You're listening to Kfix on demand. Jim, Welcome to the Jesus Christ Show.
Hello. Have a very hard question that I'm having a hard time getting
answer out of some of my Christian brothers. I got out of public school
teaching because of the hypocrisy and the troubles within the public school. And I
know that's probably selfish, but seventeen years I've had enough of the craziness.
But now I'm started three landscape business in South Texas. I've discovered you cannot
run one of these businesses without using cheap labor. And my question is someone
who's redeemed, saved, born again, the question would be why do people
use the legal labor. I think it's because it's cheaper, sure, and
with someone who has saved use it for that reason. In our church was
built partially by illegal labor, and I know it's because we could get it
done cheaper. So that's the question, is that right? I understand taking
care of my brothers. If I was from Mexico, I'd bring my family
away or two. No problem. I understand that. Sure. The American
citizens that are now I understand why you left flavory in the Bible because it
makes more sense to me. Now, there are major problems with using illegal
labor knowingly. Now in the State of Affairs and the United States currently,
it can be very difficult to every single time try to vet a company in
your hopes or that they're vetting them and so on. But knowingly, So
let's go with the knowing part. Knowingly using illegal labor is wrong for a
Christian. Absolutely, Scripturally you deal with the laws of man. It says
that you're to follow the laws of man. And if the law law says
that there, they are in a state of a legality, and that's not
a pejorative, that is the actual legal term is that they are legal aliens.
If they are legal aliens not here properly with the proper paperwork and all
of that, then you are are trying to buck the system, and in
doing that, you're you're breaking the law. And if you're breaking the law,
that's ungodly. For one. For two, um, the process of
using illegal labors is taking advantage of their situation. UM. And it's not
about them learning, Like let's say a younger person or someone new to a
company. UM, they're in the process of learning, so you may give
them less money as they climb up the ladder. But this is different.
Oftentimes it's seen as as an opportunity to exploit these these workers because their league
and they can't tell or they can't defend themselves, which is equally as ugly.
So both those things would be a problem scripturally. And if your church
was using legal labor that they knew was not in the United States legally,
shame on them. That doesn't bring glory to God. So there's going to
be times where you can't know. There's been times where I've seen people that
have met with, you know, a company, have seen all their paperwork
and made agreements, and then when the work starts, it seems that there's
a whole new set of people that are doing the work. It gets very
difficult to start trying to vet all of those things specifically, but it can
be done to a certain degree, and you should do it within the best
of your ability to make sure it's on the up and up, because all
that happens is you've got these keyotes that are are bringing people to across the
border that are using them for slave labor. You've got them gouging them for
money, You've got them turning some of the people into prostitutes. You've got
ugly things going on because now the people have become a commodity, and coming
to the United States has become a commodity, and it creates a bunch of
ugliness. So that supply and demand is part of the problem and becomes ugliness.
And at the core of it, human beings are treated like cattle.
And so that has to be above all, above border issues, above any
of those things, and the here legally, illegally, and all those arguments
going on. Above all, humanity is involved. Human beings are involved and
are being not seen as human beings. They're being seen as day laborers.
And that's a problem as well, so on both ends. Just because somebody's
doing something that is illegal on the books, coming to the country of the
United States doesn't mean that somebody who is a citizen of the United States is
right for exploiting that. I don't think that that would be I don't think
that that would be a healthy way for a Christian to express their faith.
I know it's very difficult out there, and I know that a lot of
general contractors and contractors of every ilk and have issues with this, and it
becomes a problem. But if you want something done right, and you want
a process to be a righteous process, then you've got to partake in it
as well. You know, you don't you every time somebody speeds past you
on the freeways and you look at them and go, oh, what a
jerk. Yet when you speed, oh, it's because while I really need
to get somewhere, and I was running a little late, and it's very
important. And there's all kinds of excuses and reasons. You can't look at
life that way. You can't look at the world that it's you know,
everything you do is okay, but it's not okay when other people do it,
and there's within reason. You know, there's going to be at times
or opportunities where you don't know and it's inappropriate to ask, you know,
a neighbor or something like that might you might feel inappropriate, but if there's
a way, an honest way to check, you should, just like you
would the license number of somebody who's of a contractor who says they're going to
be working on something, you want to know. You want to make sure
that they're licensed. You would know more, walk into a situation with a
company and pretend like you had a license because it's too expensive to take the
test, or it's too expensive to get licensed every year or every two years,
you know, and times are tough right now and I can't renew that
or whatever it might be. I don't think that that's a legitimate reason for
Christian to do anything. And abiding by the law is important for the believer.
