WEBVTT - Pastors' Perspective-10/20/26 0:00:15.150 --> 0:00:18.349 Hello and welcome to another episode of Pastor's Perspective. I'm 0:00:18.349 --> 0:00:21.709 Michael David in for Brian Perez. On today's program, we 0:00:21.709 --> 0:00:25.550 have Brian Broderson. He is pastor emeritus at Calvary Chapel 0:00:25.550 --> 0:00:28.349 Costa Mesa in Southern California. You can get more information 0:00:28.349 --> 0:00:32.710 about him at echoesofmercy.com. On the program, we also have 0:00:32.710 --> 0:00:36.540 Phil Metzger from Calvary, San Diego, and the website for 0:00:36.540 --> 0:00:41.020 Calvary San Diego is CalvarySD.com. Brian and Phil, thanks for 0:00:41.019 --> 0:00:42.110 being on the program today. 0:00:43.360 --> 0:00:47.119 Uh, thank you, David, and you mentioned that Phil looks 0:00:47.119 --> 0:00:48.100 AI today. 0:00:49.860 --> 0:00:51.678 No, well, now listen, what I see right now is 0:00:51.679 --> 0:00:54.389 that me and Michael look like basically twins. 0:00:54.520 --> 0:00:56.909 Twins can't tell us apart. Only our mother can tell 0:00:56.909 --> 0:00:59.380 us apart. Yes, yeah, only a mother can tell us apart. 0:00:59.749 --> 0:01:02.959 But you have the, the background that matches your shirt, Phil. 0:01:03.040 --> 0:01:04.240 I think that's why. And 0:01:04.240 --> 0:01:06.229 the funny part is it's just a like a white 0:01:06.229 --> 0:01:09.458 light behind me, but it looks like my shirt. You're right, it's. 0:01:11.209 --> 0:01:17.000 And Michael's got that wonderful roof of the industrial building 0:01:17.000 --> 0:01:19.508 across the street with some telephone poles. 0:01:19.929 --> 0:01:21.889 See, now, here's the thing, Brian. I don't see any 0:01:21.890 --> 0:01:25.219 of that. I only, I get just a tiny little frame, right? 0:01:25.289 --> 0:01:26.070 And so 0:01:26.479 --> 0:01:26.889 he looks, 0:01:27.009 --> 0:01:29.240 he's a good looking dude in my screen right now. 0:01:29.688 --> 0:01:32.328 I, I've been thinking I gotta talk to Brian Perez. 0:01:32.408 --> 0:01:34.689 It's like we have got to fix your background because 0:01:34.688 --> 0:01:35.810 it's really. 0:01:36.520 --> 0:01:40.559 It's just looks poor. It just, it's not, it's not 0:01:40.560 --> 0:01:41.219 a good look. 0:01:44.089 --> 0:01:46.049 I like it. I like it. I like it. I 0:01:46.048 --> 0:01:46.759 like his background. 0:01:48.399 --> 0:01:50.079 You like those telephone poles back then? 0:01:51.159 --> 0:01:53.960 Those air conditioners on that roof over there. I mean, 0:01:54.039 --> 0:01:57.039 come on. Well, it's real. It's kind of industrial, strong, 0:01:57.159 --> 0:02:00.820 you know, this is a powerful, yeah, this is an 0:02:01.280 --> 0:02:03.100 industrial strength program. 0:02:04.530 --> 0:02:09.130 We're here at the, the Bible industrial complex, ready to 0:02:09.250 --> 0:02:11.270 wage war on the devil. 0:02:12.829 --> 0:02:15.310 Yes, indeed. Yes. And if you want to talk to 0:02:15.310 --> 0:02:23.749 Pastor Brian and Pastor Phil, the number is 888-564-6173. Again, 888-564-6173. 0:02:23.820 --> 0:02:26.189 We'll be here till 4 o'clock Pacific time. We'd like 0:02:26.189 --> 0:02:28.150 to answer your question on the Bible, the Christian faith, 0:02:28.159 --> 0:02:31.309 and how to live the Christian life. We'll start with Mr. 0:02:31.350 --> 0:02:35.460 Paul in Richland, Washington, while listening to us on YouTube 0:02:35.840 --> 0:02:38.169 and watching us on YouTube. Paul, welcome to the program. 0:02:39.829 --> 0:02:43.189 Um, normally I watch you on YouTubeTube. I'm just talking 0:02:43.189 --> 0:02:45.070 to you from my phone right now, so I can't 0:02:45.070 --> 0:02:49.040 see you handsome fellows there. That, that's, that's just as good, 0:02:49.109 --> 0:02:49.590 I think. 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:55.559 Yes, your voices are beautiful equally. Oh thank you, as, 0:02:55.639 --> 0:02:58.309 as is yours. So thank you, Paul. Uh, you're very, 0:02:58.480 --> 0:03:01.559 you're very kind. Um, yeah, my, my question is like 0:03:01.559 --> 0:03:05.400 a two point question. One question like, uh, um, I 0:03:05.400 --> 0:03:06.880 know you guys will sort it out and then I'll 0:03:06.880 --> 0:03:09.639 hang up and listen to your guys' answer, um. 0:03:10.499 --> 0:03:13.340 And I'm so thankful for all of you. Um, is 0:03:13.340 --> 0:03:15.630 being filled with the spirit. 0:03:16.260 --> 0:03:18.999 The same as coming. 0:03:19.799 --> 0:03:24.199 As the spirit coming upon a person and um also 0:03:24.199 --> 0:03:25.439 with that, um. 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:29.960 Is this my provision as an adopted son of God 0:03:29.960 --> 0:03:33.520 that I may have the Acts, um, chapter 1 verse 8, 0:03:33.630 --> 0:03:36.579 filling and empowering anytime by simply asking? 0:03:37.309 --> 0:03:39.070 And then I'll hang up now and we'll listen to 0:03:39.070 --> 0:03:41.630 the wonderful answer and thank you. Oh wait, wait, Paul, Paul, 0:03:41.719 --> 0:03:43.189 we might need you to hang on because the pastors 0:03:43.189 --> 0:03:44.689 might need to follow up. Can you hang on, Paul? 0:03:46.279 --> 0:03:48.469 OK, thank you. Please hold. All right, uh, Brian, we'll 0:03:48.469 --> 0:03:49.020 start with you. 0:03:51.079 --> 0:03:55.270 Um, it does, it does seem, yes, in Acts chapter 1, 0:03:55.430 --> 0:04:00.199 verse 8 that you mentioned, you know, Jesus says that 0:04:00.199 --> 0:04:01.840 the Holy Spirit will come upon you. 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:05.130 Um, not many days from now, and you will be 0:04:05.130 --> 0:04:09.850 witnesses to me and so forth. And then the event 0:04:09.850 --> 0:04:17.270 that Jesus prophesized happens on the day of Pentecost, and 0:04:17.270 --> 0:04:20.680 it says regarding the people on the day of Pentecost, 0:04:20.689 --> 0:04:23.270 and they were all filled with the Spirit and spoke 0:04:23.270 --> 0:04:27.840 with other tongues. So Jesus says the Spirit's coming upon you, um, 0:04:27.969 --> 0:04:31.049 and actually the term baptism is used in that context 0:04:31.049 --> 0:04:32.169 there in chapter one. 0:04:32.589 --> 0:04:35.710 And then when it actually happens, it's referred to as 0:04:35.710 --> 0:04:40.470 a filling. So I do think that there's, uh, you know, 0:04:40.520 --> 0:04:47.069 it's somewhat synonymous, you know, maybe slightly different, but overlapping, um, 0:04:49.549 --> 0:04:51.310 Yeah, I, I mean, I mean, you know, there, there 0:04:51.310 --> 0:04:53.289 is a big theological debate about whether 0:04:54.219 --> 0:04:57.669 Uh, you know, the baptism of the spirit is something 0:04:57.669 --> 0:05:01.509 that happens to every believer upon conversion, or is the 0:05:01.508 --> 0:05:06.419 baptism of the spirit that happens subsequent to conversion could be, 0:05:06.529 --> 0:05:12.229 you know, in the same, um, moments or in some cases, 0:05:12.310 --> 0:05:15.270 some people would say, oh, it's, it's something that could 0:05:15.270 --> 0:05:19.669 be delayed by years for whatever the case. Um, I, 0:05:19.750 --> 0:05:22.448 I tend to see them as more or less synonymous. 0:05:23.329 --> 0:05:24.008 Phil, what do you think? 0:05:25.068 --> 0:05:27.948 Yeah, I think that's, um, yeah, and it's funny, I'm 0:05:27.948 --> 0:05:31.750 just getting prepared to teach John 20 when Jesus breathed 0:05:31.750 --> 0:05:35.829 on the disciples, right? And so there's these like several 0:05:35.829 --> 0:05:37.299 kind of instances that 0:05:38.180 --> 0:05:40.779 Yeah, there, there's a theological persuasion that likes to kind 0:05:40.779 --> 0:05:44.489 of separate them out very distinctly, right? Very like clear, 0:05:44.539 --> 0:05:46.740 kind of like, this means this and this means this, 0:05:46.818 --> 0:05:49.139 but I think if we just read the, you know, 0:05:49.180 --> 0:05:51.460 if you read John and you read Acts, what you, 0:05:51.568 --> 0:05:54.059 and then you read what Paul writes about the filling 0:05:54.060 --> 0:05:58.289 of the spirit and the, the importance of daily filling, really, 0:05:58.579 --> 0:06:00.419 what I think you're left with is the idea that 0:06:00.419 --> 0:06:04.859 like God so loves his people that he is in us, 0:06:05.258 --> 0:06:07.879 He is with us, and he is upon us. 0:06:08.419 --> 0:06:12.068 And, um, you know, um, where like maybe some theological 0:06:12.068 --> 0:06:14.089 persuasions would say, no, once you're filled with the spirit, 0:06:14.128 --> 0:06:16.270 that's it, you don't need to ask anymore, you don't 0:06:16.270 --> 0:06:17.250 need to do anything else. 0:06:18.250 --> 0:06:21.090 Our particular persuasion says, no, we, we love the idea 0:06:21.089 --> 0:06:24.650 that we get to keep asking for more of God. Um, 0:06:24.810 --> 0:06:27.909 whether we like believe that like you have to ask 0:06:27.909 --> 0:06:30.370 for God to fill you is different than we have 0:06:30.370 --> 0:06:32.909 the privilege of asking. We have the privilege of saying, God, 0:06:33.448 --> 0:06:33.729 fill me. 0:06:33.859 --> 0:06:36.340 afresh, right? And, and Paul wrote that and he used 0:06:36.339 --> 0:06:39.500 this kind of great kind of contrast, right? Do not 0:06:39.500 --> 0:06:43.099 be drunk with wine, but be constantly filled with the 0:06:43.099 --> 0:06:47.128 Holy Spirit. And so we're, we're invited in to, to 0:06:47.128 --> 0:06:49.479 ask God to fill us regularly. So, 0:06:49.779 --> 0:06:52.779 I'm less interested in trying to separate them out as like, well, 0:06:52.818 --> 0:06:55.539 is this this or is that that, and more like 0:06:55.539 --> 0:06:58.228 reminding Christians that like when you put your faith in Jesus, 0:06:58.460 --> 0:07:01.180 you have all of God. You, I mean, he has 0:07:01.180 --> 0:07:04.979 made himself fully at your, at our disposal, fully available 0:07:04.979 --> 0:07:08.060 to fill us with his power, fully available. We have 0:07:08.060 --> 0:07:10.370 everything that we would need to live a godly life, um, 0:07:10.419 --> 0:07:12.289 and the privilege is we get to ask for that, 0:07:12.299 --> 0:07:13.799 and so, um, 0:07:14.210 --> 0:07:15.650 Yeah, I don't know if that helps. I don't know 0:07:15.650 --> 0:07:17.770 if that helps our listener at all. Is he still on, 0:07:17.810 --> 0:07:17.930 or 0:07:17.930 --> 0:07:18.049 is 0:07:18.049 --> 0:07:20.329 he, did he hang up now? Paul, are you still there? 