S1: Over 90% of Jesus followers have never shared their faith.
S1: Many say they just don't know how. Is there some?
S1: Are there some lessons we can learn from the Apostle Paul?
S1: Stay with me. We'll talk about that in just a moment. Hello, friends.
S1: Welcome to Open Line, Moody Radio's Bible study across America.
S1: My name is Michael Ray, and I'm so grateful to
S1: be joining you right here around the radio kitchen table.
S1: We're talking about your questions about the Bible, God and
S1: the spiritual life. If you have a question and you'd
S1: like to call the phone number, here is (877) 548-3675. I
S1: think it's good to write that down. So let me
S1: give that to you again. Write it down. (877) 548-3675. And
S1: I'll give you the little secret that I've been trying
S1: to tell people the last few weeks that people say
S1: they can't get through. The best way to get through
S1: is to call at the at the top of the hour,
S1: because we've got a whole bunch of lines open right now,
S1: so you can fill them up. Uh, and get your
S1: question in sitting in the producer's chair today, we've got
S1: two chairs, Tricia McMillan and and Lisa. He's helping her out. Uh,
S1: Omar is our tech guy, as always. Rihanna's answering the phones.
S1: Appreciate the whole team working here. Uh, to make this
S1: program available to you. Again, the phone number (877) 548-3675. Time
S1: to get yourself a cup of coffee. Open your Bibles.
S1: We're going to study the scriptures together. People are terrified
S1: of public speaking. Jerry Seinfeld often talks about that 90%
S1: of all people are terrified of public speaking. And so,
S1: he says, they actually fear public speaking more than they
S1: fear death. And so he says at a funeral, the
S1: person giving the eulogy is probably more scared than the
S1: person in the casket. But people are fearful of sharing
S1: their faith because they don't know how. And as a result,
S1: I think it'd be really good for us to get
S1: a little clue from the Apostle Paul. I've been reading
S1: in the book of acts, and there are some lessons
S1: to be learned about how we can share our faith.
S1: From the Apostle Paul. And I want to talk today
S1: about three keys to effective faith sharing. And I've been
S1: I've been taking a look at the defenses that the
S1: Apostle Paul made when he was on trial. And I
S1: think that there are three key lessons that we can learn.
S1: So let me give them to you. First of all,
S1: when we share our faith, we need to tell our
S1: faith story. We just need to tell our story. If
S1: you read Paul's defenses, you'll see that when he was
S1: before the crowd in acts 22, he tells his faith
S1: story how he came to know the Lord when he's
S1: before the Sanhedrin. In acts 23, he tells his faith
S1: story how he came to know the Lord in acts 26.
S1: When he's before Agrippa, he tells his faith story the
S1: way he came to know the Lord. It's it's really
S1: a great model for us. Why is it so important
S1: to learn how to share our faith story, how to
S1: tell how we came to know the Lord? Well, people
S1: can dispute all sorts of facts and figures. They can
S1: dispute interpretations of the Bible. They can argue about the
S1: existence of God. Whether Jesus is the Redeemer, they can
S1: argue all sorts of facts. What they can't argue with
S1: is our experience. So what we do is we tell
S1: our faith story so we can share our own personal experiences.
S1: I think that's why it's so important. So we need
S1: to learn how to tell our story in a factual,
S1: compelling way that points people to the Lord Jesus. So
S1: we need to tell our story. Here's a second lesson.
S1: We need to communicate according to culture. Why is this
S1: so important? Well, we see it in the Apostle Paul
S1: when he is before Jewish people. He whenever he's giving
S1: his defense, he emphasizes what they need to hear, which
S1: is that he's a Pharisee, that he is faithful to
S1: the pharisaic teaching of the resurrection. He talks about in
S1: these defenses the messianic hope. He's always talking about the Messiah.
S1: In fact, what he says is I stand. This is
S1: what he says to Agrippa I in acts 26, verses
S1: 23 and 24. Uh, uh, I'll start with verse 22
S1: to this very day of I have obtained help that
S1: comes from God, and I stand and testify to both
S1: small and great, saying nothing else than what the prophets
S1: and Moses said would take place. Verse 23, that the
S1: Messiah would suffer, and that at first he would rise
S1: from the dead. He would proclaim light to our people
S1: and to the Gentiles. He is summarizing the message of
S1: the messianic hope from the Hebrew Bible. He's talking about
S1: messianic prophecy. So when he talks to Jews, he talks
S1: about what Jewish people need to hear. But when he
S1: talks to Romans like Felix and Festus and others, he
S1: always emphasizes what they need to hear, which is that
S1: he's law abiding, and he frequently mentions the resurrection for hope,
S1: so he is giving a message to them. So for example,
S1: in acts 25 eight, when he is before a Roman official,
S1: he says this. Uh, neither against the Jewish law, nor
S1: against the temple, nor against Caesar have I sinned at all.
