Fire Away Friday is your chance to ask us your Bible question
M It's Fire Away Friday on Exploring the Word. This is your chance to ask us your Bible question at 888-589-8840. That's 888-589-8840. You can also email your [email protected] or visit facebook.com exploring the word.
It's Fire Away Friday on American Family Radio.
>> Alex McFarland: Therefore, whoever of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. That's from Matthew 7:24. The wise person will believe, receive and heed the words of God. But we're going to take a little bit of a break from Matthew 7, because today is what we call Fire away Friday. Alex McFarland here along with Bert Harper. You're listening to Exploring the Word. And this is the day where we take your Bible questions and the number. I'll give this number a few times. It's triple 858-98840. And we'd love for you to call us with a Bible question. Bert, Every day is special on Exploring the Word. But we love Fire Away Friday, don't we?
>> Bert Harper: We really do. I remember 15 years ago when, I first came on and, we were just taking questions and we'd say, Friday, you know, exploring the Word. And one, one day, I don't know, you said it or, I said it, man, this is like Fire Away Friday. And it stuck. And now we love Fire Friday and we want you to be a part of it by calling 888-589-8840. That's 888-589-8840. We'll take your question and, and Alex and I'll do our very best to give you a biblical concise answer that, that you can go away understanding. We, I, I write I paper to, to me because I, I'm, I've got a short memory. I tell folks I got a great memory, but my forgetter is so much better. But anyway, I write down, be precise. I do, I want to be understood. If you go long and long and long, people forget. What did he say to begin with? So Alex and I, we're determined to give that kind of answer so God will get the glory.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen.
Alex has 65 Bible questions from his summer camps with teenagers
Well, I, I've got 65 questions from my recent visits to camp with teenagers. And could I, begin today with one of our questions?
>> Bert Harper: Go right ahead. We got Caleb in Mississippi. Caleb, we're going to answer Alex's question first and then we'll get straight to you. Go ahead Alex?
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. we got this question in our eight summer camps from, M. Most recently we, were in Pennsylvania. Teenager, asked what happens to people who have never heard the gospel? As a pastor and scholar, Bert, how do you answer that? What happens to people who have never heard the gospel?
>> Bert Harper: Well, here's what I say. I usually turn to the book of Romans and, worshiping the creator, you know, do they worship the creature, Creator? God responds to a person responding to the light that they receive. And I believe with all my heart. The Ethiopian eunuch is an example of that. He came to Jerusalem to worship because down in Ethiopia, he knew there was a God. He heard about the one God.
He.
>> Bert Harper: He comes to Jerusalem to worship. He doesn't get it all, but he gets a copy of God's Word. He's on his way back to Ethiopia. And there is. When God invaded his territory as he brought Philip there to tell him. You can read that anyway. But I see the miraculousness of that, Alex. If a person responds to the light that they have, God will bring more light. And so they are. Everybody will stand before God without excuse.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, that's true. And in fact, those exact words are in, Romans chapter one, that says, we have no excuse, everybody is accountable, and everybody is responsible to, respond to the amount of light that they've been given. But the number is 888, 589. 8840. And we take your Bible questions today. Bert, where do we begin?
Alex: Thank you for calling AFR. I really, really appreciate that
>> Bert Harper: Well, we'll start in the state of Mississippi, Headquarters for AFR and it's Caleb. Caleb, thank you for calling. Go right ahead. Hey, guys.
>> Speaker C: Thanks. I listen to you all the time, Alex. I have several of your books,
>> Speaker: and I hope to meet you one
>> Speaker C: day in person, some. Somewhere.
>> Alex McFarland: Well, thank you. God bless you. I really, really appreciate that.