0:07:20.400 --> 0:07:23.578 Did that answer both of your questions? Oh my goodness, 0:07:23.650 --> 0:07:26.930 both of those guys are so right on. Yeah, Brian 0:07:26.930 --> 0:07:29.370 and Phil, and I, I just wanted to say thank 0:07:29.370 --> 0:07:32.410 you so much. Yes, I took notes and everything. And 0:07:32.410 --> 0:07:35.879 I also just wanted to say this last thing that, um, I, I, 0:07:35.970 --> 0:07:39.828 I did recognize the family resemblance a long time ago between, uh, 0:07:40.389 --> 0:07:41.680 Between Phil and Michael, so yeah, 0:07:42.840 --> 0:07:43.680 thank you. Love you guys. 0:07:46.109 --> 0:07:48.030 Thank you, Paul. You are the best. Thank you so 0:07:48.030 --> 0:07:52.030 much for calling at 888-564-6173. We'll also get uh uh 0:07:52.030 --> 0:07:54.780 some of those Facebook questions in, uh, that uh you 0:07:54.780 --> 0:07:58.539 can send to us at facebook.com/pastor's perspective, but we do 0:07:58.539 --> 0:08:03.069 prefer to hear the sound of your voice. So 888-564-6173. 0:08:03.150 --> 0:08:04.910 We're gonna start with Sharon in Oregon. 0:08:05.299 --> 0:08:08.739 She asked, why did God allow Satan to be in 0:08:08.740 --> 0:08:11.569 the Garden of Eden? OK, we'll start with Phil on 0:08:11.569 --> 0:08:13.579 that one. Why did God allow Satan to be in 0:08:13.579 --> 0:08:14.009 the Garden of 0:08:14.009 --> 0:08:14.429 Eden? 0:08:14.819 --> 0:08:16.650 It's a great question. It's kind of like, you know, 0:08:16.859 --> 0:08:18.960 there's a, there's a lesser question. It's like, why did 0:08:19.419 --> 0:08:22.139 Noah let mosquitoes on the ark, right? It's like, why 0:08:22.139 --> 0:08:25.039 do we have those little things, you know, and, and like, 0:08:25.299 --> 0:08:27.299 why is Satan allowed in the garden? If Satan would 0:08:27.299 --> 0:08:30.259 not have been there, then, you know, all these things, 0:08:30.340 --> 0:08:34.599 but we, we, well, we want to remember, like, for 0:08:35.690 --> 0:08:39.709 The fall of Adam and Eve wasn't only because of Satan, 0:08:39.810 --> 0:08:43.050 though he was the one tempting, but ultimately, you know, 0:08:43.160 --> 0:08:45.530 Adam and Eve made a choice to want to, they, 0:08:45.650 --> 0:08:47.650 they wanted more, they wanted something that they thought they 0:08:47.650 --> 0:08:50.280 were missing out, and the devil tempted them. Why did 0:08:50.280 --> 0:08:51.470 God allow them to? 0:08:52.100 --> 0:08:54.139 You know, here's the big kind of the one of 0:08:54.139 --> 0:08:56.860 the big theological reasons though it doesn't, it doesn't always 0:08:56.860 --> 0:08:59.699 make us feel better about the whole thing, but remember 0:08:59.699 --> 0:09:03.219 that like humanity, we've always been given the freedom of 0:09:03.220 --> 0:09:05.969 choice with God. He's never wanted to, even from the 0:09:05.970 --> 0:09:08.860 very beginning of creation, he's never wanted to force us 0:09:08.860 --> 0:09:13.410 to believe. He's never wanted, he didn't create us in 0:09:13.410 --> 0:09:15.869 such a way where we had no choice to. 0:09:16.470 --> 0:09:18.980 Uh, you know, where we're just a robot and uh 0:09:18.980 --> 0:09:21.199 it's forced to think the way that God tells us to, 0:09:21.270 --> 0:09:23.488 to do what God tells us to do. He wanted 0:09:23.489 --> 0:09:26.470 us to have choice and, and giving the devil a 0:09:26.470 --> 0:09:28.719 certain amount of kind of, um, 0:09:29.910 --> 0:09:33.869 Freedom, uh, enabled us to be able to choose, and 0:09:33.869 --> 0:09:35.710 we had the right to choose to say, no, we're 0:09:35.710 --> 0:09:39.389 gonna follow God. We, of course, humanity chose to sin 0:09:39.389 --> 0:09:42.829 against God. Um, God, you know, the Bible even tells 0:09:42.828 --> 0:09:44.339 us in the book of Job that there was a 0:09:44.340 --> 0:09:47.309 season where like the devil was having access to the, to, 0:09:47.480 --> 0:09:47.929 to heaven. 0:09:48.879 --> 0:09:50.699 The devil's coming up there and he's making all these 0:09:50.699 --> 0:09:54.360 accusations against, you know, against God and God's saying, have 0:09:54.360 --> 0:09:56.879 you seen my servant Job? And so, not only did 0:09:56.879 --> 0:10:00.040 he have access to the garden in that season, that 0:10:00.040 --> 0:10:02.078 time with Adam and Eve, but there was a season 0:10:02.078 --> 0:10:04.319 when he had access to the throne of God, and 0:10:04.319 --> 0:10:06.840 you think, boy, oh boy. But the Bible tells us 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:09.319 that he, that does not, that will not happen forever, 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:12.670 that he will be cast into hell for eternity, and, um, 0:10:12.679 --> 0:10:13.900 but that day has not yet come. 0:10:16.410 --> 0:10:18.069 And Brian, what would you say to that? Oh, I'd 0:10:18.069 --> 0:10:22.569 say that was, uh, the perfect answer. I couldn't add any, 0:10:23.160 --> 0:10:28.069 anything to it. All right, very good. And, uh, thank you, Sharon, 0:10:28.150 --> 0:10:30.030 for contacting us on Facebook from Oregon. 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:34.559 Uh, and, uh, on Facebook.com/pastor's perspective. Uh, again, you can 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:40.578 call us at 888-564-6173. Another, uh, Facebook question is Chris, 0:10:41.090 --> 0:10:46.009 Christopher Gann. He asked, is America Babylon in the scripture? 0:10:46.239 --> 0:10:49.710 I've been saying that for many years, the new Roman Empire, 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:52.900 not the old Roman Empire, which everyone keeps thinking. 0:10:53.720 --> 0:10:58.479 America was always called the new world, the new Roman Empire. 0:10:58.639 --> 0:11:00.879 What are your thoughts on that, uh, Brian? 0:11:02.280 --> 0:11:08.619 Uh, no, America is not the new Roman Empire or 0:11:09.199 --> 0:11:10.599 the new, um. 0:11:11.530 --> 0:11:15.129 Babylon, of course, um, America as we know it, the 0:11:15.129 --> 0:11:16.589 United States was. 0:11:17.309 --> 0:11:23.259 Uh, founded through, um, colonial powers originally part of the, 0:11:23.550 --> 0:11:28.910 you know, British colonies and some French and some Spanish, and, and, 0:11:29.030 --> 0:11:32.499 and then of course, you know, America gained its independence, 0:11:32.710 --> 0:11:37.429 the United States was formed and, um, and there was 0:11:37.429 --> 0:11:40.829 certainly uh on the on the part of some of 0:11:40.828 --> 0:11:44.988 the founders, there were, you know, they were experts in Roman. 0:11:45.660 --> 0:11:49.059 Law and philosophy and things like that. So there was 0:11:49.379 --> 0:11:52.420 a lot of influence, I, I think from ancient Greek 0:11:52.420 --> 0:11:56.059 and Roman society that went into the founding of the country. 0:11:56.179 --> 0:11:56.449 But 0:11:57.389 --> 0:12:02.119 Um, there's nothing biblical that would tie, uh, the US 0:12:02.119 --> 0:12:05.920 to the Roman Empire. Um, I, I personally think that 0:12:05.920 --> 0:12:09.400 the Roman Empire is yet to come. Again, that there's 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:15.340 a phase of it that still hasn't, um, emerged in history, 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:18.639 and I think it will be based in the same region, 0:12:18.800 --> 0:12:21.238 you know, that it was based in originally, which of 0:12:21.239 --> 0:12:24.400 course would be the Mediterranean area and and Europe. 0:12:24.840 --> 0:12:28.879 Um, but then Babylon, uh, you know, Babylon was, was 0:12:28.879 --> 0:12:29.479 a Babylon. 0:12:30.249 --> 0:12:32.829 And uh Babylon was. 0:12:33.499 --> 0:12:39.850 You know, founded centuries even before Nebuchadnezzar, he's the most 0:12:39.850 --> 0:12:43.009 well known for people biblically, of course, he's the most 0:12:43.009 --> 0:12:48.819 well known Babylonian king. And then, uh, after his reign 0:12:48.819 --> 0:12:53.030 in the reign of his grandson Belshazzar, the, the Medes, uh, 0:12:53.100 --> 0:12:57.339 conquered Babylon. And then, of course, the Medes were ultimately 0:12:57.340 --> 0:13:01.059 conquered by the Greeks, and then the Romans, you know, 0:13:01.170 --> 0:13:02.050 came after the Greeks. 0:13:02.780 --> 0:13:09.860 And, uh, but Babylon itself, interestingly, Babylon remained as a 0:13:09.860 --> 0:13:14.900 significant city for a long, long time. So the predictions 0:13:14.900 --> 0:13:20.410 in scripture about the destruction of Babylon, um, were never fulfilled. 0:13:20.499 --> 0:13:23.980 In the New Testament period, Babylon is still existing and 0:13:23.980 --> 0:13:27.689 Jews live in Babylon. There's what's called the Babylonian Talmud, 0:13:28.059 --> 0:13:31.020 which is, you know, Jewish literature that was written by 0:13:31.020 --> 0:13:32.259 the Jews that remained in. 0:13:32.739 --> 0:13:38.759 In Babylon. So, um, there could be, um, a future Babylon. 