S1: He's trying to emphasize that he is law abiding, because
S1: what did the Romans care about? Keeping the law. Having
S1: everything in order? No problems. So here's the point. Paul
S1: never changed his message. It was always about Jesus that
S1: he died and rose again. But he adapted how he
S1: communicated that message to the culture. Uh, now, why is
S1: that so crucial? Because we are living in a time
S1: when people really need to understand the culture. We need
S1: to communicate to people in a way that they need
S1: to hear the gospel. We never change the message, but
S1: we become students of culture and then we communicate that message.
S1: We adapt the communication of the message to our cultural framework.
S1: So we need to tell our story. We need to
S1: communicate according to our culture. And then thirdly, and I
S1: think this is crucial, we need to keep the main thing,
S1: the main thing. That's one of my favorite expressions that
S1: Doctor George Sweeting, former president of Moody, now with the Lord.
S1: He used to always say, keep the main thing, the
S1: main thing. Paul always included the essentials, like the verse
S1: I just mentioned in acts 2623. What is the most
S1: essential message? The essential message is this that Messiah must suffer. That, uh.
S1: And that as the first to rise from the dead,
S1: he would proclaim light to the to our people and
S1: to the Gentiles. What is he talking about? Messiah, suffering
S1: and death. Jesus died for our sins, and that he
S1: was the first to rise from the dead. He was.
S1: He was raised from the dead. He was resurrected. What
S1: is the good news? That Jesus died for our sins
S1: and was raised for our vindication? That is the message
S1: of the gospel. Paul always kept the main thing, the
S1: main thing. This is really crucial since we're learning how
S1: to tell our story. When we tell our faith story,
S1: sometimes it becomes about us. But really, when we tell
S1: our faith story, what we have to talk about is
S1: what Jesus did for us. It's about him, not about us.
S1: Keep the main thing, the main thing. You know, sometimes
S1: we'll have an opportunity to talk about our faith with
S1: a cab driver or a, uh, a driver for one
S1: of the services, uh, that, uh, that you can get
S1: to pick you up from the car with the car. Right? Uh,
S1: you can Uber it. And when you're in an Uber,
S1: you can talk about your faith. It's a one time thing. Uh,
S1: maybe with a store clerk or something like that. Other
S1: times we have long term friendships and, you know, we
S1: build up to the opportunity where we raise the flag
S1: from time to time, talk about what God's doing in
S1: our life. And then people, we love people until they
S1: ask us why. But all the time, no matter what,
S1: we need to be able to do these things, tell
S1: our story. We need to communicate in a way that
S1: they can understand it according to their culture. And we
S1: need to keep the main thing, the main thing. I
S1: had a great opportunity, a friend I've made about 15 years,
S1: and I've raised the flag from time to time in
S1: these 15 years. And just about a month ago, he
S1: and his wife were visiting our home. And he said,
S1: you know, I never understood why it is that you.
S1: This is a Jewish man, an Israeli. He says, why
S1: you believe that Jesus is the Messiah. How did you
S1: come to this? I'm like, oh, it's glad you asked.
S1: And we spent a good hour talking all about that,
S1: and I was able to communicate with him, my faith story,
S1: communicate the good news that Jesus died for our sins
S1: and was raised from the dead. And we talked all
S1: about it from the messianic hope in the Hebrew Bible,
S1: because that's the cultural background that he needed. I felt
S1: like this is an opportunity right from the Lord that
S1: I had been praying for. God's going to give us
S1: all those opportunities. We just need to seize them no
S1: matter what. We need to tell our story in a
S1: culturally sensitive way, always keeping the good news at the center.
S1: I hope that will encourage all of us to keep
S1: talking about our Lord. Uh, our Messiah to others. And also,
S1: we'll be talking about some other principles of how to
S1: communicate in weeks to come. Now, I do want to
S1: tell you about our current resource. It is a terrific book.
S1: It is something that that I really appreciate because it
S1: was written by, uh, my former professor, Doctor Howard Hendricks,
S1: one of the greatest teachers ever. And it's called Teaching
S1: to Change Lives. He was a master teacher. Uh, Prof. Hendricks,
S1: he's now with the Lord, and he was my teacher
S1: in seminary. And what he does in this book is
S1: he relates seven practical laws, laws that will transform our
S1: approach to teaching. Why is this so important? We're all teachers.
S1: We all teach someone, maybe a home group, maybe a
S1: Sunday school class. It may be just talking with with
S1: a friend. Uh, but we all are teaching our children.
S1: We all teach. And so we need to know how
S1: to teach to change lives. And if you'd like a
S1: copy of Teaching to Change Lives, the way to to
S1: get a copy is one way is to give a
S1: gift of any size to open line and we will
S1: say thank you. And we so appreciate those gifts by
S1: sending you a copy of Teaching to Change Lives by
S1: master Teacher Howard Hendricks. If you'd like to give, call
S1: (888) 644-7122 or go to open Line radio.org. Um. We're going
S1: to talk to Barbara in Ohio. Uh, and, uh, I
S1: don't know what station she's listening on, but welcome to
S1: the program, Barbara. How can how can I help you today?
