spiritual life. The normal procedure of this
S1: program is for those of you who are listening to,
S1: call in with your questions. Not so today. Today's a
S1: very special open line. We have a a group of
S1: guests here at the Moody Bible Institute. We're in the
S1: historic kind of historic studio B here. Uh, there was
S1: a historic studio we've renamed this newer building. We still
S1: have the historic studio B, and we're all sitting around
S1: in here and our listeners are going to ask the
S1: questions not from the radio, but the listeners here in
S1: the studio. It's kind of a special day, but I'm
S1: sure they're going to ask the questions that you're thinking
S1: of out there. You're like, well, I wanted to ask that,
S1: so keep listening. I'm sure they're going to ask you
S1: a question. We've got a lot of people working here today. Uh,
S1: Chris Segard, Joel Swan, Omar Mendoza handling all things technical,
S1: and Tricia McMillan is here producing as always. And of course,
S1: to hear is helping out. And Lisa thanks for that.
S1: If you like you can send a question to our website.
S1: And what you do is go to Openline radio.org. Click
S1: on the link there that says Ask Michael a question
S1: and if you're listening would like to get your question in.
S1: That may be one way you can get it in. Uh,
S1: we'll be taking some of those questions as well. Uh,
S1: but I hope you get yourself a cup of coffee
S1: and get your Bible. Joining me for this first part
S1: of the program is someone that I rely on to
S1: hear teach the word all the time. His name is
S1: Mark Jobe. He's the president of Moody Bible Institute. I'm
S1: so glad you're here with me.
S2: Michael. It's always a joy to be with you. And
S2: I love this program. By the way, big fan. My
S2: wife's a fan of the program as well. She's here
S2: in the studio as well. So if you hear extra
S2: loud clapping, that's her.
S1: That's it. That's right. Well, uh, we're going to just
S1: get started with a question and we're going to start
S1: with Stephanie. Hi, Stephanie.
S3: Good morning.
S1: Where are you from, Stephanie Palatine. Palatine, Illinois. Okay. Northwest
S1: suburbs of Chicago. Glad you're here.
S3: Thank you. So my question is, what are a few
S3: things we can focus on to point others to Christ?
S3: Believers and unbelievers and conversations with others during these times.
S1: Are during these times. Very bad times that are uncertain financially.
S1: Wars in the world. Difficulties. I always say ask Mark job.
S2: You know, Stephanie, that's a great question. I want to
S2: start by saying this. Every time I have a conversation
S2: with someone, I'm aware that God has already been working
S2: in their life way before I talked with them. So
S2: I go with the assumption that the Holy Spirit is
S2: already working there. And so it's not like I'm starting
S2: from scratch. I know that God is drawing them. And
S2: so I go with that assumption, first of all, that
S2: God is drawing them. In fact, just yesterday we had
S2: a little boat ride and I walked out into the
S2: little balcony there and the captain and someone else were there.
S2: I initiated a conversation with them and, um, just life
S2: in general, and then started talking about spiritual things. And
S2: they perked up and I said, you know, people are
S2: being drawn to God these days because there's a lot
S2: of turmoil. And sometimes in the midst of turmoil, uh,
S2: people start looking to the heavens. And so there's a
S2: felt need in everybody's life. When people came to Jesus,
S2: they didn't come because they were looking for a redeemer.
S2: They were looking for relief. Uh, someone was sick. Kid
S2: is demon possessed. They felt oppressed by the Roman government.
S2: So keep in mind God's drawing them. They, uh. Everybody
S2: has a sense of emptiness without God. And so go
S2: to those places. It may start with a divorce that's pending,
S2: a son that's in the hospital, depression, anxiety that they're
S2: going through. And then connect it to God, who ultimately
S2: is the answer. That's how I approach it, typically.
S1: I think that it's interesting. Paul wrote Colossians while he
S1: was in prison. It says in Colossians four two, devote
S1: yourselves to prayer. Stay alert in it with thanksgiving. Okay.
S1: He says, you need to be praying. Here's what we
S1: need to be praying for, he says. At the same time,
S1: pray also for us that God may open a door
S1: to us for the message to speak the mystery of
S1: the Messiah for which I am in prison. So he's
S1: looking for opportunities. He wants them praying for open doors
S1: in the prison. I think that's so interesting. He's not saying, well,
S1: I'm in prison. What am I going to say? He's
S1: looking for them to pray for him. I think we
S1: should be praying for open doors in our own lives. Uh,
S1: that whatever we're at, whether it's at work or walking
S1: the dogs in the neighborhood, even I have two dogs.
S1: I think our primary purpose for having dogs is not
S1: because of the great joy they bring. Because they bring
S1: a mess to the house. The reason we have dogs
S1: is we walk them in our neighborhood. We get to
S1: meet all our neighbors. That's why we do that. And
S1: people talk to us. Uh, and, uh, he says, so
S1: that I may reveal it, uh, as I am required
S1: to speak. And then he tells them to act wisely.