0:13:38.860 --> 0:13:41.739 There could be a future rise of Babylon. But, but 0:13:41.739 --> 0:13:44.160 I think in the, in the sense of a system 0:13:44.259 --> 0:13:49.139 that is idolatrous and contrary to God, of course, you 0:13:49.139 --> 0:13:53.900 can find that in in most places. Um, some people 0:13:53.900 --> 0:13:56.259 have said, well, the US for sure because of our 0:13:56.259 --> 0:14:00.150 prosperity and because of the wickedness and so forth. Um, 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:00.499 but 0:14:01.530 --> 0:14:05.280 Uh, sorry for rambling on, but rambling, this is good stuff, 0:14:05.650 --> 0:14:08.009 good stuff. No, it's not. The US is not the 0:14:08.009 --> 0:14:12.290 Roman Empire, nor is it Babylon, unless Phil knows something 0:14:12.290 --> 0:14:13.488 that I don't know, so. 0:14:14.879 --> 0:14:16.059 Yes, yes, 0:14:17.199 --> 0:14:19.239 no, I thought that was a great answer. I think 0:14:19.239 --> 0:14:21.319 I like what you said there like if you wanna 0:14:21.319 --> 0:14:25.480 like talk about a system, right, like then that system 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:29.280 exists everywhere, absolutely everywhere, and so. 0:14:29.619 --> 0:14:32.340 And I don't think that's actually a wrong usage to 0:14:32.340 --> 0:14:34.249 use that. Like it's a, it was kind of like, 0:14:34.259 --> 0:14:37.660 you gotta remember that was like code for Christians and 0:14:37.660 --> 0:14:40.860 you know, religious people knew what John meant when he 0:14:40.860 --> 0:14:43.780 would write about Babylon, right? That like maybe the world 0:14:43.780 --> 0:14:45.980 system didn't know. And so I would say it's the 0:14:45.980 --> 0:14:47.770 same thing today when we say things like, oh, it's 0:14:47.770 --> 0:14:51.179 so idolatrous, it's so, it's just like Babylon. All we're 0:14:51.179 --> 0:14:54.730 doing is, is pointing out to a system that's godless, 0:14:54.819 --> 0:14:57.660 so to speak, and that's everywhere in the world. Great answer, Brian, 0:14:57.730 --> 0:14:58.360 that's good stuff. 0:14:59.090 --> 0:15:01.770 All right. Well, Christopher, thank you for contacting us on 0:15:01.770 --> 0:15:06.530 Facebook.com/pastor's perspective. Uh, let's, uh, go back to the phones 0:15:06.530 --> 0:15:11.009 now and, uh, talk to Alex from Oahu, Hawaii, who 0:15:11.009 --> 0:15:15.470 called us at 888-564-6173. Alex, welcome to the program. 0:15:16.999 --> 0:15:19.479 Hey guys, uh, thanks for having me, um. 0:15:20.400 --> 0:15:23.410 Uh, my question here is, uh, that, you know, when 0:15:23.410 --> 0:15:26.210 someone asks me, uh, when I became a Christian, I 0:15:26.210 --> 0:15:30.689 always find it interesting of a question, but also wonder 0:15:30.689 --> 0:15:32.650 how to answer that, um, given that. 0:15:32.889 --> 0:15:36.129 You know, we were predestined and God chose us before 0:15:36.129 --> 0:15:39.249 the foundation of the earth. And then also I remember 0:15:39.249 --> 0:15:41.850 hearing about Jesus when I was a kid, doing the 0:15:41.850 --> 0:15:45.770 whole prayer, but maybe not feeling that, you know, my 0:15:45.770 --> 0:15:48.770 heart has changed. I feel like, you know, throughout my 0:15:48.770 --> 0:15:52.329 entire life there's moments even now becoming a Christian every 0:15:52.329 --> 0:15:55.360 single day. And so I guess how do you respond 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:58.720 to that and also how do we think about that 0:15:58.720 --> 0:15:59.420 in terms of 0:15:59.679 --> 0:16:04.239 Um, when we quote unquote are saved and have, you know, 0:16:04.520 --> 0:16:06.079 say that we have become a Christian. 0:16:07.020 --> 0:16:09.660 All right, uh, great question, Alex. We'll start with Phil 0:16:09.660 --> 0:16:11.040 on that one. What would you say to Alex? 0:16:12.319 --> 0:16:14.230 I mean, I guess Alex, if you wanna take like a, 0:16:14.400 --> 0:16:16.819 you know, like a really like kind of, you know. 0:16:17.439 --> 0:16:20.879 I don't know, like a strict reformed theological perspective, I 0:16:20.879 --> 0:16:22.999 would say, yeah, since the foundation of the world, right? 0:16:23.040 --> 0:16:24.840 I mean, that you could say that, you know, you 0:16:24.840 --> 0:16:27.100 could say, when were you born again? Well, since before, 0:16:27.439 --> 0:16:31.639 you know, before the ages, but I think most people 0:16:31.639 --> 0:16:33.800 when they're asking us, when did you become a Christian, 0:16:33.879 --> 0:16:38.520 they're kind of asking more like, when did your life truly, 0:16:38.559 --> 0:16:39.819 like when, when did 0:16:40.210 --> 0:16:42.489 You know, maybe in a sense, you know, maybe if you, 0:16:42.650 --> 0:16:44.869 I don't know if you're coming from like a reformed background, 0:16:45.329 --> 0:16:47.960 for you, I would say like, when did sanctification, you know, 0:16:48.170 --> 0:16:50.369 when were you justified or when, when were you sanctified 0:16:50.369 --> 0:16:52.329 really is what I would say like, for me, I 0:16:52.329 --> 0:16:55.129 got saved um when I was about 15 years old, 0:16:55.369 --> 0:16:58.290 and I would define it very easily. This is the 0:16:58.290 --> 0:17:01.360 moment when I recognized I could no longer live my 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:05.419 life without Jesus, that I, if I didn't make a decision. 0:17:05.999 --> 0:17:08.530 Um, and I'm, I do believe I was saved before 0:17:08.530 --> 0:17:10.689 the foundations of the world, right? God chose me before 0:17:10.689 --> 0:17:12.800 the foundation of the world, but I also know that 0:17:12.800 --> 0:17:15.879 there was a day when I very distinctly was like, 0:17:15.930 --> 0:17:18.280 I need God, I need him in my life, and 0:17:18.280 --> 0:17:22.129 I prayed and invited him in, and he, uh, he 0:17:22.129 --> 0:17:25.839 brought change, he brought transformation from that day forward. I've 0:17:25.839 --> 0:17:27.810 had a heck of a lot of bad days since 0:17:27.810 --> 0:17:29.790 then and a whole bunch of good days. 0:17:30.249 --> 0:17:34.170 Uh, I've walked in unsanctified ways and other times sanctified ways, 0:17:34.239 --> 0:17:36.939 but I think when people ask, when did you become 0:17:36.940 --> 0:17:39.570 a Christian, if you grew up in the church, you're 0:17:39.570 --> 0:17:41.420 in a really cool position to say, you know what, 0:17:41.540 --> 0:17:44.419 I grew up in the things of God, but I'll bet, 0:17:44.499 --> 0:17:47.089 I'll bet there's still a season of your life, even 0:17:47.089 --> 0:17:49.179 if it's not a one day, but a season of 0:17:49.180 --> 0:17:51.169 your life where like, this is when I really like 0:17:51.379 --> 0:17:54.940 truly committed myself to God. That to me is that 0:17:54.940 --> 0:17:56.780 what most people are asking when they ask, when did 0:17:56.780 --> 0:17:57.629 you become a Christian? 0:17:59.349 --> 0:18:01.709 Very good. Uh, Alex, did that answer your question? 0:18:03.599 --> 0:18:05.920 Yeah, I did. I think, you know, when I think 0:18:05.920 --> 0:18:09.399 about my own personal journey, it's, you know, I think 0:18:09.400 --> 0:18:11.399 I feel like when I was a kid I said 0:18:11.400 --> 0:18:13.638 those things and gave my life to Christ, and I 0:18:13.638 --> 0:18:16.119 don't know, you know, I still remember having, you know, 0:18:16.270 --> 0:18:19.609 guilt and those kind of like deeper thoughts and thinking 0:18:19.609 --> 0:18:21.580 that that might be from the Holy Spirit, but then, 0:18:21.849 --> 0:18:23.849 You know, there was a period of me, I feel 0:18:23.849 --> 0:18:25.849 like when I was I was growing up, I was 0:18:25.849 --> 0:18:29.089 still searching, and then, you know, gave my life to 0:18:29.089 --> 0:18:31.849 Christ again, and then there was a season where, you know, 0:18:31.930 --> 0:18:33.969 I quote unquote ran away thinking that I ran away 0:18:33.969 --> 0:18:36.450 from God, but God was always there and now bringing 0:18:36.450 --> 0:18:39.450 me back to Christ. I feel like I'm, I'm again 0:18:39.450 --> 0:18:42.450 having a new perspective where, you know, now I'm reading 0:18:42.719 --> 0:18:45.190 His word and it's like as if I'm reading it 0:18:45.249 --> 0:18:48.009 for the first time again. So I'm just wondering like, man. 0:18:48.479 --> 0:18:51.290 I mean, Christian, uh, or a follower of Christ every single, 0:18:51.400 --> 0:18:53.429 you know, 5 years, like what's going on here? Uh, 0:18:53.520 --> 0:18:57.280 or going back to my reformed, uh, kind of theological perspective, 0:18:57.330 --> 0:19:00.638 which is like, I was always, uh, in Christ, but 0:19:00.638 --> 0:19:03.679 maybe I'm just being sanctified in my own way. But yeah, 0:19:03.780 --> 0:19:05.599 I'm curious as to how to articulate that in my 0:19:05.599 --> 0:19:09.859 own head. We think of, um, think of Paul in 0:19:09.979 --> 0:19:14.638 uh Galatians where he talks about, um, the fact that 0:19:14.638 --> 0:19:17.919 he was separated from his mother's womb for the gospel. 0:19:18.450 --> 0:19:22.030 But then of course, he also talks about how he was, uh, 0:19:22.089 --> 0:19:25.849 persecuting the church, you know, he had excelled above his 0:19:25.849 --> 0:19:31.888 contemporaries in Judaism. His zeal for Judaism was so intense 0:19:31.888 --> 0:19:35.290 that he thought he should destroy Christians. So you, you know, 0:19:35.369 --> 0:19:39.209 you wouldn't say that Paul was saved during that season. Uh, 0:19:39.290 --> 0:19:42.009 but he could look back to see that, um, 0:19:42.839 --> 0:19:45.070 You know, like, of course, we all can because of 0:19:45.070 --> 0:19:48.280 what the scriptures tell us that it is really before 0:19:48.280 --> 0:19:50.800 the foundation of the world, but there, but there is 0:19:50.800 --> 0:19:54.638 the moment that we experience and so the, you know, 0:19:54.680 --> 0:19:59.420 the scripture uses the term saved in the past tense. 0:19:59.879 --> 0:20:02.599 And um I, I think I was reading Ephesians today, 0:20:02.680 --> 0:20:05.800 you know, where, where Paul is talking about, um, you know, 0:20:05.920 --> 0:20:08.718 you who are dead in your trespasses and sins. So that's, 0:20:08.839 --> 0:20:09.580 that's where you were. 0:20:10.400 --> 0:20:12.998 Uh, he has made alive together in Christ, for by 0:20:12.999 --> 0:20:15.859 grace you are saved through faith and not, not of yourself. So, 0:20:16.400 --> 0:20:18.999 you know, so there's definitely a place where you're not saved. 