You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand. I wanted to talk a
little bit more about marriage because that comes up a lot that marriage is difficult.
On its face, it's difficult to bring two people together to build a
structure of equality and productivity and still getting everything you need, but giving everything
they need and finding that balance is difficult in the best of circumstances. When
you mix and mingle faiths, that's another possibility, another opening of vulnerability where
there can be problems, and it's not the things in scripture that point you
to or away from something are there for your own protection and guidance. Now
there are things that are absolute and it doesn't change the scripture. Sys this
is the way it should be done, and that's the way it should be
done. And stop arguing. But there are areas gray areas. There are
areas where you have to use your discernment, which seems to be a recurring
theme today. You have to use your discernment to process those things and make
the best decision for you in context, for you and your life, for
what you're going through. And you've got to keep those things in mind.
And so when you're getting involved with somebody. You've got to think not just
about the love and the emotion part, but you've got to have the balance
between the subjective and the objective and understand what you're going through and why you're
going through it, and make the best decision for both of you, not
just for you. Age differences, emotional difference, all these things play a
factor and can be later problems. Sharon, Welcome to the Jesus Christ Show.
Hello, Hi Sharon, how can I help you? Hi? Well,
I was speaking with your call screener and I told her that I'm interested
in your comments about Psalm twenty three. The reason I'm asking is because I
just read a book it was written in the thirties and published in the fifties
called I Shall Not Want by Robert Ketchum. These are books that seemed to
me to be totally out of touch with Christians today and not books that are
read by Christians. But when I read that, I realized, you know,
we seem to be lacking a real depth of not only understanding, but
relationship with Jesus based on a deeper just a deeper understanding of what His purpose
for us is today. And Psalm twenty three explains how he's not just our
We understand who he is as our savior, but very few Christians know who
he is as their shepherd and for daily life, and that so we live
in this second realm of the physical almost as Christians. So I wanted to
know whether you've ever either focused on Palm twenty three and the deeper meaning of
it yourself, and would care to comment. In addition, would you care
to comment on I am curious about how you see Savior well, a shepherd
salvation, okay, and my savior for salvation as if God came in the
flesh. Yes, And all I was doing was was was simply dying so
that everyone gets saved, and then I have nothing to do with anyone,
right? Is that what it comes down to. That's what I believe most
Christians look at and as a savior. They're very glad, you know,
they look at Psalm twenty three is the Lord is my shepherd, and I'm
glad he is. I think it's a legitimate concern, Sharon, but I
don't know that it's an honest one. I think that many many Christians have
the understanding that the that Christ and the anointed one, using that term that
I was here for more than just the salvation. That there is a relationship
at hand. That relationship can't mean anything unless there's interaction. If there isn't
any interaction, if that's the true concern, there would be a problem.
But Psalm twenty three is a wonderful look at that relationship. As a matter
of fact, you have the psalmist here in this case David reflecting about the
concept of a shepherd and the things that it brings nourishment and leading to spiritual
restoration. These imagery, imagery here of waters, the placid waters, and
these types of things are very much about that powerful image of the Savior being
someone who is interactive in your life, should you let him. If you
remember, the door is locked from the inside, I will not gone it,
but you have to open it. Open it. And I'm not sure
that I agree that a lot of Christians are out of touch with that.
I think they wrestle with it, and I think that's common and normal to
wrestle with that relationship part and understanding it in the physical realm. But certainly
Christians call here all the time and you'll hear them speak about the things that
they've gone through and how the Lord provides, and God has brought them through
something that's a that's a great understanding, and I don't think it's lost on
believers. The Last Call was so beautiful in its sentiment that I wanted to
although I disagree that the majority of Christians have left that, I'm not sure
that that's what she was exactly saying. The sentiment itself, I thought was
very sweet and important. So rather than I want to take your call,
so so hangtight, but I wanted to look at at Psalm twenty three before,
which we have on the air a good number of times. But in
light of her call, I think to appreciate that, to remember how many
times throughout scripture you have the term a good shepherd, John ten, the
Great Shepherd Hebrews thirteen, A chief shepherd one Peter five to four. It's
very important that imagery of the shepherd and the usage is specific, and it's
one that's given a lot throughout scripture, that the imagery of the shepherd,
and David chooses it specifically because of all the dangers in his life that he
negotiated around because of God as his shepherd, that loving kindness, that protection,
all those things that restored him not only in his physical life around trouble,
but also more importantly, into full communion with God. So as much
as it's important to understand the salvation nature of why I came and why I
died on the cross, hey, you get that, but to understand that
one, you're dealing with the negotiation through life and the sharp corners. As
my producer Neil says, all the time, the world is not nerfed.