Alex: Is it still biblical for people to have spiritual gifts today
>> Speaker C: Well, I was just wondering, today, in. In this day and age, is it still biblical for people to have, healing gifts, speaking in tongues, being able to, you know, bound or like, exercise demons, like having, deliverance ministries. Ah, like individual people. Like, is that biblical today that that still actually happens or not, though I
>> Bert Harper: believe, Alex, I'll make one statement, you take it away. God's gifts are still active today. Now, how they operate and where they operate. I. I've got some areas there that I. I believe I'll get to them later. Alex, go ahead.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, and I'm going to give the, four passages where you find out about spiritual gifts. Because, Bert, I think one thing that we don't teach enough in the church is spiritual gifts is really easy to remember this. I want you to think of these numbers 12, 12 and 4, 4. And by that I mean 1st Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and 1st Peter 4. I'll give those in, 1st Corinthians 12, Romans12, Ephesians4 and 1st Peter4. And you'll have everything the Bible has to say about spiritual gifts. And you know, really, they, they come under a number of headings. There's faith prophecy, which I really believe is speaking forth God's message. And it does talk about healings. First Corinthians 12, verse 9. and I'm going to come back to that Teaching service or helps administration or leadership, ruling or authority. God entrusts authority positions to some people. Exhortation, giving, mercy showing, and 1st Corinthians 12:10, speaking in unknown languages and the understanding of them.
Bert says spiritual healing is more important than physical healing
and Bert, let me talk about healing for just a second because, in First Corinthians 12, 9, it talks about, the gift of healing. And the wording means curing effect. Now I'm going to tell you how I have seen certain Christians, I believe, be a conduit to healing. I want to be very clear, if anybody gets healed, it's because God does it. I don't think a person has the power to do that, however, to pray, to, lay hands on and get together and pray over somebody which even motivates their faith. And Bert, I've had people begin to pray after they were almost too discouraged to pray for themselves. So I want to be very clear. God is still in the healing business. He does it, but no human does it. But I do think obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit and, I think people can be a tool God uses. Now, some people get healed through medicine, some people get healed through miracles. And the healing is always by the hand of God. But I do think, encouraging people to pray for people, even being an encouragement to the one who might be ill, that's part of how God does work through Christians to facilitate a, ah, healing sometimes in the lives of other people. Agree or disagree, Bert? Feel free to jump in.
>> Bert Harper: No, I agree. Let me share two thoughts about it. When you read the Scriptures, especially the Book of Acts, now you've got Romans, as Alex said, First Corinthians, and so forth. But in the Book of Acts, they're more prominent at certain locations in certain places. The places that they're prominent where they are being just demonstrated in a great way, is in a, pioneer mission area. In other words, when the gospel was being introduced to an area or a city, you see those evidence, of the power of God more readily enough. I think that's true today. I've heard of it. I know of it. Talked to, missionaries and in those areas, a pioneer where the gospel's being introduced and, the power of God is everywhere. I realize that, but I believe it is demonstrated in that prominence. The second thing, healing. You just talking about that there is physical healing. And I believe any physical healing is from God, whether it be therapy, whether it be medication, surgery. God is the great. He's built our bodies in such a way that they can heal, but it's God who does it. He's the creator. There's emotional healing. Listen, I've seen that. And I would say this emotional healing is. Is probably more important than physical healing. They go together. But the great healing is the spiritual healing with all my heart that is prominent. And we make more of the physical and the emotional than we do the physical. I think we're getting our, priorities out of order as believers. We need that spiritual healing where God comes in and just makes things right. So we're praying for that, Caleb. We hope that helps, brother. Let's. Let me give that number because we do have lines that are open here on Fireway Friday, 888-589-8840.
There are thousands of New Testament manuscripts, portions, fragments and copies
If you've got a Bible question, Alex and I would love to hear you today. Let's go to Marian in Kentucky. Marian, thank you for calling. Go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Hi, I'm just wondering why, Matthew 17:21 isn't in a couple of my Bibles, but it's in one of my older Bibles.
>> Bert Harper: Okay. Alex, haven't we had this question quite a bit lately? Is that the passage that people are talking about? Quite a bit, yeah.