0:20:19.119 --> 0:20:22.478 You're dead in your trespasses and sin, but then you 0:20:22.479 --> 0:20:26.759 were made alive. And so I think that, um, like 0:20:26.759 --> 0:20:29.879 Phil said, I think, you know, when especially when, you know, 0:20:29.999 --> 0:20:32.999 somebody on the street ask you about this and you start, well, 0:20:33.119 --> 0:20:36.160 you know, before the foundation of the world, they're gonna 0:20:36.160 --> 0:20:39.680 be like, what? So, yeah, just keep it simple. 0:20:40.820 --> 0:20:43.739 Good advice. Very good advice. Well, Alex, thanks for contacting 0:20:43.739 --> 0:20:47.450 us from Oahu, Hawaii. One last thing though, Alex, because 0:20:47.450 --> 0:20:50.099 that Alex, that is great too, just to hear, you know, how, 0:20:50.300 --> 0:20:53.208 how God's been bringing you along in this journey. Um, 0:20:53.219 --> 0:20:53.790 I 0:20:54.550 --> 0:20:56.989 I became a Christian in the sense of, you know, 0:20:57.070 --> 0:20:58.489 the the life transformation. 0:20:59.469 --> 0:21:01.339 Um, when I was about 20. 0:21:02.180 --> 0:21:05.249 Um, but you know, it's funny, sometimes I think back 0:21:05.249 --> 0:21:07.258 to when I was like 12 or 13 and I 0:21:07.259 --> 0:21:10.899 went to this camp, a Christian camp. Um, I was 0:21:10.900 --> 0:21:15.859 basically raised Catholic, but I did go to this Christian camp, uh, 0:21:15.940 --> 0:21:19.859 for a weekend and I, I look back and I think, wow, 0:21:19.959 --> 0:21:24.060 I remember kind of really, you know, having an emotional 0:21:24.060 --> 0:21:25.270 time and asking, 0:21:25.729 --> 0:21:27.869 Jesus to forgive my sins and come into my life 0:21:28.050 --> 0:21:30.169 and I got home from the camp and I never 0:21:30.170 --> 0:21:35.969 thought about it again, but I did have this interesting 0:21:35.969 --> 0:21:39.968 experience as I went through my teen years where I 0:21:39.969 --> 0:21:46.520 seemed to have a conviction of sin that my friends 0:21:46.520 --> 0:21:50.129 did not share and I, I often look back and wonder, 0:21:50.209 --> 0:21:53.089 you know, what happened at that, you know, 12 or 0:21:53.089 --> 0:21:54.249 13th year. 0:21:54.900 --> 0:21:58.580 That, you know, did something happen that put that in 0:21:58.580 --> 0:22:01.859 me so that, you know, ultimately, of course, I, you know, 0:22:01.940 --> 0:22:04.978 I would come to Jesus, but um, yeah, some of 0:22:04.979 --> 0:22:06.499 it is a bit of a mystery. 0:22:08.609 --> 0:22:11.989 Very interesting, very interesting. And again, great answers, great insight. 0:22:12.050 --> 0:22:14.609 And again, thank you, Alex from Oahu, Hawaii. Uh, we're 0:22:14.609 --> 0:22:16.929 going to go from Hawaii to El Toro, California and 0:22:16.930 --> 0:22:19.469 talk to Irene. Irene, welcome to the program. 0:22:20.950 --> 0:22:21.469 Welcome. 0:22:22.940 --> 0:22:25.748 Thank you. Thank you for calling. How can we help you? 0:22:27.070 --> 0:22:30.849 I need prayer because I, I really need help because 0:22:30.859 --> 0:22:34.830 of a very personal pri personal private problem that I 0:22:34.830 --> 0:22:38.070 have that I'm not too sure that I can relate 0:22:38.070 --> 0:22:42.229 that information to anybody because it's something that only the 0:22:42.229 --> 0:22:43.560 Almighty God knows. 0:22:46.330 --> 0:22:51.080 Well, you're right. God does know and so we can. 0:22:52.099 --> 0:22:55.689 Pray for you. I don't know how to explain my situation. Yeah, uh, 0:22:55.989 --> 0:22:59.909 I'm an, I'm an important person where I invented all 0:22:59.910 --> 0:23:04.669 the music instruments, and I need the Almighty God to 0:23:04.670 --> 0:23:07.700 relate that information to the world and 0:23:08.239 --> 0:23:13.209 And I was able to pocket a U-Haul truck full 0:23:13.209 --> 0:23:17.810 of money in the 20th century. I gave that money 0:23:17.810 --> 0:23:22.109 to Prince Charles and I ended up in the street, 0:23:22.719 --> 0:23:26.690 and I'm at rock bottom because of it. OK, well, Brian, 0:23:26.749 --> 0:23:27.290 what would you say? 0:23:28.900 --> 0:23:33.330 Well, um, Irene, yeah, so, you know, we, we will 0:23:33.330 --> 0:23:36.060 pray for you and um. 0:23:37.900 --> 0:23:40.700 Yeah, we'll we'll pray for you. Uh, Lord, Lord, we 0:23:40.700 --> 0:23:45.979 pray for Irene and you know her plight, you know 0:23:45.979 --> 0:23:50.070 what is happening with her. Um, Lord, you know everything, all, 0:23:50.138 --> 0:23:56.300 all the details of her thinking process and all of 0:23:56.300 --> 0:23:57.499 that and and her. 0:23:58.349 --> 0:24:03.509 You know, physical circumstances and and so forth. So, uh, 0:24:03.520 --> 0:24:06.310 we pray that you would bring her the help she 0:24:06.310 --> 0:24:09.499 needs and you know what that is. So we commit 0:24:09.499 --> 0:24:13.550 her to you and we trust that because you're God, 0:24:13.670 --> 0:24:17.690 you're able to do, uh, things that we can't do. 0:24:18.030 --> 0:24:21.950 So we ask you to work in her life so 0:24:21.950 --> 0:24:24.468 that she can really know you in a way that will. 0:24:25.020 --> 0:24:28.659 Bring um healing and peace to her in Jesus' name. 0:24:29.320 --> 0:24:32.739 Amen. Amen. Thank you, Irene, for calling us from El Toro. 0:24:32.790 --> 0:24:35.239 We're going to go from El Toro to LA and 0:24:35.239 --> 0:24:37.679 talk to Lynn. Lynn, welcome to the program. 0:24:39.550 --> 0:24:43.379 Hi, how are you gentlemen today? I'm good. How are you? 0:24:44.410 --> 0:24:49.009 I'm doing well, thank you for taking my call. Um, 0:24:49.209 --> 0:24:51.060 I was, um, 0:24:51.859 --> 0:24:57.089 Listening to another program today and someone had written in 0:24:57.089 --> 0:25:03.339 a question about God's omniscience, and the question was, if 0:25:03.339 --> 0:25:07.229 God is omniscient, why did he then make 0:25:08.180 --> 0:25:11.839 People who he knew wouldn't accept Christ. 0:25:13.540 --> 0:25:15.239 And the host. 0:25:16.239 --> 0:25:19.999 said, well, it's because God doesn't know whether or not 0:25:19.999 --> 0:25:22.699 you will accept Christ, and I was kind of 0:25:24.900 --> 0:25:29.020 Dumbfounded because I'm like that defies omniscience. 0:25:30.249 --> 0:25:33.050 And he used um 0:25:34.200 --> 0:25:39.950 The part in Genesis when Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac. 0:25:40.869 --> 0:25:43.050 And he said that 0:25:43.888 --> 0:25:49.190 When right as he was going to, you know, sacrifice Isaac. 0:25:50.430 --> 0:25:54.489 God said, now I know you won't withhold anything from me, 0:25:54.550 --> 0:25:57.469 as God saying that he didn't know what he was 0:25:57.469 --> 0:25:59.739 gonna do, but I'm like, I'm pretty sure I remember 0:25:59.739 --> 0:26:02.300 Scripture saying that God knows our thoughts, and I'm like, 0:26:02.349 --> 0:26:05.629 how could he have plans for our life if he 0:26:05.629 --> 0:26:08.060 doesn't know what we're gonna do? So I'm a little, 0:26:08.270 --> 0:26:09.950 I want to get some clarity on that because that 0:26:09.950 --> 0:26:14.089 was confusing to me. I was very perceptive of you 0:26:14.089 --> 0:26:18.170 and uh commend you for your, you know, your radar. 0:26:19.729 --> 0:26:21.389 Your radar is strong on. 0:26:22.229 --> 0:26:25.708 Weird teaching. So Phil knows all about this, um, teaching. 0:26:25.830 --> 0:26:28.099 He's a theologian. So. 0:26:29.869 --> 0:26:32.910 You can answer these complicated questions about omniscience and things 0:26:32.910 --> 0:26:33.379 like that. 0:26:33.830 --> 0:26:36.070 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, that is a 0:26:36.070 --> 0:26:39.259 great observation though, and, and certainly, um, yeah, I mean, 0:26:39.310 --> 0:26:42.089 I think what you heard was wrong, like I mean, 0:26:42.629 --> 0:26:44.659 God does know all things that you can't, you're not 0:26:44.660 --> 0:26:47.030 gonna take away, I mean the Bible's very clear on that, 0:26:47.109 --> 0:26:48.589 God says that. 0:26:48.940 --> 0:26:51.940 And so, um, omniscience that he believes and know that 0:26:51.940 --> 0:26:55.739 he knows all things. Now, his omniscience doesn't mean that 0:26:55.739 --> 0:26:57.900 we still don't need to choose, that we still don't 0:26:57.900 --> 0:27:02.899 need to follow him, omniscience, um, but it certainly means 0:27:02.900 --> 0:27:06.229 that he knows what the choices that we're making are, 0:27:06.660 --> 0:27:08.609 and the Bible speaks to that over and over and over. 0:27:08.650 --> 0:27:12.050 It's just good that you caught that, um, I mean, there's, 0:27:12.170 --> 0:27:14.690 there's just a plethora of directions you could go in 0:27:14.690 --> 0:27:15.388 for this that. 0:27:15.670 --> 0:27:18.330 The Bible certainly makes it clear that God knows everything 0:27:18.910 --> 0:27:22.509 and um so for him to not know what is 0:27:22.509 --> 0:27:25.440 just an impossibility. He knows everything. Good catch on that. 0:27:25.950 --> 0:27:29.609 Well done, and you're correct. Who was it? Was it 0:27:29.609 --> 0:27:32.270 another show you were listening to? Is that what like 0:27:32.270 --> 0:27:32.629 another 0:27:32.629 --> 0:27:33.449 that's what she said 0:27:33.450 --> 0:27:39.570 it was another show you, uh, but they weren't on, 0:27:39.709 --> 0:27:40.950 they weren't on our station. 0:27:41.400 --> 0:27:42.379 Because we're 0:27:42.379 --> 0:27:44.020 gonna, I was gonna say it was not here on 0:27:44.020 --> 0:27:44.459 K wave. 0:27:44.540 --> 0:27:46.200 We're gonna, we're gonna bust them. 0:27:47.800 --> 0:27:48.369 In the morning 0:27:48.959 --> 0:27:49.940 they're so busted. 