You can't nerve the world. There's sharp corners. You're gonna get nocks and
pings in life. But in this particular case in Psalm twenty three, you
see the beauty of the balance between both of those things because it talks about
the shadow of death. So that's the salvation. That's true salvation, making
death now just a shadow. It's not even something substantive. It's just something
that looks like there's something substantive there. So death is now not something tangible
or something real, it's just a shadow. That's salvation that's about eternal life.
But also it talks about the waters and the restoration and the things that
are going on in this world as well. That these things being understood.
The raw the staff about the word of God leading you as well. And
there's a great beauty in that. And I would hate to think that it
is lost on people. I don't think it is. I think it's there.
But absolutely echo the color sentiment in the fact that it's important to understand
that God is not just your savior. That I didn't just come die on
the cross for salvation only, but for the process of having that good shepherd
in your life today to help guide you. Should you listen and not rebel
as many people do, but to but to actually let God lead you in
life is a very very important thing. Tim. Welcome to Jesus Christ Show.
Hi Jesus, Hi Tim. How are you doing well? Sir?
I'm very very well. Thank you for asking, how are you? I'm
good, actually better than I deserve. Okay, fair enough. My question
is about free will. I don't believe in free will. I believe from
the day born today die, every single second has already been predetermined. And
the reason second is because it's in the Bible. You guys, you haven't
written this with God's will, just what God has, This is what God
has in plant for me. And I think Lippyan's it says it also about
God already has it predetermined. Why does it say we have free will when
something already predetermined. Well, God predetermines every possible outcome or the possibility of
that outcome, but the outcome is still chosen by you. And there's a
difference between the two. For instance, God doesn't cause you to sin,
so that that outcome is not even something God would do, So that that
comes from your desire or your own free will and ability to choose that.
Now God, yes, fid, and he just said, now you're saying,
God doesn't have us, Joes, we choose Adam. Adam and Eve
were not born with sin. Adam and Eve partook in sin, therefore creating
that an option through their experience, and that is passed down through the bloodline.
Yes, that rebellion has passed down through the bloodline. But think of
it this way, and this might be easier, tim. Think of it
this way that if if you went to you know, Joe's House of Pies
and there's one hundred pies there for you to choose from, well, Joe's
House of Pie is created. All the options there for you to choose,
every single pie, butter cream, banana cream, apple pie, pumpkin,
pie, cherry pie, you know, fried shrimp boiled, and that's something
completely different. So all those options created by that place. But when you
go in and you make a choice of which one you want, you make
a choice of which pie you want to sit down and eat, and then
you buy it and you bring it to the table and you sit down and
you eat said pie, that's your choice. That's a free choice. No
one forced you to buy a particular pie. And you may be forced by
the fact that you have only one hundred choices rather than two, But all
you need is two options for an honest choice in limitation, by the way,
all analogies break down. I don't want people to get confused. But
so in that particular case, you do have the option of choice, and
you're choosing, and that choice is free. And just because God knows what
choice you will make or how an outcome may come, doesn't mean that he
forces that particular hand. You most certainly have free will. Mister ed Welcome
to the Jesus Christ Show. Hi. I've been asked to do a presentation
on the best way to play the Bible for some high school and senior students
and some college students who are way to read the Bible. Study the Bible.
Okay, they're going to be doing summer ministry throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Any thoughts on that. Wow, to study the entire Bible, well,
no, this week? To study a passage of scripture for example, Okay,
Well, the good thing is that all of it's good, you know.
Two Timothy three point sixteen makes it very clear when it says all scripture
is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
for training, and righteousness. So you're you're good that that it's all therefore
your teaching. But it I think that there's always places to start in the
in the effects of things that I did in scripture. For instance, if
people see things as just instances, well, okay, the death and the
cross and there was this, But to see them as they have fluidity and
tie into one another, I think is beauty. Something called the hermonutics of
scripture as well as something that I think as often left off the table when
teaching about the Scripture and seeing how it all does tie together and why that
statement in two Timothy is true because it ties in together. But if you
look at the things that took place in scripture. The understanding that there is
a beginning, middle, and end to all things in context of scripture is
always beautiful. Kind of that gath simone cavalry and empty tomb. That God
never leaves you hanging in the middle somewhere is a wonderful lesson to learn if
you're going to take scripture out, because a lot of people will come up
against opposition or confusion or frustration. And to know that God is a god
of beginning, middle, and ending, when oftentimes it seems like God leaves
you in the center of something, is very powerful. Is there a particular
direction that you're feeling led to move yourself, like a place to start something
that's meant some that you or kind of opened your eyes to something else?