S1: And also, you should always be gracious, seasoned with salt,
S1: make it flavorful. Mhm. Uh, so that you may know
S1: how you should answer each person. So I would say
S1: pray for open doors to learn to speak with boldness
S1: seizing those moments, but also tact. Uh, and uh, we
S1: should point people to the Lord obviously do it, not
S1: in an obnoxious way, but in a flavorful way. And
S1: I think that happens as we talk to people. We
S1: diagnose where they're at, uh, by listening to them. So
S1: I think the key for ministering to people is actually
S1: learning to be good listeners. And then when we listen well,
S1: we can respond and ask good questions. And that's how
S1: doors seem to open for me and speak to those
S1: issues as best you can.
S3: Thank you.
S1: Okay.
S2: Hi.
S4: My name is Mary.
S1: Hi, Mary. My question. Go ahead. Tell us where you're from.
S1: I'm always.
S4: Mendon, Ohio.
S1: Mendon, Ohio.
S4: Yeah, it's near Salina. Do you know where Salina is?
S1: Yeah, sure. Is there a big city nearby?
S4: Lima.
S1: Lima. Yeah.
S4: Okay. Why does it take years for some prayers to
S4: be answered?
S1: Ah, if only I knew. I'm not sure that anyone
S1: can give a perfect answer, but I'm going to again
S1: start with Doctor Jobe.
S2: Well, you know, sometimes we think that prayer is convincing
S2: God to see it our way and to do things
S2: our way. Um, but Scripture is clear. Isaiah tells us
S2: that God's thoughts are much higher than ours. His ways
S2: are much higher than ours. And I believe that sometimes
S2: it takes years because, um, in fact, I just I
S2: just preached about this in chapel recently where, uh, do
S2: you remember the story of Mary, Martha and Lazarus? Uh,
S2: they believe their their brother is sick, and so they
S2: call Jesus. And Jesus deliberately delays two more days. And
S2: it seems strange that the person that he loves, he
S2: doesn't run and try to fix it. But he had
S2: a bigger narrative, and I reminded our students that sometimes
S2: it feels like God is not answering our prayer immediately,
S2: but because God has a bigger narrative, sometimes he let it.
S2: He lets it get worse. In fact, none of us
S2: would really know the story of Lazarus. We we would
S2: barely know his name if Jesus had answered the prayer immediately.
S2: But he waited. He waited until things got worse. He
S2: waited until Lazarus died, and then he resurrected him. And
S2: we all know the story because Jesus did not answer
S2: it when Martha and Mary wanted him to. And so
S2: we have to keep in mind that prayer is aligning
S2: our hearts with God's plan, not just trying to convince
S2: God about our plan. And I think when we pray
S2: in the spirit, we get more more aligned with the
S2: heart of God and more and more saying, God, you're sovereign.
S2: This is what I would like, but Lord, not my will,
S2: but yours be done.
S1: You know, I think that there's something important to remember.
S1: This is something that I really appreciated that message in chapel.
S1: But there's a a Jewish tradition that the spirit of
S1: the person stays by the body for three days. So
S1: the Lord Jesus waited for the fourth day. And then
S1: he raised Lazarus on the fourth day to prove that
S1: he could raise us all in the last day. And
S1: I think that that is one of the reasons he
S1: had a purpose for delaying. As long as a prayer
S1: is in the will of God. I think it's it's
S1: really important that we recognize that and persist, because that's
S1: what Jesus said. He told them a parable. He told
S1: them a parable on the need for them to pray
S1: always and not to become discouraged. That means if I'm
S1: praying for something and it's a legitimate request, and it's
S1: something that would bring glory to God and and honor him,
S1: and he's saying, no, so far, no, no. Persist. And
S1: the reason we persist is because God is probably teaching
S1: us something as we wait on him to to trust him.
S1: So I think that's why we have to do it.
S1: Just as he was teaching something to Martha and Mary
S1: about their brother Lazarus. Okay. Yeah. We're going to take
S1: a break here. Uh, and when we come back, uh,
S1: we're going to take more of your questions right here, uh,
S1: in our studio B at Moody Bible Institute with this
S1: beautiful live audience. We're really grateful for you being here.
S1: Grateful for all of you listening. Stay with us. This
S1: is Mark Jobe. Michael Dolnick right here on Moody Radio's
S1: Open Line. We'll be right back. Back to Open Line
S1: with our live studio audience asking the questions today. So
S1: glad you're listening in today. Uh, it's it's just great
S1: to see all these faces asking the questions, I hope.
S1: I know they're asking questions that you've wondered about as
S1: well as you listen. So keep listening and you can
S1: always write to us. The way to do that is
S1: go to Openline radio.org. Click on the link that says
S1: Ask Michael a question and you can fill out your
S1: question there. Now people have often often asked, where do
S1: we get the Bible from? I know it's God's Word,
S1: but where is it from? How did these ancient books
S1: get turned into the the leather bound book that I'm reading,
S1: doctor Jay Carlini, uh, who taught for many years at
S1: Western Seminary in Portland, wrote a book called The Story
S1: of the Bible, and that is our current resource. It's
S1: a great, informative journey through scriptures development, starting from divine
S1: inspiration to copying the transmission of that text and finally, well,
S1: not finally canonization translation modern translations that we're reading about today.