0:27:51.920 --> 0:27:54.280 Um 13, so. 0:27:55.330 --> 0:27:58.330 So one thing about the, um, you know, kind of 0:27:58.330 --> 0:28:01.629 just your original question, like, you know, if God knows everything, 0:28:01.839 --> 0:28:03.649 and he knows who's going to receive him and who isn't, 0:28:03.729 --> 0:28:06.229 why does he, why does he create people that are 0:28:06.450 --> 0:28:10.530 not going to receive him. Um, and we don't totally 0:28:10.530 --> 0:28:13.530 know the answer to that question, but I do think 0:28:13.530 --> 0:28:17.969 that we can, um, even though God knows, uh, God 0:28:17.969 --> 0:28:21.910 still creates people with a free will and an opportunity. 0:28:22.888 --> 0:28:25.050 To receive him even though he knows that they won't, 0:28:25.099 --> 0:28:28.180 it doesn't obviously it doesn't prevent him from from not 0:28:28.180 --> 0:28:33.900 creating them. But, um, also, secondly, what you heard was 0:28:33.900 --> 0:28:38.979 actually a theological view known as open theism and open 0:28:38.979 --> 0:28:42.339 theism is the view that God doesn't know everything that 0:28:42.339 --> 0:28:45.879 we can actually surprise God by our actions and things 0:28:45.879 --> 0:28:47.719 like that, and then God has to. 0:28:48.369 --> 0:28:51.680 You know, kind of regroup and, you know, plan a 0:28:51.680 --> 0:28:56.969 little bit differently because, um, you know, things didn't, he 0:28:56.969 --> 0:28:59.700 didn't anticipate things were going to go that way. Um, 0:28:59.849 --> 0:29:02.969 so this is a theological position that is held by 0:29:02.969 --> 0:29:06.190 uh certain people uh in the church today. 0:29:06.889 --> 0:29:10.639 And um like Phil said, I, I think that that 0:29:10.639 --> 0:29:14.170 position is wrong. But, but you can see if you, 0:29:14.290 --> 0:29:15.889 if you, you know, it's kind of like if you 0:29:15.889 --> 0:29:19.530 just take half of the scriptures, the ones like he 0:29:19.530 --> 0:29:21.989 mentioned with Abraham, now God knows. 0:29:22.589 --> 0:29:25.190 OK, fine. But there's a whole another set of scriptures 0:29:25.190 --> 0:29:28.770 that actually say God knows everything. So, you have to 0:29:29.280 --> 0:29:32.150 learn how to balance these things out. And I think 0:29:32.150 --> 0:29:36.030 the balance is God is omniscient. So, great answers. We 0:29:36.030 --> 0:29:38.070 got to go to a break. Lynn from Los Angeles, 0:29:38.150 --> 0:29:38.979 thank you so much for 0:29:39.150 --> 0:29:41.030 Calling with that great question. We're going to take some 0:29:41.030 --> 0:29:43.830 more questions after the break. You can call now if 0:29:43.830 --> 0:29:49.950 you haven't called already, 888-564-6173. Brian Broderson and Phil Esker 0:29:49.950 --> 0:29:54.589 are here to answer your questions. So call us at 888-564-6173. 0:29:54.670 --> 0:29:55.479 We'll see you in a few. 0:30:17.719 --> 0:30:20.270 Welcome back to the second half of Pastor's Perspective. I'm 0:30:20.270 --> 0:30:23.719 Michael David in for Brian Perez. On today's program, we 0:30:23.719 --> 0:30:27.639 have Brian Broderson and Phil Metzger. And, uh, also, Phil, 0:30:27.719 --> 0:30:29.719 I know you guys, this is the time of year 0:30:29.719 --> 0:30:32.339 a lot of people have trunk or treats, Halloween alternatives 0:30:32.520 --> 0:30:34.879 at their churches. I believe you have one going on 0:30:34.879 --> 0:30:37.959 there at Calvert San Diego on October 31st. Is that right? 0:30:38.320 --> 0:30:40.520 I do, yeah. And we don't even call it an alternative. 0:30:40.599 --> 0:30:42.780 We just do Halloween and um. 0:30:43.790 --> 0:30:46.530 It's so much easier, you know. And, uh, yeah, we, 0:30:46.979 --> 0:30:48.820 we have a big old event that we've been doing 0:30:48.820 --> 0:30:52.119 since COVID and a couple of 1000 kids coming through, 0:30:52.270 --> 0:30:56.959 super fun, 65 o'clock to 8 o'clock. We have skating 0:30:56.959 --> 0:31:00.619 and trunk or treats and food trucks, and it's really fun. 0:31:00.790 --> 0:31:02.830 So if you're in South San Diego, come on out. 0:31:02.859 --> 0:31:03.660 October 31st. 0:31:03.815 --> 0:31:04.455 5 o'clock, 0:31:04.825 --> 0:31:08.775 5 to 8 p.m., uh, their Halloween trick, trunk or treat, uh, 0:31:08.905 --> 0:31:11.464 reaching the community through candy and fun. Uh, you get 0:31:11.464 --> 0:31:15.464 more information on that at calvarysd.com. And if your church 0:31:15.464 --> 0:31:18.555 is having a Halloween alternative event, bless you. That's very important. 0:31:18.705 --> 0:31:22.945 So what's the, um, like, what's the distinction between trunk 0:31:22.945 --> 0:31:23.805 and treat? 0:31:24.930 --> 0:31:27.249 Because I mean the treat is the candy, right, but 0:31:27.249 --> 0:31:28.609 what's in the trunk? No, 0:31:28.690 --> 0:31:30.009 it's like, oh yeah, I don't know why they call 0:31:30.009 --> 0:31:31.650 it trunk or treat. I don't know. I 0:31:31.650 --> 0:31:31.889 don't know. 0:31:31.969 --> 0:31:34.530 Now some churches use trunks of cars in the 0:31:34.530 --> 0:31:34.879 parking lot, 0:31:35.129 --> 0:31:37.129 so yeah, we do. That's how we, that's how it 0:31:37.129 --> 0:31:40.379 started for us because of COVID, people couldn't go like inside, right? 0:31:40.459 --> 0:31:43.450 It was like the whole like spacing. So we set 0:31:43.450 --> 0:31:46.290 up and just had, um, our cars so that you 0:31:46.290 --> 0:31:48.450 could just get candy from there and then we just 0:31:48.450 --> 0:31:50.209 kept going. I don't know, it's like they're open. 0:31:50.479 --> 0:31:52.320 It's like for, I don't know, a lot of people 0:31:52.320 --> 0:31:54.959 are against them I've heard because, hey, we're missing going 0:31:54.959 --> 0:31:57.839 to our communities and neighbors door to doors, but a 0:31:57.839 --> 0:32:00.920 lot of our neighborhoods just don't have that. They're apartment 0:32:00.920 --> 0:32:04.080 buildings or condos, and they don't do it. So we 0:32:04.080 --> 0:32:05.639 just set up and I don't know, we've been doing 0:32:05.639 --> 0:32:08.639 it for 6 years now. It's been great. I don't 0:32:08.639 --> 0:32:12.080 know if we'll do it forever, but we do, you know, it's, 0:32:12.160 --> 0:32:14.459 it's a great gospel opportunity. You just get to remind 0:32:14.459 --> 0:32:16.560 your city like we're here, we're a part of this place, 0:32:16.599 --> 0:32:17.739 and we love y'all, 0:32:18.550 --> 0:32:18.560 yeah. 0:32:18.930 --> 0:32:21.920 Yes, very important, very important to give the kids a 0:32:21.920 --> 0:32:23.800 safe place to go. Very important. So I'm glad you 0:32:23.800 --> 0:32:26.570 guys are doing that at Calvary San Diego. And uh again, 0:32:26.609 --> 0:32:31.520 this is Pastor's perspective 888-564-6173 is the number to call. 0:32:31.839 --> 0:32:33.570 We're gonna go back to the phone lines and talk 0:32:33.570 --> 0:32:37.030 to Shelly in Los Angeles. Shelly, welcome to the program. 0:32:39.099 --> 0:32:42.180 Yes, um, I was really hot, like I said, uh, 0:32:42.259 --> 0:32:46.249 for confirmation of what the, uh, lady on the I 0:32:46.249 --> 0:32:51.259 was saying about, um, Satan getting permission. Now we, I 0:32:51.259 --> 0:32:54.580 haven't had, I, I, I guess it's all over the 0:32:54.580 --> 0:32:59.219 world right now. There's an invasion going on because the, 0:32:59.389 --> 0:33:01.499 since the laser, um. 0:33:02.369 --> 0:33:06.430 Development has been put into practice on so many levels. 0:33:06.859 --> 0:33:11.940 They are using our citizens, ordinary people like myself as 0:33:11.940 --> 0:33:17.800 guinea pigs to um uh perform all types of experiments 0:33:17.800 --> 0:33:23.040 like presently I'm undergoing monsterism, you know, that's when you, 0:33:23.160 --> 0:33:25.099 you sexual. Mhm. 0:33:25.940 --> 0:33:27.310 Yeah, well. 0:33:28.200 --> 0:33:28.629 Brian 0:33:30.290 --> 0:33:33.489 Oh, that's Phil's, I think this one is actually, uh, 0:33:33.609 --> 0:33:34.729 Phil's Phil's turn. 0:33:35.080 --> 0:33:36.129 Yes, yeah, it's 0:33:36.129 --> 0:33:39.050 in my specialty still wheelhouse. It's in my, it's in 0:33:39.050 --> 0:33:41.030 my theological wheelhouse. Well, I, 0:33:41.089 --> 0:33:43.530 I spoke to Irene who made all the musical instruments 0:33:43.530 --> 0:33:47.560 in the world and so forth, so I figured, uh, you, no, no, 0:33:47.969 --> 0:33:49.020 you can speak with Shelley. 0:33:49.489 --> 0:33:51.639 Yeah, Shelly, it's good to talk to you. Thanks for 0:33:51.639 --> 0:33:53.889 calling in. I, I don't, I don't know. I don't 0:33:53.889 --> 0:33:56.709 know what I could say to you, um. 0:33:58.499 --> 0:34:02.859 I just don't know, Shelly. Um, love to pray for you. Um, 0:34:02.940 --> 0:34:05.330 if you would like that though, would, would that be OK, Shelly? 0:34:05.379 --> 0:34:06.099 Can I pray for you? 0:34:06.219 --> 0:34:10.540 Can we pray for you, Shelly? Go on. That's OK, 0:34:10.619 --> 0:34:11.560 let's go pray for ourselves. 0:34:12.520 --> 0:34:14.859 I love it, yeah. Father, I just wanna pray for 0:34:14.859 --> 0:34:18.959 Shelly and just, just, Lord, I, I'm, I'm thankful for her. 0:34:19.080 --> 0:34:21.270 I pray that you would just touch her and bless 0:34:21.270 --> 0:34:25.238 her and strengthen her and heal her, Lord. Thank you 0:34:25.239 --> 0:34:27.560 that you're, uh, you're just, you're a really good God 0:34:27.560 --> 0:34:28.959 and you love us where we're at. 0:34:29.270 --> 0:34:31.140 And so I just pray you to reach Shelly right 0:34:31.140 --> 0:34:33.259 where she's at in Jesus' name. Amen. 0:34:33.390 --> 0:34:37.029 Amen. Shelly, thank you for calling us from Los Angeles. 0:34:37.100 --> 0:34:42.140 We're going from Los Angeles to, uh, Palm Springs. Tim 0:34:42.429 --> 0:34:44.149 in Palm Springs. Welcome to the program. 0:34:46.959 --> 0:34:47.600 Tim, are you there? 