Well, I you know, for example, I'm going through Proverbs, so
I'll just take behalf of the proverb. I read it through several times and
ask God to show me what it is he wants for me to take the
takeaway. And then I'll say, Okay, here's some of the high points
here and this is the takeaway, and this this is what I need to
do. How do I apply it to my life? And that's why I'm
trying to that's what we want to share with these young people. How do
you take that of scripture that you're reading and make an application that's excellent.
The thing that I will caution you about is and this happens in Proverbs quite
a bit, And we used Proverbs on the program a lot because of the
fact that it's almost like, if you imagine a highway of Christian cars with
bumper stickers, that's kind of what Proverbs seems like. It's just a whole
bunch of bumper stickers passing by that you can quote simply, and it seems
to get the point across, doesn't it come across that way a little bit?
There's all these like little, very simple things that you can remember.
So if you're learning to memorize scripture, Proverbs is a really great place to
start one because there's some rehashing and similar themes and statements that are made,
but also because they seem kind of bite size. They already seem to be
parsed into these little, you know, a little nut size to shape,
completely consumable, not a problem in a nutshell done, But the rest of
scripture seems to be difficult for people to dive into because there's stories that go
along with them, and it's not just people tend to like the scriptures.
You can pull out of context and just say, look, this is what
it says, and they're nice, They're easy to teach that way. So
as much as I encourage that in going through the books, I think the
way you are doing it is the smart way. Read something and then think
how does that apply to me? But look not only at the words written,
try it and good study bibles have this obviously. Online you can find
stuff like this, find the context of what was going on or why that
particular word was used. That always brings more light to the scripture than if
you just read it and go, wow, well it's part of that made
sense. Or for instance, if you go to the Old Testament and you
start reading, there's parts where it's like so and so beget so and so,
and you read that and you go, Okay, I've got to read
this because it's the word of God and God says that it's important it's in
there, But what does that mean? A lot of people don't understand the
background behind those names and the importance of them being written down in the importance
of the context so I would say, always push them towards the context.
First, read what was said, Understand what was said. Now, understand
what was said in context, what was going on two thousand years ago in
that context that it used those particular words. And now finally, how does
it apply to now? Is there a similar situation? Now? How does
it apply to what I'm going through in life? That those are the things
that I love when people do and you find out, you know, how
it goes with the harmony of the entirety of scripture and why it's in there.
But first what it says, why it says it, why it says
it in context, and what it means to you, to you in your
life. I think is a good kind of four branch system into teaching any
part of scripture. Last question, last question, Yes, where's the best
place to find that understanding and context? I mean, the other thing that
I've been using is just a concordance. Well, you've got a concordance,
you can get a good Bible commentary will help you with context and understanding certain
things that may not be you know, don't jump out at you. And
then another thing is a good study Bible. If you get a good study
Bible. A lot of times it has maps in it, it has word
studies in it. It will have some images drawings or photographs of actual places
that help you, like trees or a pathway or proximity between two places,
that let you see something a little differently, and also have a small commentary.
Often Bible studies down at the bottom will have a little commentary that will
shed light on it. And another thing that's not used very often but is
in most study bibles is cross references, so you'll see other scriptures next to
it, Like, for instance, if you're reading one particular scripture, you'll
see it across reference underneath it that is something similar. And then you go
to that scripture and you read that one, you'll go, oh, now
I see how they tie in together. It's not just they're talking about the
similar things. This is referencing something that took place beforehand, and that starts
to shed light on it and let it breathe a little bit differently and kind
of come to life a little bit. What are some of the better online
references you can go and you can look at, like the Unbound Bible.
It's put together by Biola University in southern California, and it's a great resource
Unbound Bible dot com. And it has not only a place where you can
search scripture, but it also has tools. A little area that says tools
on it, it says Bible study tools. If you click on that,
you can find you know, lexicons, you can find a commentary, you
can find all kinds of things on there that can help you study. It's
really really well put together and very intuitive. On a rare occasion it's down
due to maintenance or then processing something or a lot of people using it or
something. But other than that, it's very reliable resource and has many different
Bible versions to choose from, so you can look things up, including different
languages. You can look things up in the Greek and in the Hebrew,
and that becomes a fun resource. You know, ask questions, dig deep,
and if there's something that someone comes across and I find this to work.