S1: If you want to know the story of the Bible,
S1: this is a great resource. It shows how God worked
S1: through human authors, scribes, translators to give us God's Word
S1: that we should be reading regularly. And it is a great,
S1: great resource, and we want to send it to you
S1: as a way of saying thank you for any gift
S1: you send in, uh, a gift of any size. We
S1: want to say thanks and send you a copy of
S1: The Story of the Bible by Doctor Lainie. Uh, if
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S1: or open line radio.org. And you'll be able to give
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S1: to say hey use this resource by Doctor Jay Carlini,
S1: The Story of the Bible. We're going to go back
S1: to our questions right here in the studio.
S5: Hi Michael, I'm Jeff from northwest Ohio, and we're part
S5: of a discipleship class at home talking about the sovereignty
S5: of God. So my question is, how does God's sovereignty
S5: and man's free will work together in salvation?
S1: If only I knew. I mean, that is one of
S1: the questions that people ask all the time. And they're
S1: what happens is theologians. Well, some theologians say they can
S1: explain it. And, uh, I had a book that explained
S1: it and I tried to read it, and I am
S1: I guess I'm not a philosopher because I'm like, I'm
S1: not getting this. And then, uh, I have a friend
S1: who was the valedictorian, highest grades at Dallas Seminary when
S1: I graduated, and he was visiting my house, and he
S1: saw that book, and he picked it up, and I
S1: was cooking dinner, and he came into the kitchen and
S1: he says, do you understand any of this? And I said, no.
S1: And he said, good, because I felt really dumb as
S1: I was reading this. And now here's the crazy thing
S1: to me is that both divine sovereignty and human responsibility
S1: are not just mentioned in the Bible, they're mentioned right
S1: next to each other. Um, and so I think it's
S1: a mystery. It's a secret that God understands. And we
S1: don't we're responsible. We need to believe God is sovereign.
S1: He calls and has that effectual call. He chose those
S1: who believe before the foundation of the world. He he, uh,
S1: he did it right, but we're still responsible. Uh, and
S1: I'm going to let our, uh, friend, doctor Mark Jobe,
S1: explain how it works.
S2: You know, Jeff, I get that question asked a lot.
S2: And it is as you try to wrestle through decisions
S2: and why things happened. It's a tough one when it
S2: comes to salvation. Particularly, though, let me just say this
S2: any theological view that diminishes your passion for evangelism is misguided.
S2: So I've encountered people that say, well, you know, God
S2: is sovereign, so why do I need to share? Paul's
S2: the one that penned in Romans, specifically some of the
S2: passages about the sovereignty of God, and he was the
S2: most passionate evangelist that we know. So we know that
S2: God's sovereignty doesn't preclude us proclaiming the gospel. At the
S2: same time, we also understand that if we take on
S2: the responsibility to saving people that we become, we take
S2: the place of the Messiah. And so it's a beautiful
S2: balance between God, your sovereign, and in control. But I
S2: am going to share with everybody as passionately and pray
S2: passionately as I can. And that's the beautiful balance that
S2: is there. So it shouldn't take away your passion, but
S2: it also shouldn't put a responsibility on your shoulders that
S2: only belongs to Jesus.
S1: Yeah. You know, Philippians 212 says this, uh, it says
S1: work out your own salvation. And that a responsibility we
S1: have not to be saved, but to carry it out,
S1: to work it out. So we be believe and follow
S1: and obey. Work out your own salvation. And then the
S1: next verse says, for it is God who is working
S1: in you. Okay. God's sovereignty. And there right next to
S1: each other. And it happens all the time in Scripture.
S1: This is what, uh, what I think of Spurgeon. Uh, well,
S1: let's start with this. Let's start with C.S. Lewis in
S1: the great book, uh, one of The Chronicles of Narnia, when, uh,
S1: these kids asked to be brought to Narnia. And this
S1: girl meets. Jill meets Aslan, the lion, and she says,
S1: we're only here because we called and said we wanted
S1: to come. And he says, you would not have called
S1: if I didn't make you call. I'm like, as far
S1: as the heavens are above the earth so far are
S1: my thoughts higher than your thoughts and my ways higher
S1: than your ways. This is what Spurgeon asked when he
S1: was asked to, uh, how does he reconcile human responsibility
S1: and divine sovereignty? He said, I wouldn't try. I never
S1: reconcile friends. And I think that's we just we just
S1: live with both. So. Okay, okay, we've got our next
S1: question coming from my friend Rick right there, I see him.
S6: Hi, I'm Rick from, uh, northwest Detroit area. Um, my
S6: question is, uh, my children prayed when they were young
S6: to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and
S6: they're not walking with the Lord. Haven't for many years.
S6: How do I reconcile that? Are they saved? Are they
S6: not saved? Because when they prayed that prayer, it seemed very,
S6: very genuine. We had lots of discussion and. And now
S6: they have no interest. They're not walking with the Lord.