S2: Oh. Good morning. I have a question. I recently changed,
S2: changed churches, and I found this church that I really love.
S2: They're so warm and welcoming. And I love the church. Well,
S2: they had an altar call, which my church does not,
S2: and I go I go to a very straight laced
S2: typical Christian Church before. And I went to this church
S2: and they were so loving and so warm and everything. Well,
S2: they had an altar call, which my church does not have,
S2: and I went up to pray. And as I was kneeling, praying, uh,
S2: two ladies came and prayed behind me and I could
S2: understand what they were saying. And then another lady came
S2: behind me and she prayed in tongues. And that just
S2: scared me. So I've never heard that. And I'm 75
S2: or 76 years old and I've never heard that before,
S2: and I didn't. I don't know what to do. So
S2: what do I. Is that not? That's when I look
S2: it up. It tells me it's demonic and then it
S2: tells me, oh, it's okay if somebody interprets it. I,
S2: I didn't know that anybody was interpreting it. I didn't
S2: I didn't know anything. I just got completely upset. So
S2: what can you tell me about that?
S1: Well, first of all, I don't think it's demonic. So
S1: take a breath. Everything's okay. Uh, I I, I know
S1: that there are many people who say that, but I,
S1: I don't believe that at all. Uh, I don't think
S1: it's really according to the Bible, as I understand it,
S1: if you read acts two, when we see tongues described, uh,
S1: we see we see that tongues are real languages, not, uh,
S1: ecstatic utterances like that. So, uh, I don't think they
S1: were really praying in tongues. They were. It was just
S1: sort of, uh, ecstatic utterances. And there's lots of different explanations,
S1: explanations for that. But I don't think it was demonic. Uh,
S1: here's the only thing. The advice I would give you
S1: is what Paul says in First Corinthians. He says, how
S1: can someone say Amen if they don't know what you're praying?
S1: And so if someone came up to me and wanted
S1: to pray in tongues for me, I would say, you know,
S1: I can't understand what you're praying. I can't say amen
S1: to that. So please don't do that. And that's the
S1: simple explanation for what I would do. Thanks for wanting
S1: to pray for me. Please pray in a language I
S1: can understand and and I would leave it at that.
S2: You're saying I should tell this person, don't pray for
S2: me in tongues, in a language.
S1: I would just say pray for me in English language.
S1: God hears that too. And and I understand that. That's
S1: what I would say.
S2: Why? Why and how do people do that?
S1: Well, that's a that's more than I can do right now. Barbara,
S1: you hang on. We'll come back and talk about that
S1: when we come back. Okay. We're going to take a
S1: break here. And when we come back, we'll talk about
S1: why do people do that? Uh, why do people pray
S1: in tongues and what are they doing when they do that? Uh,
S1: when we come back, we'll talk about that. You're listening
S1: to Open Line with Michael Ray Melnick And this is, uh,
S1: time for you to call (877) 548-3675 to get your question in.
S1: We'll be right back. So stay with us. Welcome back
S1: to Open Line. So glad you're listening today. I really
S1: appreciate it. Uh, well, we were just talking. Did we
S1: lose our our caller, Omar? Oh, there we go. Uh,
S1: Barbara listening in Ohio. Hey, Barbara. Welcome back. Uh, you
S1: were asking. Let's see if I understand your question. We
S1: talked about you wanted to know if when someone prayed
S1: over you. Surprisingly, when they prayed in tongues. Was that demonic? Yes. Uh,
S1: and I said no. And then you want to know? Well,
S1: why would she do it? Let me again reiterate. I
S1: think the best thing to do is just as I'm
S1: trying to find the verse in first Corinthians where Paul
S1: says that we can't say Amen if we don't understand
S1: what a person is saying. And I know I was
S1: having trouble finding it because I was looking in the
S1: book of Romans, even though I was really supposed to
S1: be looking in Corinthians. Uh uh. It says, uh, that
S1: it's not expected that we understand it. Uh, that, uh,
S1: the person who prophesies is greater than the person who
S1: speaks in tongues or languages, unless he interprets so that
S1: the church may be built up. Uh, uh, it says, uh,
S1: it keeps emphasizing the need for understanding, uh, unless you
S1: use your tongue for intelligible speech. How? Well, what is
S1: spoken be known. Um. and, uh, I think that's, uh, important.
S1: It says, uh, that the person who speaks in another
S1: language should pray that he can interpret. For if I
S1: pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding
S1: is unfruitful, then first Corinthians 1416. Otherwise, if you prays
S1: with the spirit, how will the uninformed person or the
S1: person who doesn't understand say Amen at your giving of thanks,
S1: since he since he doesn't know what you're saying? Uh,
S1: I think that's a key for this. So that's why
S1: based on that, since there was no interpretation, I don't
S1: think there could be interpretation. Uh, the best thing to
S1: do when someone prays, if someone came up and wanted
S1: to pray for me in tongues. This is a true story.