People are watching you if you claim to be Christian, people are watching
you differently. Now some people may be obnoxious about it, and they may
try and nitpick you. And if that's the case, you know what,
move on, don't bother listening to them. But within those reasons and your
ability to continue to hone who you are. No Christians often say I'm a
work in progress. Of course you are. But through that process you should
be doing things that benefit you and everyone else and that are productive and that
are honest. You know. This lies back to many different scriptures, including
Proverbs, where it says that God hates a false weight, and that dealt
with the merchants, the merchants that would load rocks in the scales or modify
the scales so that you were you thought you were getting more, therefore you
paid more, but they weren't. How is that any different because very rarely,
um, does that get passed passed along to the client. And so
you got to keep those things in mind. How you're making the money and
at what cost. You don't want to do participate in anything illegal because then
it's for not doesn't glorify God. So your only reward is that money at
the end of the day. Jake, Welcome to the Jesus Christ Show.
Hi have a two part questions for you here, sort of a response to
Tom Okay, who had called earlier in regards to forfeiting his pastoral stance by
having an affair. Right, Okay, Um, what qualify as a person
to be a pastor? And how does one know when they are called?
Well, I think you have, you know, an urgency in your heart
and in your spirit to do the things of God first and foremost. They
say that that man is ordained by God and that's recognized by man. So
it's not the other way around where people feel like, well, like a
church has to say, Okay, you're led to do this, not the
truth if you feel moved to preach or to teach in that context, The
first you'd imagine the first start would be of that particular path would be to
study, to go to school, to you know, audit classes, do
it on your own, whatever it is, but to study and to show
yourself approved in the knowledge first. The same way if you said, you
know what, I really want to be a carpenter, well, first learn
how to be a carpenter and study that. The reason I called um to
get your opinion on it is because I'm very very conflicted about this. Why
so, well, um, how to put it? Let's see, I
grew up in church in a fundamental you know, literal interpretation, not legalistic,
but fundamentalist church, and so I believe the Bible as it is written.
And I also believe that being behind the pulpit is Yes, it is
a high calling, and it's an honor and a privilege and also carries with
it a great responsibility. As you were saying, you have to be beyond
reproach. Absolutely, So what's your concern? I am not beyond reproach.
I mean, you know, I'm not. I'm married, you know,
But as far as have you had an affair? Yeah, okay, Well
it's not it's their specifics that it's talking about, and that it's not just
about to be a beyond reproach doesn't mean stop being a human being being something
superhuman. That wasn't my point with Tom either. My point was that Tom
specifically, well he was a pastor, had an affair on his wife,
and you don't get to be a pastor anymore. But if you are saying
that there are things that you need to work out in your life, will
work them out, you know, make them, work through them, and
and make yourself a whole as you stand before God. But it doesn't mean
that everything you preach you're going to be excellent at. You're just you're not.
You're dealing with a perfection in the Word of God. There was a
specific situation though, about being the husband of one wife and above reproach means
in reason and understandable reason in your life, and if you can't do that
then then no, it's probably not the best thing for you. Um being
called to ministry, there's a lot of people that are called to ministry and
you hear all kinds of different stories. Oh, I had this this moment
and it's like, well, how do you how I read these signs that
in my life? What do they mean? Where does God want me,
what would he have me do well. Scripture is very specific about being called
to that particular part as overseer. It says, an overseer then must be
above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable,
hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle,
uncontentious, free from the love of money. He must be one who
manages his own household well, keeping his children under control, with all dignity.
But all of these things point to a part of that calling. And
I know sometimes there's a certain glittery appeal to being in these positions of power.
And sometimes people go, gosh, I want to be this, or
I want to be an actor, I want to be a writer, I
want to be there, whatever it might be. Sometimes if there's a position
of authority, it becomes it has a sex appeal to it, where where
you're engaged by it just because of the position, and you have to kind
of check that and vet that and make sure that that's not part of the
equation. Well, I speak well, and I talk very good, and
I do this, and I do all these things, and that may not
matter to God. There's been times where there are people that did not speak
well in scripture, and you know, Moses kept trying to push that off
and say, you know what, you may be my brother because I don't
speak so good and really don't have a way with people. And it's like
no, I say you. So it's not about that, not just about
those things. It's about finding something that you're so compelled to do that it
presses you to want to be better as a human being, and that that
plays a part at it. They're just you meet people that are different,
They just don't have those desires and check themselves a little differently than you do,
and them being in a place of leadership makes the most sense. You
don't want to put yourself in a position that you can't handle because it will
end up swallowing you and taking down the faith with it, and that's not
what I want. Gracie. Welcome to the Jesus Christ Show. Yes,
how are you doing good? How can I help you? Gracie, Well,
I wanted to ask a question that depends something about marriage. Okay,
because I have a stepfather that's sixty five years old. Okay, turned down
your radio in the back there, Racy, will you turn down the radio
in the back there, dear, Okay, I'm sure you've never heard anybody
on the radio tell you that before, but I appreciate now, thank you.