S2: You know, Rick, I think that there's a lot of
S2: parents that struggle with that same idea. And I would
S2: say this when a it's it's somewhat challenging to discern
S2: because our salvation is never by works. Um, and sometimes
S2: someone makes a decision and then starts living in the flesh.
S2: The problem with being a believer that's not living right
S2: is that there's a question of fruit. Um, and so
S2: I would say this, I would say that, um, when
S2: people's fruit comes into doubt for a long period of
S2: time and, um, then you have to go to the
S2: root and say, did they really understand? Did they really
S2: make a decision? And if someone, especially when they were young,
S2: prayed a prayer but hasn't demonstrated a lot of fruit
S2: in their life, then my heart would be to make
S2: sure that they understand what it means to follow. Only
S2: God knows, ultimately. But if I haven't seen a lot
S2: of fruit, then I'm going to press in to say
S2: I want to make sure, you know, and I would
S2: press them in. I would continue to evangelize until I
S2: see fruit, because I think when, um, when someone is
S2: in the vine, they will show fruit. Um.
S1: Also, I think that it's so important that we recognize
S1: that children sometimes will we'll assent to something and they
S1: really believe it, you know, because they believe their parents
S1: when they're kids. But as they get older, they make
S1: adult decisions. I've talked to a lot of people who
S1: are really committed followers of Jesus. They said they made
S1: a decision when they were very small, but then, as
S1: they were in their teen years and or even a
S1: little bit older, that's when they were really confronted with,
S1: do I really believe this? Something happened in their life,
S1: a breakup with a boyfriend or a girlfriend or some
S1: sort of tragedy? The loss of a loved one? Something
S1: happens in their life and they think, do I really
S1: believe this? And they said, yes, I do. And others say,
S1: you know, I had this event happen in my life.
S1: My dad died and I didn't think it was fair
S1: that God took him so young. And and then they say,
S1: I just don't believe this. And, and I think that's
S1: what happens. Children will often assent to what their parents think,
S1: but they will come to an adult decision, and I
S1: have often thought that we have to keep praying for
S1: those kids and not be obnoxious, not beat them over
S1: the head. You know they will talk about it with
S1: us as we pray for them. And the the other
S1: issue that we parents have to do is we have
S1: to just keep loving them and keep that relationship strong.
S1: So it's not based on, you know, well, I'm only
S1: going to be loving towards you if if you follow
S1: this faith and, you know, a lot of times as
S1: people hit midlife, I knew a guy. He abandoned the faith.
S1: He got kicked out of Christian college. He was, uh,
S1: just troublesome. He married a Jewish woman who didn't know
S1: the Lord. He was not walking at all, denied at all.
S1: And then they adopted a baby. And he thought, what
S1: am I going to give this child? And all of
S1: a sudden he came back to the faith. And that's
S1: how I met him, because he thought, I need Michael
S1: to help me with my. My wife, you know, here
S1: and to share the good news with her. And she
S1: did come to the Lord. But, uh, the the interesting
S1: thing to me is he said I believed it all along.
S1: I just didn't want to live by it. And so
S1: in midlife, he came. So you just don't know. You
S1: don't know. Keep praying.
S7: Thank you. Okay.
S1: Here comes our next question.
S8: My name is Bill, and I'm from Palatine, Illinois. Uh, doctor? Doctor, Jobe,
S8: this reference comes out of Second Kings two. How do
S8: I begin to understand why? The story of Second Kings two,
S8: where Elisha, the jeering young men and she bears fit
S8: into God's character and redemptive story?
S1: Yeah. That's it. I, I like that passage particularly because
S1: what were they calling Elisha?
S8: Uh, old baldy head, maybe.
S1: Yeah. That's it. And I.
S8: I hadn't thought of that when I asked the question.
S7: Yeah, I think you did it on purpose, Michael. I
S7: think that was specific. Yeah.
S1: Uh, my.
S2: That's one of my life verses.
S7: You know, and just, uh, you know, in case you make.
S2: Fun.
S7: Hey, watch out, because something could happen, right? Yeah.
S1: But my life verses from Leviticus 13. If a man
S1: loses the hair on his head, he is bald. He
S1: is clean. And that's what. That's what Leviticus 13 says. Uh,
S1: I think there's a couple of things. These are it
S1: says in my version, some small boys. I'll read you
S1: the verse from there. Elijah went up to Bethel. He
S1: was walking up the path. Some small boys came out
S1: of the city and harassed him, chanting, go up, Baldy,
S1: go up, Baldy! He turned around and looked at them
S1: and cursed them. In the name of the Lord. My goodness.
S1: Then two female bears came out of the woods and
S1: mauled 42 of the children, and then he returned to Samaria. Wow. Well,
S1: first of all, I would never translate that. Small boys.
S1: I believe the Hebrew refers to, uh, young adults. So
S1: think of a gang. And if only 42 of them
S1: were perished from the bears, how many were there? Wilding
S1: and attacking the prophet? Hmm. And why were they attacking
S1: the prophet? Because their great rebellion against God and his word.