>> Alex McFarland: And Matthew 17:20 and 21 is a lot like Mark, chapter nine too. But, it says in verse 21, Howbeit this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting. And so, let me say this. There are thousands of NewSong Testament manuscripts, portions, fragments and copies. And sometimes, translators, they look at what they think or the age, and they like older manuscripts than what they think are newer manuscripts. Although dating the biblical manuscripts, they're all within a very short period of time. And the dating process, is not an exact science. And yes, there are, there are, some manuscripts that don't include verse 21. Now here's the thing about contested passages. Another are the, the last few verses in Mark 16, 1st Jon 5, 7. So, there are on, you know, you can count on really about less than five fingers the places where what is thought to be an older manuscript may be missing a verse. There's just less than half a dozen of these places. And then there are manuscripts, that are what they call the majority text that do have. Now, I think it belongs because it's definitely in many manuscripts and it has harmonious content. I don't want people to get the idea that, oh, my goodness, there's parts of the NewSong Testament missing or something. It's not like that at all. If a Bible doesn't have a verse in the body of text, they'll generally have a note in the margin and it'll say some manuscripts end with verse 20 or, whatever. But Bert, it relates to how translators view the manuscripts that they have access to.
>> Bert Harper: It does. Even in my Bible, NewSong King James and I use this and it's the open Bible and it's the new King James Version. But in verse 21, I have a footnote and it says this verse is omitted in certain manuscripts. And so this is what it does. It will give you those if they're inaccurate as they can be. They're going to let you know though, if they left it out, they'll put a footnote. If it's in there, they put a footnote. And, it doesn't take away from anything in the word of God. It really does not. So you can trust the Bible that we have that number and we do have lines that are open. 888-589-8840. Alex and I'll be right back right after this break.
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Fire Away Friday is where we answer your questions on American Family Radio
>> Alex McFarland: M welcome back to Exploring the Word
>> Bert Harper: on American Family Radio. Welcome back to Exploring the Word. Bert and Alex here. And it is Fire Away Friday, where we answer your questions. Some of the questions we answer comes in on Facebook or wordfr.net so, Brent, what kind of question do we have for today? Well, first of all, let me remind you, anytime you can send us questions to Facebook messenger, you can also send them to [email protected] or when we're live streaming during the show, you can post your questions there. If you can't get through or you just don't want to ask on air. And, we've got one from Mary. She has sent us one to, [email protected] she says, I have several loved ones in heaven. I know that one day I'll be reunited with them. Do our loved ones in heaven know what we're doing here on Earth? And do they still remember us? Okay, Alex, I'll take the second part first. That's all right. when we get to heaven, there's no doubt we will know one another. They knew Elijah. They knew who Moses was. They weren't. I don't think we'll have to wear name tags to be identified. And I think we will know. And it's going to be a glorious reunion. you know, as you said, you said it earlier when we were discussing it, we're going to know as we're known. So up in heaven, there's going to be a great, great reunion. Are they remembering us now? I'm not sure. They're observing everything we're doing. But I really know this. The angels rejoice when one sinner comes to Christ. I guarantee you, if I. If I was in heaven now and I heard the angels rejoicing, I'd go and see if it's one of my loved ones. Alex, would you.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen. That's great. That's great. You know, First Corinthians 13, verse 12, speaking of heaven, it says, then we will know as we are known. Well, how thoroughly does God know us right now? Well, completely. So in heaven, we will know each other? yes, I. And let me just say this, too, Bert. one of the reasons that we need to grow in the Lord and be sanctified and more and more Christ like, personality survives death. and the Christian worldview is unique in this regard that, you, the person you will always be you. You know, and we need to be the best in Christ that we can be. And we will know each other. Bert, I'm. I'm really looking forward to meeting the Apostle Peter. He's one of my heroes. I want to meet Moses and talk about what it was like the day the Red Sea parted, you know? And, so we're going to be who we are and we will recognize each other. And yes, our loved ones in heaven will. Will know us. So, Bert, right now our driving passion is to make sure that as many people will hear the gospel and be saved as possible. I've got a lot of loved ones that are in the family and a few we're still working on. How about you?
>> Bert Harper: Me as well. And I can only imagine that would be alright for a song, wouldn't it?
>> Alex McFarland: that would be a great song.
>> Bert Harper: It really would.
Danielle: I'm trying to understand the major theological difference between Presbyterian and Baptist
Ok, let's go to. Is it Danielle in Oklahoma? Is it Danielle?
>> Speaker C: That's correct.