0:34:50.149 --> 0:34:50.719 Tim 0:34:52.209 --> 0:34:56.209 You was on mute. We'll go back to you, Tim. OK. Uh, 0:34:56.290 --> 0:34:59.449 we're going to go to Ayana in San Dimas. Ayana, 0:34:59.560 --> 0:35:00.310 welcome to the program. 0:35:02.309 --> 0:35:05.408 Hi pastors, how are you? Thanks for taking my call. 0:35:05.698 --> 0:35:06.349 You're welcome. 0:35:08.399 --> 0:35:13.498 Um, so, um, I'm just reaching out if I could, um, 0:35:13.719 --> 0:35:19.979 get some prayers from you. I feel like I am broken. Um, 0:35:20.399 --> 0:35:21.699 I have one daughter. 0:35:22.850 --> 0:35:25.529 Who, I'm a single mom who raised my daughter to 0:35:25.530 --> 0:35:26.070 be 0:35:27.469 --> 0:35:28.290 Um 0:35:29.360 --> 0:35:32.198 I geared my daughter to where she is right now. 0:35:32.399 --> 0:35:43.350 She's very, um, she's very good, like she's in the government, um, 0:35:43.748 --> 0:35:46.759 works for the military, have a high position. 0:35:47.409 --> 0:35:50.979 But I just felt like my daughter didn't see my 0:35:51.820 --> 0:35:58.580 sacrifice and how she got where she is with um 0:35:59.469 --> 0:36:01.790 All the things that I did, I didn't feel like 0:36:01.790 --> 0:36:06.050 appreciation or or gratitude for 0:36:06.939 --> 0:36:07.658 Um, 0:36:08.649 --> 0:36:13.850 Where she is right now. Am I overreacting or? 0:36:14.850 --> 0:36:18.259 Um, I just want her to find some wisdom that 0:36:19.790 --> 0:36:20.520 Without 0:36:21.300 --> 0:36:25.080 Me steering her or all the sacrifices that I made, 0:36:26.020 --> 0:36:28.899 she wouldn't be where, where she is right now. And, and, 0:36:28.979 --> 0:36:32.140 and of course, it's, it's a two-way street. She made 0:36:32.140 --> 0:36:36.080 all the right decisions, worked hard for where she is, 0:36:36.330 --> 0:36:39.738 and I, I, I give her kudos because she, she 0:36:39.739 --> 0:36:43.679 planned it too, but I felt like I geared her 0:36:43.679 --> 0:36:45.259 and I kind of like. 0:36:45.709 --> 0:36:49.158 steer her to the right direction and the sacrifice that 0:36:49.159 --> 0:36:53.140 all I did to where she is right now. 0:36:56.679 --> 0:37:00.439 Brian, so is it that you, you just feel like 0:37:00.439 --> 0:37:04.919 she's not appreciative of everything you've done and you wish 0:37:04.919 --> 0:37:07.600 she was? Is that pretty much what it comes to? Yeah, 0:37:07.679 --> 0:37:12.939 I felt like there was no appreciation. It was like, 0:37:13.239 --> 0:37:16.489 I never felt the warmth of my daughter. It's just like. 0:37:16.770 --> 0:37:19.969 You know, you give, give, give, and it's like, oh, Mom, 0:37:20.090 --> 0:37:23.359 thank you, you know, I appreciate it, you know, there, 0:37:23.509 --> 0:37:26.120 there was no, it's just the word thank you means, 0:37:26.219 --> 0:37:32.140 means a lot, you know, I, I never, I never, um, 0:37:32.449 --> 0:37:35.759 felt that. So I don't know if I'm just overreacting, 0:37:35.770 --> 0:37:38.729 and I hope I was just praying for wisdom for 0:37:38.729 --> 0:37:40.949 her that. 0:37:42.520 --> 0:37:44.319 Um, how, how old is she? 0:37:46.350 --> 0:37:49.989 Um, she's in her early 30s, early 30s, OK, and 0:37:49.989 --> 0:37:52.580 she's been on her own, obviously for quite some time, 0:37:52.590 --> 0:37:58.130 and she's become successful in her career and very, very successful, yes. 0:37:58.830 --> 0:38:00.988 And are you in regular contact with her? 0:38:03.659 --> 0:38:06.979 I wasn't. I try to keep my distance, um, kind 0:38:06.979 --> 0:38:09.360 of have a falling out, yeah. 0:38:11.449 --> 0:38:16.560 Well, I, I don't know if you're overreacting, but I 0:38:16.560 --> 0:38:19.630 do understand the, the feelings. I mean, you know, we're, 0:38:19.770 --> 0:38:24.929 we're human and you want reciprocation when you invest and 0:38:24.929 --> 0:38:27.030 when you love and you know, you hope that you, 0:38:27.520 --> 0:38:31.009 you get that in return. But as parents know, that 0:38:31.009 --> 0:38:35.080 isn't always the case. And sometimes, um, 0:38:36.149 --> 0:38:39.709 For whatever reason, that appreciation isn't expressed or in some 0:38:39.709 --> 0:38:42.509 cases that, you know, maybe not even be there. But 0:38:42.509 --> 0:38:48.689 I don't think that it necessarily works to tell them that, 0:38:48.949 --> 0:38:52.870 you know, hey, you're not appreciative. And I was just 0:38:52.870 --> 0:38:57.640 waiting for her to just do it on her own. Yeah, yeah. Well, 0:38:57.709 --> 0:39:00.270 that's what you hope. And I, I think this is 0:39:00.270 --> 0:39:00.729 where 0:39:01.370 --> 0:39:03.529 You know, this is where the parent, you kind of 0:39:03.530 --> 0:39:06.859 become like God in the sense of, uh, unconditional love, 0:39:06.929 --> 0:39:10.330 you know, you just keep loving them. And even though, 0:39:10.649 --> 0:39:12.370 I mean, think of God, you know, you've got like 0:39:12.370 --> 0:39:15.049 a planet of 8 billion people and most of them 0:39:15.050 --> 0:39:17.520 are like, who's God? Who cares who God is? I 0:39:17.520 --> 0:39:21.130 don't why would I think God? And so, you know, 0:39:21.209 --> 0:39:23.428 when you're in a situation like that, you're kind of like, OK, 0:39:23.530 --> 0:39:27.130 this is the Lord knows this. So, um, I would 0:39:27.130 --> 0:39:29.669 just say pray for her, keep loving her. 0:39:30.399 --> 0:39:34.810 Um, if there's a distance that you can, um, close 0:39:34.810 --> 0:39:38.370 the gap to some degree, then, you know, try to 0:39:38.370 --> 0:39:42.040 do that, but sometimes you just, you know, have to 0:39:42.040 --> 0:39:45.689 give people space and, and hope that things get sorted. 0:39:47.580 --> 0:39:50.060 Phil, I mean, have you seen that sometimes in church 0:39:50.060 --> 0:39:52.259 the kids grow up and they don't want to have 0:39:52.259 --> 0:39:53.860 anything to do with the parents, and if so, what 0:39:53.860 --> 0:39:55.219 do you do? What do you do? How do you 0:39:55.219 --> 0:39:56.060 counsel those parents? 0:39:56.380 --> 0:39:59.340 Yeah, I mean, that's, you're, Ayanna, you're describing something that 0:39:59.340 --> 0:40:02.998 a lot of, a lot of parents have experienced, and, um, 0:40:03.820 --> 0:40:05.899 you know, I mean, and I think what Brian shared 0:40:05.899 --> 0:40:08.739 was so good. I think also like good news is 0:40:08.739 --> 0:40:11.330 if you can, like, you know, commit this to the Lord, 0:40:11.380 --> 0:40:12.540 commit her to the Lord. 0:40:13.149 --> 0:40:15.310 You know, we have to know, like, you know, all, again, 0:40:15.390 --> 0:40:17.469 we're all parents here, so, and we're all parents of 0:40:17.469 --> 0:40:21.070 like adult children, so, yeah, like we raise our kids 0:40:21.070 --> 0:40:23.300 to be independent so that they could go out and, 0:40:23.390 --> 0:40:25.310 and live in the world, and then they do that 0:40:25.310 --> 0:40:28.178 and we're like, wait, hold on a second, how dare you? 0:40:28.669 --> 0:40:31.989 How dare you be independent from me? Uh, and so, 0:40:32.140 --> 0:40:34.350 you know, there's probably more to your story than what 0:40:34.350 --> 0:40:38.070 we're getting. I, I, I, you know, I, I appreciate that, 0:40:38.189 --> 0:40:38.439 but 0:40:38.860 --> 0:40:41.140 I wonder if, like, you know, I agree with Brian, 0:40:41.219 --> 0:40:43.959 I don't think you're overreacting, but I do think it's like, 0:40:44.300 --> 0:40:47.209 you know, maybe with your daughter, you don't wanna lead 0:40:47.209 --> 0:40:49.380 with your own hurt feelings. I, I've done that too 0:40:49.380 --> 0:40:51.810 many times with my kids. I'll just take myself as 0:40:51.810 --> 0:40:54.498 an example. I've led with my own hurt feelings, and 0:40:54.498 --> 0:40:56.699 it never produces anything good. 0:40:57.399 --> 0:41:01.439 Um, if I want a relationship, then I need to 0:41:01.439 --> 0:41:07.479 recognize that my hurt feelings are valid, but not gonna 0:41:07.479 --> 0:41:10.040 build better relationships. So I need to just kind of 0:41:10.040 --> 0:41:12.040 put that to the side a little bit and say, hey, 0:41:12.429 --> 0:41:14.189 I'm so proud of my kids. I'm so, you know, 0:41:14.259 --> 0:41:16.790 I'm sure you're really proud of your daughter. Lean into 0:41:16.790 --> 0:41:20.140 that a little bit more and maybe relationship can get established. 0:41:20.469 --> 0:41:24.729 When relationship is rebuilt, then there's an opportunity for expressing 0:41:24.870 --> 0:41:29.219 and communicating feelings, but where relationship's been hurt, leaning in 0:41:29.219 --> 0:41:32.020 with your own hurt feelings is not gonna make it better. 0:41:32.390 --> 0:41:36.270 Better to like find common ground and um I'm, we're 0:41:36.270 --> 0:41:38.029 certainly hoping that that can happen for you. 0:41:39.070 --> 0:41:44.390 Does that help Ayana? Thank you. Yes, thank you. All right, well, 0:41:44.489 --> 0:41:46.249 thank you so much. Thank you so much for calling. 0:41:46.310 --> 0:41:48.270 We really appreciate that. And by the way, Phil, I'm, 0:41:48.350 --> 0:41:51.110 I don't have grown kids. I think that's just you 0:41:51.110 --> 0:41:54.370 and Brian in this room, but, uh, Michael doesn't even have. 0:41:55.550 --> 0:41:58.330 Not grown kids. He doesn't have any kids. Yeah, 0:41:58.429 --> 0:42:00.270 yeah, yeah. It sounded like you were saying your kids 0:42:00.270 --> 0:42:02.029 are not grown, but what you mean to say is 0:42:02.030 --> 0:42:03.340 there are no children. 