S1: Because the prophet gave it. And so, as a warning
S1: to this. Think about it. They're going around on camels
S1: with leather tunics, you know, and they're looking rough. And,
S1: you know, these are the ones that were rebelling against God,
S1: and this was a great sign that they needed to
S1: to really yield themselves to the Lord. And so that's
S1: what I would say. Uh, I hope I hope that helps.
S8: Thank you.
S1: Yeah. We're going to come back in just a moment
S1: with more of the questions from this live audience. Stay
S1: with us. This is Open Line with Mark Jobe, Michael Melnick.
S1: We'll be right back. Welcome back to Open Line. I
S1: am so happy to have this live audience here asking
S1: the questions, but some questions have come in via email.
S1: The way to do that is to go to Open
S1: Line radio.org. That's the website. There's all sorts of links
S1: there that you're going to find helpful at Openline radio.org.
S1: And one says Ask Michael a question. If you click
S1: on that, if you're listening, you can always write your
S1: question in. And joining me right now for the Febc
S1: mailbag is Tricia McMillan. Uh, I am so grateful that
S1: Far Eastern Broadcasting partners with us. The Far Eastern Broadcasting
S1: Company partners with Openline, with Moody Radio to bring Openline
S1: to you. And they, uh, they help bring the Febc
S1: mailbag every week. Febc brings the gospel through media and
S1: through personal contact to people all over the globe. It
S1: is a really marvelous ministry. Check it out. Go to
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S1: podcast called Until All I've Heard. I know you're going
S1: to really, uh, be encouraged by listening to that podcast
S1: until all have heard. Joining me also right now is
S1: Tricia McMillan, producer of Open Line and also helping me
S1: answer these questions because of our live audience being here.
S1: I made Eva come to the studio today and Eva
S1: is here. She's the person that usually texts me the
S1: answers to questions because she's home listening, but today she's here,
S1: so she'll straighten it out, right? Right. Live without a text. So. Okay, Tricia,
S1: what have we got?
S9: All right. First question is from Jill in Texas who
S9: listens on the Moody Radio app. She would like clarity
S9: with being led by the Holy Spirit in evangelism. Since
S9: we're commanded to go and spread the gospel and make disciples.
S9: Is that all the leading that we need to talk
S9: to anyone and everyone, wherever we go, at every opportunity?
S9: I have a hard time discerning who to talk to
S9: about the gospel and when to share.
S10: Well, I like the principles that you guys talked about. First.
S1: A couple segments, a.
S10: Couple segments ago, but the verse that has really encouraged
S10: me to talk to every person that I have a
S10: chance to talk to, no matter if it's the barista
S10: Easter in Dunkin Donuts, or, you know, the person in
S10: the bank or the person that I just run into
S10: walking down the street. Is Colossians chapter one, verse 28
S10: and 29. And I memorized this verse years ago in
S10: the original Living Bible.
S1: The original, the original, because that was what Paul wrote, right?
S10: No, because you know what? There's been so many different
S10: editions of it. It doesn't read the same as when
S10: I originally memorized this. You know, back.
S1: Back when Ken Taylor wrote.
S10: It. Ken Taylor. Yeah. Ken Taylor was, you know, a
S10: college student at the time. Um, but because it says
S10: so everywhere we go, we talk about Messiah to all
S10: who will listen everywhere we go, warning them and teaching
S10: them as well as we know how. This is my work,
S10: and I can do it because of the Holy Spirit
S10: who is at work within me. Now, if you have
S10: the new American standard, which is my my favorite version,
S10: it says we proclaim Messiah, admonishing every man and teaching every,
S10: person with all wisdom so that we may present every
S10: person complete in Messiah. So I think everywhere we go,
S10: we need to talk about him at every opportunity.
S1: So I think that one of the things that happens
S1: is I try to get people to be curious. So
S1: I listen to people if I'm, you know, getting an Uber,
S1: I listen to the driver, I talk with the driver.
S1: I try not to be obnoxious, but people love to
S1: talk about themselves. And so I just ask them questions
S1: about themselves. And even as to and we and then
S1: finally they'll say, and what do you do? And there
S1: are times, you know, when I used to lead a
S1: messianic congregation. Uh, not when I was a professor at Moody,
S1: but I was in a Jewish community. And I'd get
S1: a Jewish person talking and they'd say, and what do
S1: you do? And I'd say, you don't want to know.
S1: And they'd say, why? And I'd say, well, you just
S1: get upset. They said you work for the IRS. No, no,
S1: it's totally fine what I do. But you'll just be upset. No,
S1: I won't get upset. You promise you won't get upset?
S1: And then I tell them I lead the congregation with
S1: Jewish people who believe in Jesus, and they start to
S1: get upset. I said, see, I told you you'd get upset. No, no,
S1: I'm not upset. Why do you believe that? And I
S1: felt by doing that they gave me permission to explain.
S1: And that's something that I try to live by all
S1: the time. Uh, you know, people say, what do you
S1: do for a living? I'm a professor. Where? Moody Bible Institute. Really? But, uh,
S1: to me, that that helps people understand where I'm coming from.
S1: And so I just look for opportunities and. And why
S1: would you do it?