S1: I was walking in the aisles many years ago in
S1: a grocery store, and I ran into a person that
S1: turned out they were believers and they said, can I
S1: pray in tongues for you. I said, no, uh, you
S1: can pray in English for me. I'm happy for that. Uh,
S1: or pray in other language. You know, I said, if
S1: you know Yiddish, I understand that pray in Yiddish, but, uh,
S1: pray in Hebrew. But don't pray in a language I
S1: don't understand. Well, they couldn't pray in any of those languages,
S1: so they prayed in English. I would say that's the
S1: best thing. If someone started praying in tongues, uh, that, uh,
S1: I would just ask them to pray in a language
S1: I understand. What is this? Why are they doing this?
S1: That's what you wanted to know, right? Barbara? Uh, tongues
S1: in in the Bible are real languages. They're not just
S1: mere ecstatic utterances. Now, one of the things that I
S1: have seen, and this is proven in a variety of ways, uh,
S1: is that when we disconnect our thoughts from our speech, Beach.
S1: It comes out and it sounds exactly like tongues and
S1: it's interesting. Back in the day, when people were praying
S1: for me to receive the gift of tongues, they kept
S1: telling me not to think anything, to empty my mind
S1: and just let the sounds that are in my mouth
S1: come out. And I think that can happen. I don't
S1: think it's wicked. I don't think it's demonic. It's just
S1: sort of an ecstatic utterance separating thought from speech. And
S1: that's how it comes out. Doesn't show any sign of
S1: true language, according to linguists. Now, the only danger I
S1: can see there is a woman in my very first
S1: congregation who prayed in this ecstatic utterance so much she
S1: couldn't pray in her own language, English. She couldn't pray.
S1: She just couldn't do it. And the only way that
S1: she could be helped be helped was to write out
S1: her prayers. And that's how she disciplined herself to learn
S1: how to pray. prayer. Pray so I wouldn't be afraid
S1: of it. I would just ask someone not to pray
S1: over me in tongues. Uh, now I'm going to say
S1: one last thing, Barbara. There may be people here just
S1: falling off their chairs because they get so upset because
S1: they are really committed to tongues, I understand that. I
S1: just want to say this is my opinion as I
S1: understand it from the scriptures. And, uh, I love these
S1: people who might disagree with me about this. I know
S1: you do too. We just, uh. I'm just trying to
S1: say this is my opinion. This is the advice I'm
S1: giving you. And if you if a person out there
S1: is disagreeing with me, well, that's that's fine. We can
S1: disagree without being disagreeable. Okay?
S3: I was just scared of it.
S2: I didn't understand it, and I still am scared of it.
S2: I've never heard it before.
S1: Well, there's no need to be scared. There's just. Just
S1: give your get your your, uh, holy chutzpah up your
S1: your your boldness and say, oh, I appreciate you praying
S1: for me, but please pray in a language I understand
S1: so I can understand it and say Amen. Okay.
S2: One just really quick question. Does the language come from
S2: the Holy Spirit inside this person?
S1: No, I think it's not the Holy Spirit. I think
S1: it's from the person themself.
S2: Okay. All right.
S1: Now people, people who pray in tongues think it is
S1: from the Holy Spirit, but I don't. Okay. I think
S1: it's just from themselves. Okay.
S3: All right.
S2: Thank you very much. You have a wonderful day.
S1: Sure. You too. We're going to speak with Brooke in Indianapolis, Indiana,
S1: listening on WGN. Welcome to Open Line, Brooke. How can
S1: I help you?
S4: Hello. I was having a discussion with my son this week.
S4: He's eight. He wanted to know when the curtain tore
S4: at the temple. When Jesus died. Was there any piece
S4: of it left? And then I had a follow up question.
S4: When did the Jewish people know to stop sacrificing? Or
S4: do they know immediately from the curtain tearing to stop
S4: sacrificing animals? Or did it take a while?
S1: The answer to the first question is no documented discussion
S1: in rabbinic literature or Josephus about the temple curtain being torn. Uh,
S1: there's no discussion about it, so I can't answer that question.
S1: I presume they fixed it, you know, but I, I don't,
S1: I don't know. There's nothing about it that I can
S1: speak about it. Uh, and when did they stop sacrificing? Uh,
S1: you can even see in the book of acts there
S1: are still sacrifices in the temple. In the book of Hebrews.
S1: It talks about Hebrews, I believe was written to people
S1: in Jerusalem, Jewish people in Jerusalem in the early 60s,
S1: and it talks in the book of Hebrews about sacrifices
S1: still being offered.
S4: Okay.
S1: So when did sacrifice stop? Uh, in AD 70, when
S1: the temple was destroyed by the Romans. That's when the
S1: sacrifices stopped. Okay.
S3: Okay.
S4: Yeah. Thank you.
S1: Yeah. Uh, tell tell your son. You know, there's some
S1: things we just don't know the answer to. And, uh,
S1: you know, it's it's really not that important for us.