0:42:03.790 --> 0:42:06.030 That is correct. Yes, yes. So when you guys talk 0:42:06.030 --> 0:42:07.779 about grandchildren, I don't know what in the world you 0:42:07.780 --> 0:42:10.830 guys are talking about, but, well, come on, you. 0:42:11.390 --> 0:42:14.989 You are a grandchild. I am a grandchild. Yes, so 0:42:14.989 --> 0:42:16.780 you know a little bit about. I know, I know 0:42:16.780 --> 0:42:16.979 there's 0:42:16.979 --> 0:42:17.468 a 0:42:17.469 --> 0:42:19.189 lot of kids that love being around you. Well, 0:42:19.270 --> 0:42:22.330 I've got godchildren and I was at Disneyland with my 0:42:22.659 --> 0:42:25.110 nieces and nephews yesterday, so that was a lot of fun. 0:42:25.350 --> 0:42:28.270 So yeah, that's a great joy, great joy. 0:42:28.770 --> 0:42:33.830 All right, 888-564-6173 is the number to call. We're going 0:42:33.830 --> 0:42:36.290 to take another one of those Facebook questions. This one 0:42:36.290 --> 0:42:42.140 comes from Robert and Duarte. He says, why did the Herodians, Pharisees, 0:42:42.169 --> 0:42:46.130 and Sadducees of Jesus' day believe that the Christ to 0:42:46.130 --> 0:42:50.529 come would only be a human being and not divine? Uh, Phil, 0:42:50.610 --> 0:42:51.770 we'll go to that one first one. 0:42:52.530 --> 0:42:57.040 Sure, uh, it's a great question. Um, they just, uh, 0:42:57.050 --> 0:42:59.330 and this would go along for a lot of what 0:42:59.330 --> 0:43:03.729 was connected to the idea of Messiah. They just 0:43:04.959 --> 0:43:08.189 Didn't see it, and the way that they read it was, 0:43:08.469 --> 0:43:09.169 you know, just. 0:43:10.130 --> 0:43:12.049 I mean, kind of plain and simple, they just didn't 0:43:12.050 --> 0:43:16.810 see it. Nobody, nobody connected the dots, and so you, 0:43:16.909 --> 0:43:20.109 you take the the apostle Paul, who was a Pharisee. 0:43:21.140 --> 0:43:23.429 Who spent, you know, a good chunk of his like 0:43:23.429 --> 0:43:28.060 adult religious life feeling exactly that same way. And it 0:43:28.060 --> 0:43:32.738 wasn't until Jesus himself, as Paul was on his way, 0:43:32.979 --> 0:43:35.498 Saul at the time, was on his way to Damascus 0:43:35.498 --> 0:43:40.620 to persecute Christians, that he met Jesus and um had 0:43:40.620 --> 0:43:44.659 this interaction with Jesus where he it began his journey 0:43:44.659 --> 0:43:46.040 of understanding. 0:43:46.620 --> 0:43:50.259 Who the Messiah really is, and so, frankly, it just 0:43:50.259 --> 0:43:52.739 comes down to nobody saw it, they didn't want to 0:43:52.739 --> 0:43:55.340 see that. There's a lot of reasons why the Herodians, 0:43:55.540 --> 0:43:57.620 that is different from the Sadducees, that is different from 0:43:57.620 --> 0:44:00.449 the Pharisees, but if you just want it all encompassing, 0:44:00.620 --> 0:44:03.419 it's because they just didn't see it in the scriptures. 0:44:04.310 --> 0:44:07.409 All right, Brian, did you want to say something? No, 0:44:07.520 --> 0:44:11.040 it was great. All right, very good. Uh, another Facebook 0:44:11.040 --> 0:44:14.439 question is, this comes from, uh, Cathy and Paul. They say, 0:44:14.520 --> 0:44:17.259 what does it mean to say God is not mocked, 0:44:17.620 --> 0:44:20.439 you know, be not deceived. God is not mocked. because 0:44:20.439 --> 0:44:22.989 it seems like God's mocked all the time on TV 0:44:22.989 --> 0:44:26.199 and everywhere. So what does that mean, Brian? Well, like, 0:44:26.340 --> 0:44:29.899 you know, that's a quote from Galatians chapter 6, and 0:44:30.659 --> 0:44:34.219 There Paul says, you know, yes, those words do not 0:44:34.219 --> 0:44:37.339 be deceived. God has not mocked. What a person sows, 0:44:37.419 --> 0:44:39.820 they shall reap. If they sow to the flesh, they'll 0:44:39.820 --> 0:44:42.880 reap corruption ultimately. If they sow to the spirit, they'll 0:44:42.880 --> 0:44:48.290 reap life. So I think it's just a warning that 0:44:48.300 --> 0:44:49.580 mocking God. 0:44:50.380 --> 0:44:54.520 Unless it's repented of, does have a consequence. And so 0:44:54.899 --> 0:44:57.580 it doesn't mean that God's not mocked in the sense 0:44:57.580 --> 0:45:00.259 that like you just said, lots of people mock God 0:45:00.380 --> 0:45:04.360 all over the place, but there's a day of recompense 0:45:04.360 --> 0:45:07.580 that's coming for those who mock God and for those 0:45:07.580 --> 0:45:12.060 who live according to the flesh, um, this is, this 0:45:12.060 --> 0:45:15.020 is mocking God, living contrary to him. 0:45:15.498 --> 0:45:18.908 And the warning is that those who do that will 0:45:18.909 --> 0:45:22.659 reap corruption. So, so it's kind of, it's kind of 0:45:22.659 --> 0:45:26.609 a warning that's pointing to, uh, you know, like sowing, 0:45:27.270 --> 0:45:30.870 you have, uh, the sowing is a metaphor, you know, 0:45:30.959 --> 0:45:35.860 of course, it's talking about it's planting seeds. And, um, 0:45:36.030 --> 0:45:40.610 you know, when you plant a seed, you don't immediately see. 0:45:41.610 --> 0:45:43.620 Any evidence of that. The seed is buried under the 0:45:43.620 --> 0:45:46.499 ground and for all you know, there's not even a 0:45:46.498 --> 0:45:51.850 seed there. But eventually, that seed is gonna break surface 0:45:51.850 --> 0:45:55.340 of the ground and and something's gonna sprout up and 0:45:55.340 --> 0:45:57.779 you're like, oh wow, you know, there was something there. 0:45:57.840 --> 0:46:02.340 So I think Paul uses this language to remind people 0:46:02.340 --> 0:46:06.339 that even though it doesn't seem like there's any consequence 0:46:06.340 --> 0:46:09.300 to living uh contrary to God. 0:46:09.729 --> 0:46:15.780 Uh, one day, uh, the crop will be produced, and 0:46:15.969 --> 0:46:16.839 that will be 0:46:17.580 --> 0:46:18.498 A judgment day. 0:46:19.649 --> 0:46:21.880 Very good, very good. Let me see if I can 0:46:21.880 --> 0:46:24.380 get uh at least a, maybe at least one more 0:46:24.380 --> 0:46:28.689 uh Facebook question. Uh, this one comes from Rosalba, and 0:46:28.689 --> 0:46:31.679 she's in Irvine, and she asks, uh, is it bad 0:46:31.679 --> 0:46:34.850 to write in your Bible, uh, prayers and questions you 0:46:34.850 --> 0:46:38.759 have on what you've read, or prayers or thoughts on what, uh, 0:46:39.090 --> 0:46:41.709 thoughts you've had while reading. I got a new Bible, 0:46:42.300 --> 0:46:44.370 and in the previous Bible I had, I wrote a 0:46:44.370 --> 0:46:46.479 lot of prayers in it. So that was question one. 0:46:47.009 --> 0:46:48.830 second question is she also wants to know. 0:46:49.300 --> 0:46:52.630 If you ask for forgiveness toward others and yourself, does 0:46:52.630 --> 0:46:55.649 Jesus lead you to confess your sins to one another 0:46:55.909 --> 0:46:59.310 and ask for forgiveness, or can you also just continue 0:46:59.310 --> 0:47:02.030 to pray privately for people in your life, uh, and 0:47:02.030 --> 0:47:05.729 forgive them? What does the Bible say about forgiveness? So, um, 0:47:06.270 --> 0:47:08.489 I'm going to start with the writing your Bible question 0:47:08.489 --> 0:47:10.109 with Phil. What do you say about that? 0:47:10.909 --> 0:47:14.939 I love writing in my Bible. Um, I don't do 0:47:14.939 --> 0:47:18.590 it as often as I used to. I think my, my, 0:47:18.709 --> 0:47:21.549 my 1st 10 years of being a Christian for sure, 0:47:21.630 --> 0:47:24.580 I was, well, my 1st 10 years of being a Christian, 0:47:24.630 --> 0:47:29.629 we didn't have smartphones, so, uh, or tablets, so, uh, gosh, 0:47:29.719 --> 0:47:31.509 there's not, I don't think there's gonna be too many 0:47:31.509 --> 0:47:32.709 more generations that can say that. 0:47:32.949 --> 0:47:36.270 Huh, that's pretty, uh, dang, very true. I felt pretty 0:47:36.270 --> 0:47:40.870 old when I said that, but yeah, um, I absolutely love, uh, 0:47:40.979 --> 0:47:43.149 and I think it's so beautiful when we're, when we're, 0:47:43.219 --> 0:47:45.820 when we're marking up our Bible. My, my first Bible, 0:47:45.870 --> 0:47:48.198 I remember, uh, a pastor friend telling me. 0:47:48.540 --> 0:47:49.890 I was like, man, I don't know what this means, 0:47:49.899 --> 0:47:51.659 and this means, and this means, and this means, and he, 0:47:51.780 --> 0:47:53.489 he told me it was such good advice. He's like, 0:47:53.560 --> 0:47:55.968 put a question mark by everything that you have a 0:47:55.969 --> 0:47:58.100 question about and either come in and bring it and 0:47:58.100 --> 0:48:00.340 we'll talk about it, or, you know, who knows, maybe 0:48:00.340 --> 0:48:02.300 the next time you read that passage, the Lord will 0:48:02.300 --> 0:48:04.310 give you insight into that. And I can 0:48:04.364 --> 0:48:05.804 I can honestly tell you, man, the next time I 0:48:05.804 --> 0:48:07.564 was reading through some of the books of the Bible, 0:48:07.604 --> 0:48:09.524 I was like, oh wow, that makes sense now, and 0:48:09.524 --> 0:48:11.804 it didn't make sense the first time. That is such 0:48:11.804 --> 0:48:14.955 a fun thing to have those markers and reminders. I 0:48:14.955 --> 0:48:17.564 love underlining, I love, you know, I'm looking at the 0:48:17.564 --> 0:48:18.884 Bible I have in front of me. I've had this 0:48:18.884 --> 0:48:20.185 one for a long time. 0:48:20.620 --> 0:48:23.540 And it's not as much marked up in terms of notes. 0:48:23.620 --> 0:48:25.580 There's not a lot of room for that in this Bible, 0:48:25.899 --> 0:48:28.290 but you could just, it's just lived in, man. And 0:48:28.290 --> 0:48:32.219 I love having Bibles that have been lived in. And, uh, so, it's, 0:48:32.310 --> 0:48:33.819 you know, I love that I got my phone on 0:48:33.820 --> 0:48:35.939 my Bible and I got all these languages and all 0:48:35.939 --> 0:48:39.739 these cool tools, but there's just something about a lived-in analog. 0:48:39.880 --> 0:48:43.290 Scripture that is amazing and uh I hope we never 0:48:43.290 --> 0:48:46.089 lose that. So, mark up your Bible, go for it. 0:48:46.689 --> 0:48:46.850 All 0:48:46.850 --> 0:48:49.969 right, very good answer to that question, uh, from Pastor Phil, 0:48:50.009 --> 0:48:53.029 the first half of uh Rosalbo's question. The second half was, 0:48:53.248 --> 0:48:56.489 when we ask for forgiveness, Pastor Brian, can we just 0:48:56.489 --> 0:48:59.089 ask God or should we also go to the other person? 