Okay. Well, he's sixty five three, okay. Back in the
eighties, by seventy nine till ninety nine, he was with my mother HM
and he wasn't married to her or anything, but he was living with her.
He took care of her toy, lived together for twenty five years,
I guess, and she passed away. So I haven't seen him for about
five or six years until he decided to come back. He was living with
my brother before. But now he's telling me that he's interested in me and
he wants to make a life with me. But I don't think it's so.
I don't feel triple. She is my mother, She was my best
friendship, my love. She was everything to me. You know. That's
that's it. You don't feel comfortable with that, That's that's the biggest response
you have to that. Yes, And I don't feel like it's right because
I'm a Catholic. Well, I'm a spiritual Catholic, and I believe that
if her spirit is floating around and she's with heaven, she watches everything and
everything that we do is say, you know, I just don't feel like,
what does what does spiritual Catholic mean? Um? That her angel is
watching over us and looking over us. And I feel that if I do
something like that to my own mother, that would make mean she will punish
her. But I feel like I would be punished for doing something like that.
First of all, Um, but Catholics don't teach that people become angels.
But having said that, let's let's look at the response. You're you
should be more flipped out about this than you are. Thanks You're going on
doesn't sit right with me, and I feel like it might be punished.
Are the all the wrong answers? And uh, you should be disgusted by
this on its face and and and you actually told enough about the the circumstances
leading up to this that shows you the type of man this is and what
your what your mom brought into her home and into your life. Uh,
this was a man who was non committal to begin with, who didn't want
to commit and merely lived with your mom um and then you know, lived
with your brother and now sniffing around your your part of town, seeing if
you're interested not a good person. Oh okay, I'm sorry to be the
one to have to tell you that, but that's what I wanted to hear.
I wanted to hear this. But you should just be disgusted by it.
We covered that if if I do something like that, that would be
my disgusted seeing that I would have insite me because it's disgusting. Now,
it doesn't mean there haven't been circumstances that happen in life that socially somebody might
say is, oh, this is you know, unacceptable, but biblically,
there's not a problem with it. What I'm saying is that your particular,
your particular specific context that you told me about. UM, I'm not sure
why you're not more flipped out about it. I am more concerned, But
then I am I feel sorry for him, But then I don't feel like
I should do anything like that with him. You should run, not walk,
to the nearest exit. You shouldn't have this man in your life at
all, and tell him that that he's made you feel uncomfortable if that is
the case, and that that you don't wish to have any contact with him.
Leave it at that, Okay, okay and say good night, Gracie,
good night, all right, and that the important thing there is to
have the ability the discern meant to see when people are using you or being
predatory. Now, I this man hasn't called in, so he's not here
to defend himself. We're going strictly on the story, but on the story
as it stands. Um. I know that people fall in love with one
another for different reasons. But in this case, it's obvious that you can
look around and say, um, here is somebody who was with your mother
for a long period time, didn't even marry her, and now he's coming
around looking at you. That's odd. He should have the same feelings.
Well, I mean there could be misplaced feelings. That's that's normal, misplaced
feelings that you remind me of your mother. I was so in love with
her, the way you laugh, your appearance, certain things about you,
these types of things you too. To have those feelings normal, but to
understand them in their context and to say this is not okay and not appropriate
to pursue would be where you come in as an adult and say this is
not okay. So on both sides, as the daughter and as the pretend
husband, that's it's not okay, and it brings a lot of a lot
of ugliness into the situation. That's I don't know why you wouldn't just cut
that off and say no, I'm disgusted that you'd even ask me that or
pursue me like that. I love and I miss my mother, and I
know you meant something to her. You do not mean that to me,
and I'd prefer that we don't have any contact. I don't know what's so
difficult about that, that kind of running your toes in the sand, going
well, I don't maybe this or maybe that. And the guy's been gone
for five or six years, so it's not like there was a relationship that
was built up and now you're curious about exploring it. It's it had died
and now it comes back and going hey, maybe, I don't know.
I would just expected a whole different response out of that one. I expected
a more upset, angry, frustrated response. H okay, Don, welcome
to the Jesus Christ Show. Thank you, Savior. How are you,
Don? I'm pretty good? Thank you? What's going on? Well,
I'm very much in love and in fact engaged to a Muslim girl, and
my preacher tells me that in the Bible it says not to yoke myself with
a nonbeliever. H I have a friend in church that told me that he
read and I can't remember where he said, but that it was okay.