S10: Yeah. You just, you know, you kind of raise that
S10: issue and you think, well, man, I work in a
S10: bank or I'm a house painter or I'm a mechanic
S10: or whatever, but whatever you do, there's something in that
S10: that helps you to bring up the issue of your
S10: faith in Jesus.
S1: I have a friend who's a salesman and he says, uh,
S1: I sell insurance, but that's really not very important. There's
S1: something much more important about me.
S10: Right. And, you know, some people would say, well, you know,
S10: I don't.
S1: What is.
S10: It? I don't work outside the home. Maybe, you know,
S10: maybe you're a mom at home or you're a grandmother
S10: or a grandfather who's retired or whatever. You can say,
S10: I've got the most important job in the world. I
S10: get to spend time with my grandchildren. Well, why is
S10: that such an important job? And then you can talk
S10: about that. Yeah.
S1: So.
S9: And I found when there's something in your life that
S9: you're excited about, it's like, let me tell you about
S9: this new sweater I found. I mean, it just you
S9: find every opportunity that you can to talk about it
S9: and bring it up. And I, I don't I don't
S9: think that we view the gospel as the same way necessarily,
S9: unless it is actively working in our hearts and our lives. Um,
S9: even beyond it, like just oozing out of us. But like,
S9: I'm excited about this, and you need to know why
S9: this is so important.
S10: Yeah, right. Yeah. And never be ashamed. Yeah. Don't say. Oh,
S10: I you know, I like the situation that Michael talked about.
S10: You'll be upset, but it's not because we're ashamed. You know, we.
S1: Just wanted not to be.
S10: Upset. We're just excited about what we're talking about. We
S10: never need to be ashamed or to preconceive that they're
S10: going to think of us in a negative way, because
S10: let's just go ahead and talk about how much we
S10: love Jesus and how much Jesus loves them.
S1: I have a great friend in my neighborhood. He's, uh.
S1: I was walking my dogs. His kids were petting the dogs,
S1: and that's how we met. And he said, uh, he said, uh. So, uh,
S1: what do you do? And I said, I'm a college professor.
S1: This is about 8 or 9 years ago. He said, oh, really?
S1: What do you teach? And I said, Jewish studies. And
S1: he said, where? And I said, Moody Bible Institute. He says, oh,
S1: you're the guy that lives on the corner. We heard
S1: about you in this neighborhood And I said, oh, you did. Anyway,
S1: it turned out his grandfather was my rabbi growing up
S1: in Brooklyn.
S10: So here we are in Chicago. Yeah.
S1: And, uh, and he said, uh, so you're one of
S1: those Jewish people who believe in Jesus. And I said, yeah.
S1: He says, why in the world would you do that?
S1: I said, do you have some time? I can tell you.
S1: And he said, yeah. And he wanted to know. And
S1: and we've had great discussions about it for a long time.
S9: So all right, next question is from Pamela in Ohio
S9: listens to Wtxf. What is the significance and the use
S9: of the mezuzah? Can you explain its purpose? I'm also
S9: curious if it's appropriate for non-Jewish individuals to use a mezuzah.
S9: Also big fan of your program and proud to be
S9: a kitchen table partner, which is our monthly supporters. Okay,
S9: thank you for that.
S1: Uh, Deuteronomy six says that we should bind the word
S1: of God. You know the words hear, O Israel, the
S1: Lord our God, the Lord is one. And loving the
S1: Lord with all our heart and our soul and our
S1: strength bind these words on our hearts, right? Repeat them
S1: to your children. Talk about them when you sit in
S1: your house, when you walk along the road, when you
S1: lie down, and when you get up. Bind them as
S1: a sign on your hand, on your forehead. Write them
S1: on the doorposts of your house. The word doorpost in
S1: Hebrew is mezuzah. And so Jewish people have taken this
S1: very literally. And they have these cylinders, these.
S10: Kind of little boxes.
S1: Boxes.
S10: There are a lot of different styles. Yeah.
S1: That have these words written very small and placed inside
S1: the written in Hebrew in the mezuzah, and they bind
S1: them to the doorposts. And we do too. Even if
S1: you came to my office at Moody Bible Institute, I
S1: have a mezuzah on the door.
S10: To remind us of the importance of God's Word. And when.
S1: You go.
S10: In.
S1: And when you go.
S10: Out.
S1: That's what it is. And some people wear them on
S1: a pendant, like.
S10: Yeah, like a necklace. Yeah.
S1: About the importance of putting God's word in your heart.
S1: And what do you think? Is it only for Jewish people?
S10: No. I think anyone could do this. It could be
S10: a reminder. And it could also be a conversation starter. Like,
S10: why do you have. What is this and why do
S10: you have it there? And then you could say, because
S10: the God's Word is so important to me, and this
S10: is to remind me to live by it as I
S10: come and go out of my house all the time.
S1: Yeah. Okay. Thanks for bringing those questions. Yeah. We have
S1: a question from one of our audience here in the
S1: studio who tell us who you are.
S11: I am Bryce. I'm with my wife, Anna.