S1: We know that Jesus sacrifice paid our debts, and. Yeah.
S1: Whether other people saw that with a torn curtain, we
S1: don't know. Okay.
S4: Okay. Yeah.
S5: Thank you. Okay.
S1: Great. Thanks for your call. Uh, Steven in Sarasota, Florida,
S1: listening on. Welcome to Open Line. How can I help
S1: you today?
S6: Hi, doctor. Thanks so much for having me. Um, okay.
S6: I wonder if you had any tips for witnessing to
S6: a Jewish friend. Um, and I'm Jewish. I mean, Jewish, national,
S6: not Jewish. By who? Um, expresses to me that she
S6: has no, um, no interest or sense of desire Or
S6: in any way, shape or form for God. And never
S6: has she felt no inclination toward God. She was raised
S6: in a sort of a communal situation, as she's just
S6: she describes it. She's a brilliant artist with a lot
S6: of kind of Facebook followers and things. And we're both artists,
S6: so we share that. And that's how I know her. Um,
S6: but she has become increasingly expressive and passionate about Jewish affairs,
S6: especially with regard to this kind of, um, overwhelming anti-Semitism
S6: worldwide and nationally. Um, so that's that's I guess that's
S6: how I describe the challenges or I don't I'm at
S6: a loss because I don't know what it's like not
S6: to have spiritual desire.
S1: Okay, here's here's the thing. I would say, first of all,
S1: we never want to beat someone over the head that's
S1: not spiritually interested. What we have to do is create
S1: a desire for it. That's why our language should be
S1: like seasoned with salt. Make someone thirsty for what we
S1: have to say. Also, Romans 1111 says, salvation has come
S1: to the Gentiles to make Jewish people jealous. So what
S1: that means is we need to live our life in
S1: such a way, to be so loving, to be an
S1: example of a Gentile that doesn't hate Jewish people. That
S1: your friend's going to say, Steven, why are you so different?
S1: And then you can talk about your faith. Uh, live
S1: your life in such a way that it creates her.
S1: It gives you an opportunity because she will ask you
S1: the questions. Okay. We'll be back in just a moment,
S1: so stay with us. This is open line with Michael Radonich.
S1: And we're back. This is open line with Michael Ray.
S1: And joining me right now for the Febc mailbag is
S1: Tricia McMillan. We're so grateful that Far Eastern Broadcasting Company
S1: is part of the Open Line team. Uh, they they
S1: partner with us to bring you the weekly Febc mailbag.
S1: Febc is a wonderful organization that brings the good news
S1: to people via media and personal engagement. I think that's crucial.
S1: They have people, not just radio waves going out there
S1: with message, but people who follow up. I think that's
S1: a wonderful group. Uh, check out Febc by going to Febc.
S1: Org and you can also check out their uh, podcast
S1: called Until All Have Heard by going to your favorite, uh, local, uh,
S1: wherever you get your favorite podcasts or go to their website. Uh. Now,
S1: joining me as I said, is Tricia McMillan. She's the, uh,
S1: the queen of the questions here. Uh, I'm so grateful, Tricia,
S1: that you're still part of our team.
S7: Yes. Me too.
S1: Uh, yeah. And, uh, we we do. I think this
S1: is kind of interesting. People think that we're just on
S1: the air together on Saturdays, but we do a lot
S1: of stuff together. You know, we we sometimes do pre-records
S1: during the week. Uh, I get to be on Chris
S1: Fabry once a month, and you're always in charge of that,
S1: making sure that happens.
S7: That's a different program that we have on Moody Radio. Yes. Chris.
S7: Debris live.
S1: Um, yeah. Uh, and, uh, I think that's kind of
S1: kind of wonderful. I appreciate the whole team. And, uh,
S1: I think it's it's fun time to be part of
S1: the team. And people often, I think it's interesting, a
S1: lot of people who write to me on Open Line
S1: say they appreciate the whole team, and they even include
S1: Eva in the team who's on occasionally. So I appreciate
S1: that because she's the one texting me the answers anyway.
S1: That's right. So, uh, anyway, uh, I appreciate all the
S1: members of the team, all the listeners and also the
S1: people who are part of the team by being our
S1: kitchen table partners. And what they do is they give
S1: monthly so we can be on the air weekly. And
S1: one of the things we do for our kitchen table
S1: partners is we give them a we send them a
S1: Bible study moment every other week. And that Bible study
S1: moment is a little brief Bible study about eight minutes long,
S1: 7 or 8 minutes, sometimes ten minutes. We've been doing something.
S1: Have you did have you been listening to these Bible
S1: study moments lately?
S7: I have been.
S1: I think.
S7: They're kind of encouraging.