I'm just kind of paraphrasing this that it's okay as long as you're trying to
leader to Christ leader to you. Well, that's a and both of those
conclusions I think are based on their own biased So I will tell you this.
Yeah, scripture talks about being unequally yoked, but it's not talking about
marriage. I know a lot of people put that in there, but it's
not specifically talking about marriage and relationships in context. Well, not necessarily,
because there's more to it than that. And yes, you should be seeking
the salvation of others by being a wonderful example and sharing your faith when asked
about the hope that lies within you. Yes, but um, in addition
to that, pragmatically both with your faith and with your life. To be
involved with somebody of a differing faith can be a huge problem. Now,
if you guys are more seasoned in your citizenry and you're not going to have
children, it becomes less of a problem. Yes, well we're past start.
She has a daughter thirteen, but we don't have plans to have any
children. And I'm I'm sixty three and she's forty four. Okay, so
that's not that's not what you're seeking. Um, there's a major age discrepancy.
Why is there so much distance in the age? Pardon me? Why
are you so much older than she? Well, we met in a nursing
home that I was in for or twile, and we were attracted to each
other and it's been we've been in a ongoing relationship for over two years now.
Okay, So where do you connect? I mean, where's that part
that you connect? If it's not the age, I mean, you don't
have the same references growing up. If it's not the faith, where are
you connecting to her? To each other? Yes? Is it just physical?
You like the way she looks? She makes you laugh? Oh no,
no, no, no, no, It's much deeper than that.
Okay, But in what context If it's not your faith and it's not your
upbringing references because you're brought up, it's like we can almost read each other's
mind. She's also somewhat of a caregiver to me, not a lot.
I don't require a lot. Okay, but are you sure you haven't fallen
in love with that concept of somebody that's taking care of you. I've so
searched about that very question. Well, that means that it's something of great
importance. And I haven't been or I haven't felt closer and as much in
love with anyone in my life as I am with her. Okay. But
we started out this program with John seven twenty four, and that's stopped judging
by mere appearances and make the right judgment, so that's not necessarily on just
the things you feel or see or think, well, this appears to be
this way. I appear to have these feelings, and that's I don't want
to belittle them. I understand love is a wonderful thing and and and that
it, but it makes it clouds people's judgment and vision. Sometimes I think
that every case is unique and that as individuals, you're not going to be
having children. Then that leaves the the you know, child rearing out of
the equation, and that's where it becomes the biggest problem. However, when
you start having images of and worshiping of different faiths going on inside the house
that might be uncomfortable, or one will win out. Usually there's kind of
a wrestling match, whether it's obvious or not so obvious, and one can
win out. There's a lot of problems that go with the mixed faith.
So as far as getting a stamp of approval on it and saying, well,
God's going to condone this, No, that's not necessarily. What's the
way it's going to go down? However, you're not sinning necessarily by being
with somebody of a different faith, nor are you sinning to marry someone of
a different faith. The sinning comes, that's comforting. Well, it's only
comforting. And as much as you practice that, if it takes you away
from your faith at all, if it distracts you from your faith, if
it makes you veer away from any of your practices or understanding, then yes,
it becomes sinning. No, I will tell you Jesus that just about
the opposite has occurred. Um, my faith has grown stronger because she has
agreed to go with me to church. And are you going to go with
her and pray as well? To her church? Not a church, but
yes her, Ye, she doesn't attend Okay, So she may not be
someone of a particularly strong faith, but people, she's Indonesian and it's just
that's what she was brought up with. Okay. Well, there's going to
be different variables that are going to change the situation, and we don't have
time to go through every single one of them. So I want to give
you kind of an outline, and the outline is to protect yourself and to
protect your faith. That if you've fallen in love with somebody, and I
hear these terms all the time about oh I've fallen in love or I've never
had this experience, you can move forward. You have free will to move
forward in any of those things as a Christian, as a human being,
is an American, the thing you need to protect is your faith. People
do change when they get buried. Sometimes the faith can be bolstered by someone
of the opposite faith reminds you of why you believe, and sometimes not.
And she may not be that interested in her faith now, but maybe she
will be later and it may become a problem. So you just need to
know going into these things. I know a lot of people would it'd be
easier if it was just a sin flat out, but really when it's talking
about being unequally yoked, it's talking about not intertwining I know, on a
daily basis with people in a way that's going to drag you down. And
you can absolutely apply that to marriage. But to say that marrying somebody of
a different faith or something like that is a sin, you're not necessarily going
to find that in scripture. People may twist things to say that, but
it's not super productive. If you have children, it can be a horrible
problem and it takes its toll. There's enough problems in marriage as it is,
and enough difficulties that you have to figure your way around and negotiate that.
To add this to the equation can just be more problems than you think
it is once you're in it. Kf I AIX on demand