Well, if you're in a group setting, let's say everyone's studying the
same passage, then you get everybody coming together and saying, well, this
is what I got out of it, or this is what I saw,
this is what I learned, And then you get someone else saying this word
bugged me. There's something about this word that made it seem like it was
saying this or saying that, and everybody kind of comes together and then you
can go, okay, let's do a word study of that word. How
many times is it used in scripture? What other context is that word used
in? Could it mean other things? Because often in the Greek, Hebrew,
and even the Aramaic words can mean many different things. Just like in
English, if I said to you, oh, later on today, I'm
going to be working on a table, you'd say, well, okay,
Well he is a carpenter, maybe he's building something. But I could be
a mathematician and working on a mathematic table. I could be somebody who does
crafts and I'm going to be working sitting at a table. So you have
to know the context of what's being stated for it to have full brightness and
life and understanding as to what's being said and why. And when you come
together in a group, sometimes that tends to flower and blossom much better than
if you're you know, you're on your own, but you kind of go
off on your own and then come back and share your notes. If that's
possible, that's a great way to teach. Thank you very much, You're
welcome. I hope that gives you something to work with. Learning and studying
scripture, I know, can be a daunting task and it's one of those
things you know you're called to and you want to do. And there's people
say, oh, yeah, I read scripture, I know scripture, and
I guarantee those are the ones that don't because it's not something you read like
that. You know, it's not the tipping point. You're not sitting there
going okay, well, yeah I was. You know, I had a
layover in Dallas and I thumbed through it and it wasn't a problem. It's
not like that. You're you're you're wanting to have it come to life and
to understand it. And you're talking about something written two thousand years ago.
That having an understanding of the time and the placement is a good idea.
Also, the life and times of Jesus the Messiah is also great, but
that's also good to understand the context of what was going around at the time
too. It just helps you learn and it becomes fun and kind of an
exciting way to engage scripture rather than just the bumper sticker well, where does
it say that I should do something? And where does it say that I
shouldn't do something? Because there's much more to it than that. Hi Chris,
Welcome to the Jesus Christ Show. Hi Jesus. I am a bit
of an amateur anthropologist. I find that sort of stuff very interesting and I'm
wonderful. I've noticed that it's not hard to notice that throughout, you know,
all of time human time, that every society, no matter where on
the earth, you know, those societies have been that universally all of us
sort of cling to music in one way or another. And I've also noticed
that the more orthodox religions like is and Judaism, with the chanting and whirling
dervishes, with the toorally real they do, which I find so fascinating.
I'm wondering if there's a linkage, if you will, between like rhythmic movements
and singing that God gave to us as sort of a wi fi, if
you will, a linkage to him. Is that what the purpose of music
is? Well? I think actually you might be. You might be making
it overly complicated or overly spiritual where it does have a spiritual element. And
I'll give you a fun word you can go look up as homework Ethno.
Musicologists might be something you might want to look into as well, to find
that. There are some differences in different cultures, and sometimes we're even trying
to find find or track down a word or concept like music is difficult to
find in certain cultures. But music is fairly universal, and the desire to
to make music or experience music is fairly universal. So someone can really and
easily make the correlation, say, gosh, this is something that's kinetic,
that's tying to God. I will tell you if you went through scripture,
you will notice that in the Old Testament that there are times where musicians are
named by name, talked about by name, and the priests aren't in the
same breath, and it talks about the importance of these musicians. And so
music obviously is an important part of worship, but more so than it being
connected in some sort of super spiritual way, I think that there's something inherently
releasing about dancing or movement or moving to a beat or connecting with a rhythm
that releases people from their inhibitions and kind of puts them in I don't mean
in a negative way, but in a way that people tend to be guarded
and put on masks, and there's something it's hard to not respond to a
beat, whether it's with a goofy look on your face or a nodding of
the head or what have you. And I think that that's a compelling attribute
of music. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's like a direct connection
to God. However, worshiping in song has always been a part of the
Judeo Christian belief system. You just can't separate the two. And as you
pointed out, with Canter's singing, and even the words of prayer become a
song, so it absolutely plays a part. What I don't want is to
get to a point where it becomes this separate thing and it becomes like,
oh, I can only get in tune with God if I'm singing or undulating
that I do not believe to be true. However, there is a correlation
that humans tend to confine themselves and the unconfining attributes of music that make you
want to kind of express yourself make you more open to the experience of God.
I have no problem with making that statement or hearing that statement. And
also the direct correlation to the fact that you're created in the image of God,
and theologians have gone back and forth for centuries trying to describe what that
means, and some have whittled it down to meaning that you are a creature
of intellect, will, and emotion. And to expand on that, I
would say that creation is a direct attribute of the Creator. Correct creates,
That's what God does, and so humans being created in the image of God
have the desire to create as well. And I think music and art in
general, but music is one of those It is one of those things.
It's the desire to create as God created, and in this case, the
creation is music, and in that sense, I think absolutely positively it plays
a huge part in worship. I just don't want people to make it more
like a transcendental meditation or something that somehow puts them on a frequency or tunes
them into God in a way that's different, because I think when you get
into that place, you get into some metaphysical things and some things that might
not be too productive, especially in the Judeo Christian precepts. Thank you for
joining me this Sunday. I hope you joined me every Sunday and remember more
importantly than all the craziness that goes on, I am with you always.
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