S1: I'm really glad you brought Anna with you.
S7: Yeah.
S10: Glad to see you guys.
S11: She's my right hand. We are from Franklin, Tennessee. And
S11: good morning, Michael and Eva. I think I know the answer,
S11: but I just it always gets me in John 131
S11: and John 133 twice it says I did not know him.
S11: I believe this is John the Baptist baptizer speaking. And
S11: we all know he was Jesus's cousin, so I don't understand.
S11: I did not know him.
S1: Uh uh, let's, uh, let's read the whole verse there.
S1: John 131. Verse 31, it says, I didn't know him,
S1: but I came baptizing with water, so he might be
S1: revealed to Israel. Then verse 33, I didn't know him,
S1: but he who sent me to baptize with water told me,
S1: the one you see, the spirit descending and resting on.
S1: He is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.
S10: Seems interesting. I've just been reading John, um, and just
S10: read this yesterday, and I don't think it meant he
S10: didn't know him. Like, oh, this is Yeshua, my cousin
S10: who lives in Nazareth. But I think the knowing indicates
S10: he didn't realize that he was the Messiah like from
S10: a child. I don't think that Jesus wore a little button,
S10: said Yeshua the Messiah, so everyone would know who he was.
S10: Neither did he wear a button that said Yeshua the
S10: Child Carpenter. You know, he was just a regular person,
S10: a regular cousin. And at this point.
S1: Think about how annoyed Cousin John was when he saw Yeshua.
S1: He was always the good kid. Except for that time
S1: when he stayed behind in Jerusalem. But otherwise he was
S1: the kid that was like, why is he always doing
S1: the right thing? And we're not.
S10: He's never getting in trouble. What's going on?
S1: Yeah. So. And even when he stayed behind, he was
S1: obeying his father in heaven. So, uh, anyway, uh, I
S1: hope that it's not that he didn't know Jesus. It's
S1: that he didn't know he was the Messiah. So. And
S1: and that was revealed to him.
S10: At the baptism.
S1: At the baptism. So, Anna, uh, I actually asked you
S1: to get up there at the microphone with, uh, with
S1: Bryce because you told me today that you guys are
S1: kitchen table partners?
S12: We are indeed.
S10: Yay!
S7: Thank you.
S1: Kitchen table partners are people who give monthly to open
S1: lines so that we can be on the air every week,
S1: and we're really grateful for it. So just tell us.
S1: I'm amazed when every, every time I meet a kitchen
S1: table partner. Uh, what is it that prompted you to
S1: become a kitchen table partner?
S12: We'd been listening to Open Line for at least a
S12: couple of years, and we were supporting Moody Radio in
S12: general because we loved so much of the programming. But
S12: as we've been listening and especially, I would say, the
S12: last two years, we have such a heart for Israel
S12: and for the Jewish people. And you bring that perspective
S12: so much to your programming. And we have become so
S12: committed to Open Line every single Saturday that we've adjusted
S12: our life schedule to be at our kitchen table, making coffee,
S12: sharing the word with you and Eva and any of
S12: your guests, and we just feel like it's an investment
S12: that we can tangibly participate with Open Line and keep
S12: you on the air because you've impacted us.
S1: Hey, you can become a kitchen table partner too by
S1: going to our website, Open Line radio.org, and we'll talk
S1: about that more when we come back in just a moment.
S1: Thank you.
S13: And we're back with our live audience right here at.
S1: The Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Our studio B live
S1: audience asking the questions today. So grateful. Joining me today
S1: in the second half of the this hour has been
S1: Eva Wright. And she's still here. I'm glad she's here
S1: answering questions. There's a couple of things I need to
S1: mention before we get back to questions. We were just
S1: talking about Kitchen table partners at the end of the
S1: last segment. I'm so grateful for Anna and Bryce from Franklin, Tennessee,
S1: being kitchen table partners and their commitment to this program.
S1: I so, so appreciate it. And one of the things
S1: that I like to do, Trish and I produce a
S1: Bible study moment every other week for people who do
S1: become kitchen table partners. And so you get it in
S1: your mailbox, your email, click on it and hear a
S1: little Bible study ten minutes or so. And I hope
S1: it really encourages people in the word. Uh, but I
S1: mostly appreciate the generosity and graciousness of people who stand
S1: with us because it takes a whole team to bring
S1: this program. You can see even today we have Tricia here,
S1: our producer, our engineers. It's it's not just me. And
S1: I so appreciate the partners, kitchen table partners who are
S1: part of the team. If you're listening and you think, yeah,
S1: I think I'd like to become a kitchen table partner,
S1: call 88864471228886447122. Or just go to open line radio.com. And also, uh,
S1: we have a conference coming up here at Moody Bible Institute.
S1: It's coming up just on April 12th. It's called called,
S1: and it's a women's conference. Uh, some great keynote speakers.
S1: Elizabeth Whitson. Excuse me. Sandra Gillan workshops. Uh, pre-conference intensive.
S1: It's really terrific. Just go to Moody conferences. By the way,
S1: this is only for the women listening. Uh, men, I
S1: know you want to go, but you can't. It's a
S1: women's conference. Uh, Moody conferences.com, and there are online and
S1: in person.