>> Bert Harper: Okay, Danielle. I was hoping I'd pronounce it correctly. Go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Hi. Thank you for taking my call. I've listened to y' all for years and really appreciate what you do. And, my question is, we've. We've kind of gone back and forth between Presbyterian and the Baptist. And I'm trying to understand the major theological difference between them. I know that the Presbyterians teach the Covenant theology, which really makes a lot of sense to me. and they do the baptizing of the infants. but the Baptists believe that there's a break between the Old and the NewSong Covenant. Is that the difference? And if. If not, or if. Could you just explain it to me in a way that I could understand?
>> Bert Harper: Well, Danielle, you've called the right person. Alex has been both. So he as well. But let me just share this with you. this. Alex, you preached there. Coming in September, starting the 13th, I'll be preaching at Fairfield Presbyterian Church. Oh, that's a great church. Yes, it is. And you've preached there. And I'm going to preach there. And here's this Baptist in a Presbyterian church. I just want to suggest this. Listen, we may have some areas that we look at and say, oh, don't make them bigger than they are. Let me just share that with. Don't make the differences bigger. they may be some and it may be, but if it's not a big issue, if it doesn't matter in heaven, don't major on it. I'd put it that way, Alex, but you've been both Presbyterian, Baptist. Answer, Danielle. From your point of view, brother.
>> Alex McFarland: Well, God bless you. And first of all, both Presbyterians and Baptists are Christian denominations that, what we call NewSong Testament Christianity. That we believe the son of God died on the cross, rose again in payment of our sins. Salvation is by faith, not works. And, I want to be very clear whether it's Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, assembly of God, Bible Church, classically Orthodox Lutherans, I mean, there is much, much more that unites us than divides us. We all believe in Christ alone, the Savior. There are some differences, not only Bert. Theological differences, but really church government structure is different. For example, the Presbyterian Church has really an elder, form of leadership. That is kind of a representative form of church government. Just like we have a representative form of government here in America. Most Baptist churches, not all, but most are what we would call congregational, which really is a democratic form of government. And that's why sometimes business meetings at a Baptist church can be a little rowdy and chaotic. Whereas in Presbyterian, business meetings, if they even have one, it's, it's a little more structured. And I'm not saying one's better than the other. I'm just saying they're different in their form of church government. But the theological differences, for one thing, in the Presbyterian Church, and I actually pastored a Presbyterian church for almost three years, even though I was ordained in the Baptist church. but the Presbyterians will view christening, an infant as a covenant. And they'll say a child of the covenant. Whereas in the Baptist Church it's more like a service of baby dedication. now I will say this too. Most Presbyterian churches that are striving to be orthodox, they'll say we follow the Westminster confession. 16, 36. But listen, the Westminster Confession was written by Baptist, Anglican, Quaker and Presbyterians. So again, there's a whole lot more that unites us than divides us. Now, just to make it more complicated, and I'll be brief. Within Presbyterianism, there are some denominational differences. For example, the PCA is a good conservative, high view of scripture. The, EPC Evangelical Covenant Presbyterians, very conservative. Listen carefully, please. The PC USA very, very, very, very liberal. In fact, many, many Bible believing Presbyterian churches have left the PC USA Just like many Bible believing Methodists have left the United States Methodist Church. there are some other things and it relates to whether, or not, a church is very Calvinistic and believes in free will. I do believe in free will, by the way. another unique difference, and I'm being, believe it or not, being very simplistic here. the most Baptists would make a distinction between Israel and the church. Many Presbyterians that embrace something called Reformed theology, they do not distinguish between the church and Israel, and they base it on Galatians 6:16 that references quote the Israel of God. Now, I think it's pretty hard to deny that the rebirth of the nation of Israel is an amazing sign of, I think, Bert, of the last days. And so, you know, I would encourage people read up on the denominations. There's more that unites us than divides us. And I want to say very clearly, and Bert, I'll throw it back to you. Apologize for going so long. We need each other.
>> Bert Harper: Amen. Preach it, brother.
>> Alex McFarland: I mean, we do. And I know there's. There can be theological differences, but, if you believe that the Son of God shed his blood on Calvary's cross, rose from the dead, and by faith in him, we are born again. Hey, we're family, and we need each other.
>> Bert Harper: Amen. Danielle, let me give you one thought, and I've done this here. When I pastored in Tupelo, Mississippi, I pastored a church for 28 years, and I'd visited homes, and Tupelo has some amazing churches that love Jesus, that are on. On mission for him.