S1: Uh, it's Eva and me. We've been going through the
S1: book of Ephesians and, uh, uh, we we we just
S1: started we recorded a whole bunch that will be coming
S1: up in weeks ahead on Ephesians three. So that's been
S1: a lot of fun for us going through the book
S1: of Ephesians. Uh, eight minutes at a time, you know? Yeah, yeah. Well,
S1: if people are interested in becoming a, uh, kitchen table partner,
S1: all you have to do is call 44. 7122. Or
S1: you can just go to open line radio.org. And by
S1: the way, we really, really do appreciate it. It really
S1: is very, very meaningful to us and we're grateful.
S7: I do want to say we've had a couple, um,
S7: we revamped our email system and that we do. And
S7: so I know a few people have emailed and said, hey,
S7: I haven't gotten them in a couple months. If that's you,
S7: sometimes you don't notice because it is just every other week,
S7: but please email us and just say, hey, I haven't
S7: seen these. Check your spam folder first. But but if
S7: you don't see them, um, send us an email at
S7: openline at or through the contact form on our website,
S7: which is Openline radio, and just let me know and
S7: I will forward that to who needs to see that to,
S7: to make sure that if you are already a kitchen
S7: table partner, that you are getting those because we want
S7: you to.
S1: And of course, I think one of the cool things
S1: is if you've missed a couple and then we send
S1: you the link again, uh, you can get in there
S1: and listen to past.
S7: Yeah.
S1: Uh, past.
S7: You can listen to the past. Several. Yeah.
S1: Yep. Yep. That's that's kind of fun. So. Well, listen,
S1: let's let's take some of these questions people sent in.
S7: All right? Our first question is from Judith in Illinois.
S7: She listens to WNBA and wants to know is first
S7: Thessalonians four verses 13 to 18 the only reference to
S7: the rapture in the Bible?
S1: No, uh, there's, uh, first Corinthians 15, which says that
S1: we'll all be changed in the twinkling of an eye.
S1: And that's a reference to the rapture. It's it's they're
S1: talking about in the section about the resurrection. Uh, and
S1: then it says, we shall all be changed. It's not
S1: talking about the nursery at church that we shall all
S1: be changed. It's it's we're going to be transformed. We're
S1: either going to be resurrected or will be raised up.
S1: And that's in first Corinthians 15. I'm trying to find
S1: the exact verse, Uh, but, uh, that's where it is.
S1: And it's, it's crucial to know that that's what it's
S1: talking about. I also believe in Matthew 24. Now, a
S1: lot of people who believe in the pre-tribulational rapture, as
S1: I do, don't agree with me about this, but I
S1: think we're in Matthew 24 where it talks about two people,
S1: two men in a field, one is taken or um, uh,
S1: that that's a reference to the rapture as well. So.
S7: Uh, the First Corinthians was uh, 1551 and 52 talks
S7: about we'll all be changed in the twinkling of an eye.
S1: That's the rapture. Exactly. And then, uh, I was going
S1: to have to read the whole chapter to get to
S1: verse 51.
S7: Yes. You would.
S1: Uh, and then, uh, Matthew 24, where it talks about
S1: the rapture. No one knows the day or hour. And
S1: it says, uh, that there will be, uh, two men
S1: will be in the field. One will be taken, one left. That's, uh, acts. Uh,
S1: Matthew 2440. And then, uh, verse 41, two women will
S1: be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and
S1: one left. Therefore, be alert since you don't know what
S1: day your Lord is coming. I think that is a
S1: reference to the rapture.
S7: Okay. So and again, that first Thessalonians 413 to 18
S7: is a is a big one that people will reference.
S1: But and people will say, well, the word rapture doesn't
S1: appear in the Bible, and I agree it doesn't. But
S1: then again, it does because in first Thessalonians four, uh,
S1: which I like to call the great snatch, uh, where
S1: it says in verse, I'm turning my pages once again. Uh,
S1: there it talks about that we'll be snatched. And the
S1: Greek word is the word that we get rapture from,
S1: not the Greek word, the Latin word that was translated into.
S1: And that was something like wrapped. And then what happened
S1: was when they wrote about the rapture, they took it
S1: from the Latin, Latin translation. But actually it's the word
S1: harpazo in first Thessalonians 417, we who are still alive
S1: will be caught up or snatched together with them in
S1: the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And
S1: so we'll always be with the Lord. And so that
S1: word snatch, uh, or caught up, that is the word that's, uh,
S1: becomes the rapture.
S7: Okay. Okay. Thank you. Next question is from Ed, who
S7: listens online in Florida, says we're told that the rapture
S7: could happen at any time. He is looking at revelation
S7: five nine, which. Hold on, I did look this up
S7: ahead of time so that I could.
S1: I know revelation five nine.
S7: You know it from memory.
S1: Yes.
S7: Okay.
S1: It's that's about every tribe and tongue.
S7: Every tribe and tongue and people and nation. Um, so
S7: he wants to know, can you clarify what who this
S7: verse is referring to? Because mission agencies, um, who were
S7: doing mission work to share the gospel around the world,
S7: state that there are thousands of people, groups or tribes
S7: who have not yet heard, who've never heard the gospel
S7: message and still need to be reached. So would will
S7: all of those people here before the rapture comes, or
S7: do we know that?