S10: Fantastic. If you have an opportunity to come down to
S10: campus free parking. It's really good.
S1: Also, I want to mention one other thing. Uh, that, uh,
S1: Passover is coming April 12th and Chosen People Ministries is
S1: offering a booklet called Passover A time for redemption. Appreciate, uh,
S1: Chosen People Ministries partnering with us and also offering this book.
S1: It's a free copy that shows how the Passover Lamb
S1: foreshadows the coming of the Messiah, Jesus, our true Passover lamb.
S1: And if you'd like a copy of that, just go
S1: to our website openlibrary.org. Scroll down, you'll see it says
S1: a free gift from Chosen People Ministries, and you click
S1: on that. It'll take you to a page where you
S1: can sign up for your own copy of Passover A
S1: time for redemption.
S10: And got.
S1: Them.
S10: All.
S1: In there. There we go.
S14: All right. My name is Philip. Um, I'm from Accra, Ghana,
S14: West Africa.
S1: Wow, that's a long trip.
S14: Long trip? Yeah. So, um, how does God express his
S14: anger in these days?
S7: Ah.
S1: You know the Bible. This is this is the kind
S1: of question where, you know, people say, oh, God was angry.
S1: And that's why there was a hurricane or a tornado
S1: or some natural disaster or the flooding. And I think
S1: I feel very reluctant to say that God's just zapping someone.
S1: And here's why. Because the were it not for his mercy,
S1: we'd all be consumed. You know, I would be a
S1: little pile of of dust and and ash. Uh, if
S1: God judged me every time, I deserved it. And and
S1: so I think that's very important for us to remember.
S1: I think of Luke 13, where the Lord Jesus, uh,
S1: they come to him and they say, have you heard
S1: about Herod? Not Herod. Pilate mixing the blood of the
S1: sacrifices with Galileans. And they were probably offering their Passover sacrifices,
S1: and he killed them and mixed their blood with the sacrifices.
S1: And the Lord Jesus, uh, doesn't he doesn't answer the
S1: problem of evil differently. He points out, what about the
S1: Pool of Siloam? Or there's a tower there fell on people. Uh,
S1: and this is what he says in both circumstances, whether
S1: it's a natural disaster, like a tower falling over or a.
S1: Human guilt disaster like Pilate doing this wicked thing. The
S1: Lord Jesus says, do you think that these Galileans were
S1: more sinful? Do you think these people who live in
S1: Jerusalem were more sinful? No, I tell you, but unless
S1: you repent, you will all perish as well. Then he
S1: tells the story of the barren fig tree. And the
S1: point of that is, if God were to express his
S1: anger for everyone that deserves it, would there be towers
S1: falling on all our heads? There be pilots, you know,
S1: murdering us all. But God is merciful. The thing that
S1: we need to remember is that these events, we all
S1: deserve them. But God calls us to repent and turn
S1: our lives over to him. And his anger is then relented,
S1: and his mercy is seen in us not being having
S1: towers falling on us all the time. I think that's
S1: something that's important. Did you want to add anything on that?
S10: I knew in John nine where he talks about who sinned,
S10: that the man was blind. And Jesus said, neither this
S10: man nor his parents sinned, but so that the glory
S10: of God might be made known. I think we should
S10: be very careful and not point at people and say,
S10: this happened to you because you sinned. This is on
S10: you because you're wicked, or this happened to that city
S10: because it's a wicked city. You just don't see that
S10: in the scriptures.
S1: But what we do see is, boy, that should have
S1: happened to me.
S10: Yeah. And also, and also we see that God causes
S10: the sun to. And the rain to, to fall on
S10: the just and the unjust alike. And we should thank
S10: him for his mercy and not be pointing our finger
S10: at people for being wicked.
S1: And part of the reason for these tornadoes and hurricanes
S1: and floods and all these things is because we live
S1: in a fallen world and the whole creation is groaning,
S1: looking forward to its time of redemption. Romans eight says,
S1: and so I think rather than calling out God's anger
S1: at people, Let's recognize God's mercy that this isn't happening
S1: all the time, and not only God's mercy, but call
S1: upon people to experience God's mercy.
S10: By their faith in.
S1: Their faith in.
S10: Jesus, in his resurrection.
S1: Yeah. Thank you Philip. Thanks for that. Well, I can't
S1: believe first hour is open. That's. Thanks for listening, everyone.
S1: The fastest hour I've had in a long time. Keep listening.
S1: There's a second hour of Open Line with our live
S1: audience coming up in just a few minutes. If your
S1: station doesn't carry Open Line, check out our website or
S1: our podcast. You can listen to it there. During the
S1: the break, check out our web page. Open Line radio.org
S1: has all sorts of links that you'll find interesting. Uh,
S1: how to get our current resources, how to hear something
S1: about where I'm going. You can check out my web
S1: page there as well. Our Bible study across America will
S1: continue in just a moment. Open line with Doctor Michael
S1: Ray is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of
S1: Moody Bible Institute.