Danielle says go to the place where God can use you
And they said, man, we're struggling. I say go to the place where God can use you, and you can be used of God. And listen, God can use you in the Presbyterian Church. God can use you in that Baptist church. Danielle, let God lead you. yeah, there's those differences, and you might be not comfortable with every one of them, but let God lead you. He really will. I believe that with all my heart.
If a person is originally saved and, um, becomes a Christian
Let's go to Texas. Colleen, thank you for calling. Go right ahead with your question. Is it Colleen? Colleen, one more time. Sorry about that. I don't know what happened. Let's go to Barbara in Texas. Barbara, go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Yes, sir. my question is if a person is originally saved and, becomes a Christian according to the Bible, saved by grace, then later joins in to a church that is works, oriented, even though he had a very sincere, change in his life at the moment of salvation, now he's believing and passing it on, trying to pass it on to the rest of our family. we're just wondering and praying that he is still saved. If he originally was saved by grace and believed it then. Now he's. He's believed. He's saying things like, Jesus came for to teach us how to live. So he's more into the, the laws and keeping the laws. not, not. Not like a messianic Jew. It's. He's truly off into something that's more oriented, very low oriented on grace and, salvation by Jesus dying on the cross.
>> Bert Harper: Okay.
>> Speaker C: Would he still be saved if he were to die? Now is my question. That is our concern.
>> Bert Harper: If he was really born again saved, he.
>> Speaker C: He's.
>> Bert Harper: He's right with the Lord. Now only God can do that. We can look at works all day long and be wrong. Nobody but Jesus knew Judas Chariot was a demonic person from the very beginning. have you not prophesied in my name? Have you not preached it? I'm sure, Judas felt good about that. Only God knows that, Alex. Christians can get off track in doctrine. is that. How severe is that? If he's teaching that you're saved by works, he's gone into a wrong doctrine, has he not?
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, he did. I mean, works, works, righteousness is unbiblical. Now, I do believe a truly saved person can, get off track and misunderstand or even drift a little bit. but if they're truly saved, eventually I think the Holy Spirit of God will open their eyes and they'll come back. I'll tell you one that added works to grace momentarily, and that was the Apostle Peter. And didn't he.
>> Bert Harper: He did. He did. And good call. That's right.
>> Alex McFarland: It was, it was outside pressure. I mean, look, I think that's why we need to. From day one, if you, if you come to Christ from the get go, you need to be in the word and know the word. I love how Billy Graham said that, a thorough knowledge of the Book of Romans will, almost inoculate you from false teachings. Billy Graham said. And by the way, next summer at the COVID the Billy Graham Center, I'll be teaching the Book of Romans, which is one of my favorite books. but if somebody could, See, it's one thing to be mistaken, but it's one thing to outright deny. And I've talked to some people that did what they apostatized. They really deny and denigrate the faith they once upheld, denying, Jesus, the deity of Christ, the atonement. If that denial, kind of morphs into, just a vehement hostility against the gospel. I don't think they were Born again in the first place.
>> Bert Harper: Bert, I agree with you, and, we hope that helps. Listen, Barbara, I think all of us have had kin folks that. Okay, they started, right, and now they're off track. Are they really born again or not? you trust the Lord and keep praying and asking God to bring them back or bring him to him. Either way, we got time. A little bit. We're going to go to Steve in Missouri. Steve, go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Well, I thank you for taking my call, and I thank you both for what you do.
Steve: I fear that my son may never give his heart to the Lord
And this question is one that works
>> Alex McFarland: very hard on my heart, in my mind.
>> Speaker C: I fear that my son may never give his heart to the Lord. But y' all were talking that when we get to heaven, we will know
>> Alex McFarland: the people that are there.
>> Speaker C: But if my son doesn't give his
>> Alex McFarland: heart to the Lord and he's not
>> Speaker C: there, God says he will wipe every tear from our eye. But how will he wipe those tears from my eyes when I am grieving for my son?