S1: No, I don't think there's any condition that everyone needs
S1: to hear before the rapture. Revelation five nine is not
S1: talking about the rapture, uh, in any way, shape or form.
S1: What is happening here in revelation five is you have, uh,
S1: the verse that describes what it's like in heaven worshiping
S1: the lamb. And, uh, they saying he is worthy because
S1: he redeemed people for God by by your blood from
S1: every tribe, nation, tribe and language and people and nation.
S1: You made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
S1: and they will reign on the earth. All that's saying
S1: is that the Lord Jesus redeemed people and they're celebrating this.
S1: They're worshipping him for this, because what they're saying is
S1: he redeemed the people from the whole world. And that's
S1: true already true. It doesn't mean he's redeemed every person
S1: from every tribe and every tongue and nation. It's just
S1: saying that he has redeemed some from every tribe and
S1: tongue and nation all around the world. And, uh, every
S1: doesn't mean every last one any more than it means
S1: that everyone was going out to to hear John preach.
S1: It says that in John one, I believe everyone was
S1: going out to hear John the Baptist preach. Well, not everyone.
S1: It meant a lot. Most, uh, and so when it
S1: says every tribe and tongue and nation. It's only saying
S1: that the whole world there are going to be people saved.
S1: It doesn't mean that if there isn't someone from some
S1: tribe in the Amazon that never heard the gospel, that
S1: that that's not true.
S7: So okay, so will everyone. The questions are spinning in
S7: my head. So. So will everyone have a chance to believe.
S1: Everyone has a chance because of general revelation? Romans one
S1: says that God created the world in such a way
S1: that if anyone ever responds to the general revelation, the
S1: the creation revelation, that God is the creator, if they
S1: respond to that, I believe he'll send more. If you
S1: look at Romans one, it says that people are without
S1: an excuse because they, uh, they have general revelation. Here's
S1: what Romans 120 says. For his invisible attributes, that is,
S1: his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen
S1: since the creation of the world, being understood through what
S1: he has made. And as a result, people are without excuse.
S1: So everyone has general revelation that is sufficient to cause
S1: people to wonder why. If they respond to that, that's
S1: when God sends the missionaries.
S7: So okay.
S1: That's.
S7: Yeah, okay.
S1: Everyone has a chance in that sense.
S7: Yeah. Thank you.
S1: Well, are we going to take a break here or
S1: are we going to do more?
S7: Let's take a break. Go back to.
S1: Calls. Okay. We'll talk to you in a moment. You
S1: give us a call. (877) 548-3675. That was Tricia McMillan, the
S1: queen of the questions. Putting those together that you sent
S1: in to open line radio.org. And you posted them at
S1: ask Michael a question. Uh, I'm Michael. I'll be right
S1: back with more of your calls and questions in just
S1: a moment. So stay with us. Welcome back to Open Line.
S1: So glad to be with you today. Uh, you know,
S1: Chosen People Ministries, uh, is one of our partners that
S1: helped bring Open Line to you. And, uh, they want
S1: to encourage you to share the good news of the
S1: Messiah with your Jewish friends. And one of the most
S1: important ways to to do that is to understand and
S1: explain Isaiah 53 to people. Isaiah 53. It's actually 5213
S1: through 5312. And that passage is the most crucial aspect
S1: of talking about the Messiah in the Old Testament, because
S1: it not only reveals that Jesus is the Messiah, the
S1: suffering servant, but that he died for us as a
S1: substitution and was raised again. That's all in that wonderful passage,
S1: but people have a hard time understanding it, and so
S1: they are offering a free book. It's called interpreting or
S1: explaining Isaiah 53. And that passage is so crucial for us.
S1: And what they what that does in this little booklet
S1: is it goes through it verse by verse and explains
S1: what it means. It's one that you can read for yourself,
S1: so you can know better how to tell your Jewish
S1: friend about Isaiah 53. Or, uh, it's one that you
S1: can just pass on to your Jewish friend. It's written
S1: in a very sensitive, loving way, and that's helpful too.
S1: So if you'd like a copy of explaining Isaiah 53, uh,
S1: the best way to do that is just go to
S1: our website, openline radio.org. Scroll down until you see the
S1: link that says A free gift from Chosen People Ministries.
S1: Click on that and you'll be taken to a page
S1: where you can sign up for your own copy of
S1: this wonderful book about Isaiah 53. Uh, now we're going
S1: to talk to Mary Lynn in Seville, Ohio, listening on
S1: the app. Welcome to Open Line. Mary Lynn. How can
S1: I help you today?
S8: Thank you. Uh, by the way, I am a kitchen
S8: table partner, and I'm really looking forward to your current
S8: resource as a teacher, so I'm excited about that.
S1: That's so excellent. And I am so grateful, uh, that
S1: your kitchen table partner. It means so much to me.
S1: Thank you. So.