0:48:59.800 --> 0:49:02.719 Uh, I think it depends. I think in some cases 0:49:02.719 --> 0:49:05.040 you're really not able to do that, you know, they're 0:49:05.040 --> 0:49:10.499 going to the other person. So, um, obviously, it's sufficient to, 0:49:10.800 --> 0:49:15.479 you know, go to God with that. Um, in some situations, 0:49:15.520 --> 0:49:18.198 you are able to do it and it probably would 0:49:18.199 --> 0:49:23.159 be the thing to do, you know, because you've, you know, 0:49:23.248 --> 0:49:29.090 you've actually sinned against a person very specifically perhaps and 0:49:29.590 --> 0:49:33.909 Um, so it's time for you to take the responsibility 0:49:33.909 --> 0:49:36.270 to go and say, you know, I'm, I'm sorry that 0:49:36.270 --> 0:49:38.620 I that I did that. Please forgive me. Um, but 0:49:38.620 --> 0:49:41.550 like I said, that it's not always possible to do that. 0:49:41.709 --> 0:49:45.590 So I think that there are occasions where maybe the 0:49:45.590 --> 0:49:50.070 Lord would put it on somebody's heart that, um, yeah, 0:49:50.350 --> 0:49:52.589 you need to go, you know, follow up on that. 0:49:52.949 --> 0:49:55.149 And so you should if if God puts that on 0:49:55.149 --> 0:49:55.489 your heart. 0:49:56.320 --> 0:49:59.790 Um, you know, in the end, David says this interesting 0:49:59.790 --> 0:50:03.409 thing in, in one of his prayers in Psalm, I 0:50:03.409 --> 0:50:07.248 think it's Psalm 32, uh, against you and you only 0:50:07.248 --> 0:50:08.249 I have sinned. 0:50:08.998 --> 0:50:12.600 And or maybe it's Psalm 51. Uh, but, you know, 0:50:12.649 --> 0:50:16.689 in the end, a sin is ultimately against God because God, 0:50:16.729 --> 0:50:18.610 of course, is the one who set the standard. So 0:50:18.610 --> 0:50:21.070 when we break the standard, even though we're sinning against 0:50:21.070 --> 0:50:24.610 a person, beyond that, we're sinning against God who said, 0:50:24.649 --> 0:50:28.409 don't do this to a person. Um, so we need 0:50:28.409 --> 0:50:33.469 to get forgiveness from him. But like I said, sometimes 0:50:33.919 --> 0:50:35.239 you need to go to the person as well. 0:50:35.870 --> 0:50:38.979 All right, great answers. Ros Alba, thanks for contacting us 0:50:38.979 --> 0:50:43.520 on Facebook.com/pastor's perspective. We're going to go back to the 0:50:43.520 --> 0:50:50.870 phones at 888-564-6173 and talk to Dan listening on 107.9. Dan, 0:50:50.939 --> 0:50:51.729 welcome to the program. 0:50:53.179 --> 0:50:59.100 Hello, hello. Uh, my, my question for today is a 0:50:59.100 --> 0:51:02.580 bit of a brain teaser. Uh, what do you take 0:51:02.580 --> 0:51:04.620 with you to heaven from earth? 0:51:05.649 --> 0:51:08.529 And it's not your spirit or your soul, because you 0:51:08.530 --> 0:51:11.759 are those things. So do we take our spirit or 0:51:11.759 --> 0:51:15.110 our soul to heaven? Um, Phil, we'll start with you. 0:51:16.479 --> 0:51:17.319 I feel 0:51:19.050 --> 0:51:22.159 I feel like Dan, you already got the answer you're 0:51:22.159 --> 0:51:22.810 thinking of. 0:51:23.030 --> 0:51:23.169 Do 0:51:23.169 --> 0:51:23.969 you? Uh, 0:51:24.050 --> 0:51:28.610 let me bring Dan back. Dan, Dan, did you hear that? Yes. 0:51:30.100 --> 0:51:31.939 So I'd like to hear your thoughts on that too. 0:51:34.330 --> 0:51:36.489 I feel like whatever I say will be wrong, so 0:51:36.489 --> 0:51:39.089 I'm gonna go for it. I had a professor like this, 0:51:39.100 --> 0:51:42.169 and um, yeah, so, all right, what do I take 0:51:42.169 --> 0:51:44.968 with me to heaven? Um, I mean, I take my 0:51:44.969 --> 0:51:48.049 relationship with Jesus with me to heaven, um, where your 0:51:48.050 --> 0:51:51.169 treasures are, your heart is, so I'm gonna take my 0:51:51.169 --> 0:51:53.810 relationship with Jesus is what I'm taking with me to heaven. 0:51:53.919 --> 0:51:54.370 How's that? 0:51:55.429 --> 0:51:57.169 Dan, you're a gold star. 0:51:59.380 --> 0:52:01.209 Now, I never got a gold star with one of 0:52:01.209 --> 0:52:03.939 my teachers, by the way, so I'm gonna really take this. 0:52:04.100 --> 0:52:04.540 Yay. 0:52:07.120 --> 0:52:09.109 Dan, just out of curiosity, why did you ask that question? 0:52:11.689 --> 0:52:12.939 Why did you ask that question? 0:52:14.550 --> 0:52:16.909 It's just one of the things I learned recently, and 0:52:16.909 --> 0:52:20.070 it's like I thought that'd be a very good question 0:52:20.070 --> 0:52:24.908 to ask in today's times because some people forget what 0:52:24.909 --> 0:52:28.340 to value in this life in this age. 0:52:29.290 --> 0:52:32.399 Yes, very true, very true. Yes, I guess I've been 0:52:32.399 --> 0:52:34.100 told that all we're going to bring to heaven is 0:52:34.439 --> 0:52:35.439 when we get to, when we die and we go 0:52:35.439 --> 0:52:37.919 to heaven, God's just gonna ask, Did you accept my 0:52:37.919 --> 0:52:40.439 son as your savior? And the other question is, who'd 0:52:40.439 --> 0:52:42.959 you bring with you, right? That's the only question we're 0:52:42.959 --> 0:52:44.790 going to get asked when we get up there. Yeah, I, 0:52:44.880 --> 0:52:46.919 I don't, I don't know about the second part, but 0:52:46.919 --> 0:52:48.020 the first part for sure. 0:52:50.399 --> 0:52:52.640 You know, because you might not have brought anybody with you, 0:52:52.719 --> 0:52:55.699 but that's not the basis for whether or not you 0:52:55.699 --> 0:52:58.560 get into heaven, right? I mean, if you ask Jeremiah 0:52:58.560 --> 0:53:00.439 the prophet, how many people did you bring with you, 0:53:00.520 --> 0:53:02.399 he might say, yeah, nobody wanted to come. 0:53:05.248 --> 0:53:07.449 Very true, very true. Let me see if I can 0:53:07.449 --> 0:53:10.890 uh squeeze one more Facebook question in. Uh, this one 0:53:10.890 --> 0:53:13.489 comes from India, and she says, I have a relative 0:53:13.489 --> 0:53:15.759 that I believe is in the witchcraft. I have forgiven 0:53:15.759 --> 0:53:18.248 them for what I believe they did to me on 0:53:18.248 --> 0:53:20.669 my end of things, and I've given them to Jesus, 0:53:20.770 --> 0:53:23.050 but in my heart, the question is, if a certain 0:53:23.050 --> 0:53:26.729 person chose not to forgive me for offenses they are 0:53:26.729 --> 0:53:28.890 still not over, will I still make it to? 0:53:29.350 --> 0:53:32.799 If they are still holding grudges, because I don't feel 0:53:32.800 --> 0:53:36.198 safe contacting them right now. If I really believe they 0:53:36.199 --> 0:53:38.959 have forgiven me from their heart, uh, I would be 0:53:38.959 --> 0:53:41.560 glad to reunite. But as of now, without any info, 0:53:41.640 --> 0:53:44.709 I'm left hanging. What should I do? Uh, Pastor Brian, 0:53:44.790 --> 0:53:48.439 what would you say to India? Um, you know, Paul 0:53:48.439 --> 0:53:51.399 in writing to the church in Rome, he said, as 0:53:51.399 --> 0:53:53.719 much as it depends on you, live peaceably with everyone. 0:53:54.390 --> 0:53:56.908 So, you know, you do your part and then that's 0:53:56.909 --> 0:53:58.549 all you can do. You can't do anymore. And if 0:53:58.550 --> 0:54:01.189 you are out of contact with a person, I don't 0:54:01.189 --> 0:54:04.830 think you're obligated to go, you know, track them down 0:54:04.830 --> 0:54:07.790 or any of that. So I, I would say just, 0:54:07.899 --> 0:54:10.390 you know, don't worry about it. If the situation arises 0:54:10.390 --> 0:54:13.169 where you can address it, great. If it doesn't, 0:54:14.669 --> 0:54:17.669 Just keep, keep following the Lord and their grudge toward 0:54:17.669 --> 0:54:20.189 her won't keep her out of heaven, right? No, of 0:54:20.189 --> 0:54:24.509 course not. I mean, you know, that's their issue, uh, 0:54:24.998 --> 0:54:26.060 you know, we 0:54:27.479 --> 0:54:29.020 We can't control. 0:54:30.479 --> 0:54:33.840 Those kinds of things, obviously. So yeah, yes, and she 0:54:33.840 --> 0:54:35.469 mentioned that they were into witchcraft and a lot of 0:54:35.469 --> 0:54:39.360 bad things, and I imagine unimaginable things, but um she 0:54:39.360 --> 0:54:41.319 does need to forgive them for all that they've done 0:54:41.320 --> 0:54:43.239 to her no matter what it is, right? Well, she 0:54:43.239 --> 0:54:45.640 just needs to, you know, in some cases, I mean 0:54:45.640 --> 0:54:47.520 it might be very bad stuff, she just needs to 0:54:47.520 --> 0:54:50.120 keep going back to, to Jesus and saying, Lord, you know, 0:54:50.399 --> 0:54:52.880 you know the situation, help me with it. You know, 0:54:53.159 --> 0:54:53.929 sometimes you can. 0:54:54.350 --> 0:54:56.749 You can feel like you've forgiven people and then other 0:54:56.748 --> 0:55:00.189 times you actually have, but you don't feel like you have. 0:55:00.630 --> 0:55:02.070 So when you don't feel like you have, you just 0:55:02.070 --> 0:55:04.820 need to remind yourself like, OK, yeah, I already walked 0:55:04.820 --> 0:55:07.870 through this with the Lord, or sometimes you kind of 0:55:07.870 --> 0:55:09.929 pick it back up again and you've got to say, 0:55:10.669 --> 0:55:13.199 Uh, OK, Lord, I'm gonna give this back to you again, 0:55:13.320 --> 0:55:16.989 you know, hm, yeah, yeah, yeah, we can't control what 0:55:16.989 --> 0:55:19.640 other people do, but we can forgive them and set 0:55:19.640 --> 0:55:22.499 ourselves free, at least from that. Set ourselves free, exactly, yeah. Yes. 0:55:22.600 --> 0:55:24.520 All right, well, that's all the time we have for 0:55:24.520 --> 0:55:28.949 today on Pastor's Perspective. I'm Michael David in for Brian Perez, uh, 0:55:29.080 --> 0:55:32.919 for Brian Broderson and Phil Metzger. Thank you for joining 0:55:32.919 --> 0:55:35.600 us and join us again next time on Pastor's Perspective. 0:55:35.709 --> 0:55:36.120 Good night.