S8: Uh, I was just wondering if you could explain why
S8: the Israelites offered so many animals for single sacrifices. Uh,
S8: for example, when King Solomon offered all those animals for
S8: the dedication of the temple. It was 22,000 head of
S8: cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. And there's different times
S8: in Scripture that they offer several animals for sacrifice.
S5: Well.
S1: Uh, part of the sacrifice, part of the worship experience
S1: was the worship meal where the animal sacrifice was eaten.
S1: And I would suspect that not only were they giving
S1: generously to God, that's what sacrifices are, but also they
S1: had to feed a lot of people because all the
S1: people present at the dedication. So that's that's part of it.
S1: So okay.
S8: So did they burn the animals then or how did they.
S1: They burned the they they burned the, uh, the unclean
S1: portions like the, uh, the, the waste system and all
S1: that in animals. Those were brought outside the temple and
S1: and burned up. But the the animals themselves were sacrificed
S1: on the altar.
S8: Okay. And then when they were sacrificed on the altar,
S8: then they ate them.
S5: Mhm.
S1: Yeah.
S8: Okay. Oh that explains it. So it was used for
S8: food then.
S5: Yes. Okay. Okay. All right.
S8: I just pictured them burning that just that on the
S8: altar and that was it.
S1: No, no, just the unclean portions were taken out and burned. Okay.
S8: Okay. Thank you.
S5: Yeah. Good.
S1: Thanks for your call, Marilyn. Uh, we're going to talk to, uh,
S1: Craig in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Uh, listening. Also listening online. Appreciate that. Uh,
S1: how can I help you today, Craig?
S9: Thank you very much, Doctor Riddell. And I'd like to
S9: thank you also for. I started giving to chosen people,
S9: but I have learned through this all millennialism to appreciate
S9: the remnant in Israel so much more. I have two
S9: daughters that have fallen into this belief of the all millennialism,
S9: and I have been trying to, when I have talked
S9: to the one, um, tried to go from the Old Testament, uh,
S9: just because the promises so that it's not a metaphor
S9: in revelation or whatever else or whatever else they want
S9: to make it. But Zechariah 823, where ten men will
S9: grab Ahold of the cloak of a Jew. It distinguishes
S9: the Jew from the Gentile in the Millennial Kingdom. Zechariah
S9: 1210 tribulation pour out on David and all in Jerusalem,
S9: distinguishing between Israel And the Gentiles. And instead of having
S9: a replacement theology, uh, and millennial, uh, Isaiah 6520, where
S9: it's into the millennial kingdom for longer life, but there's
S9: still a curse of death. And those that don't make
S9: it to 100 are cursed. I'm trying to find out
S9: am I going the wrong direction? And am I misinterpreting
S9: these verses?
S1: Well, uh, let me just say, first of all, I'm
S1: glad your daughters are believers. And I wouldn't allow this
S1: to become a a big block between you and your daughters.
S1: You know, just this is not something to argue about. Uh,
S1: be grateful that they know the Lord, and and that's
S1: that's good news. If they ever want to discuss it, uh,
S1: you know, that's fine. Uh, but just do it in
S1: a loving way. And secondly, you asked the very right question.
S1: The reason, the difference, I think, between people who are
S1: millennial and those of us who believe in an actual,
S1: literal earthly kingdom with Israel at the center. Uh, well,
S1: that has to do with how we read the Bible.
S1: I believe that we should read progressively. So we start
S1: in the Old Testament, and we allow the Old Testament
S1: to inform our understanding of the New Testament. People who
S1: are a millennial. What they do is they take the
S1: New Testament and they read it back into the old.
S1: So they see the church in the New Testament, and
S1: then they see Israel in the old and say, the
S1: church is Israel. Uh, so, uh, it's the direction that
S1: they're reading. What you're doing is you're reading the Old Testament,
S1: taking it at face value as it was understood by
S1: those who wrote it, uh, and those who heard it originally.
S1: And now when you come to the New Testament, that
S1: informs your reading and it explains what different passages mean
S1: in the New Testament. So I think that's the right
S1: direction to read it. You're doing fine, Craig. Just make
S1: sure that you keep loving those girls, okay? Don't, uh,
S1: don't give up on them. Uh, be grateful they know
S1: the Lord. And, wow, that's the first hour. It's gone
S1: so fast. So glad that you are, uh, here, but
S1: stick around for the second hour. Uh, it's on most
S1: of these stations. If your station doesn't carry it, you
S1: can always listen online. Or you can check out the
S1: Moody Radio app or even catch the podcast afterwards during
S1: the break. Check out our website, openlibrary.org. It's got all
S1: the links you're looking for, whether it's how to become
S1: a kitchen table partner, how to give a gift so
S1: you can get our current resource, or the Chosen People resource.
S1: The Bible study across America will continue in the second hour,
S1: so stay with us. Open line with Doctor Michael Melnick
S1: is a production of Moody Radio ministry of Moody Bible Institute.
S1: We'll be right back.