>> Bert Harper: Steve, listen, there's some transformation that's gotta take place between here in heaven and I don't know exactly how it works. The joy that we have with Christ will be there. But we're going to pray for your son right now, before as we go out. We got this. 20 seconds, but we're praying. Father, I pray for Steve. I pray for his son. You know where he is right now. You know what he's doing. I pray that the Holy Spirit of God would come upon him, drawing him to yourself. We're believing this. Trust in this. In Jesus name, amen. And we'll be right back.
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I can only imagine what it will be like When I walk by your side I can only imagine what my eyes will see See when your face is before me I can only imagine.
Yeah.
Surrounded by your glory what will my heart feel? Will I be dance for you, Jesus? Or in all of you be still? Will I stand in your presence? Or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine we can only imagine.
Colleen from Texas calls in with Bible questions on Fire Away Friday
Welcome back to Exploring the Word. You know, I listening to those words, but I remember where I was in the corner car one day, the first time I ever heard that song. And it was coming on and I thought, this is awesome. That song is so good. The band is Mercy me. I'm sure many have heard that beloved song. But we welcome you back to Fire Away Friday on Exploring the Word. Bible questions and, Bert, let's continue on. Where, where shall we go?
>> Bert Harper: Well, let's go to Texas. Colleen, are you there?
>> Speaker C: Yes, I am.
>> Bert Harper: Okay, thank you for calling back. Yeah, go right ahead with your question.
>> Speaker C: Yes, I'm not going to be long. I, just want to, give some encouraging spiritual words to everyone at Second Thessalonians, chapter one, verse one through 12. And it states of, how we can be counted worthy of the kingdom. Thank you.
>> Bert Harper: Okay. Well, that was short. yes, matter of fact, what we've been studying in the book of Matthew, and this is awesome, Alex is being citizens in his kingdom. Now I'm giving in a. A different view of Matthew, but it's so true. We need to be kingdom minded, don't we?
>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. I appreciate, that, dear sister from Texas and those words of encouragement. Yes, we need to be kingdom minded and I, would say also stewardship minded, that everything we do post salvation is by the power of God and for the glory of God. And, Bert, don't you think it's liberating to realize that, we don't have to stress about keeping up with the Joneses or materialism or, you know, all the trappings of this world. We are now citizens of heaven and as long as we're alive, we're on mission for God.
>> Bert Harper: Amen. I want to read, God's word. This is second Thessalonians okay, verses 11 and 12. She was talking about verses one through 12. But listen to this. Therefore, we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of, our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Alex, most of the time when we pray before we go on air, whether Brent's praying, you praying, or I'm praying, we're praying. Lord, get all the glory. That is why he has left us here, that men might see our good works and glorify the Father who's in heaven. If God, if we were just saved to be saved, and that's good, he would take us to heaven immediately after we were saved. But he's left us here to be a witness of his great. And that's what it says, his great grace. Colleen, thank you for that.
There are three major differences between the standard Bible and the Ethiopian Bible
Okay, let's go to Tracy in Texas. Tracy, go right ahead. Hey, yes, yes, you're on the air. Go right ahead, Tracy.
>> Speaker C: Yeah, I've been listening on guys for a while and, I'm a newbie, I'm a 65 year old newbie. And this guy, I've been, you know, I got to catch up, and this guy told me about the Ethiopian Bible. And I've been reading it, but I'm wondering, should I be reading it?
>> Bert Harper: Okay, listen, the Bible, do you have, 66 book Bible, the King James. Hey, that's what you need to concentrate on, brother. I, I don't. I'm not cutting you short. Alex will fill you in better than I. But listen, those 66 books, that you're not missing out on anything when you have the 66, the 39 and the old 27 and the new, we got all that God wanted us to have. Alex, go ahead.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, the, the, the church in Ethiopia goes back a long, long way. But there are basically three kind of differences between, the standard Bible known the world over and the Ethiopian Bible. And really what they include in the canon, the language and even really the theological framework. Although Ethiopia does have a rich tradition of Christianity. But the Ethiopian Bible has 81 books in it, because there's seven more that they include with the Old Testament, and there are six more that they include with the NewSong Testament. And, and they include what are some apocryphal writings like first Enoch and some other, books that, let me just say were never, ever really viewed as canonical by any other Christian groups. And, the test for canonicity was it written by an apostle. And these extra books were not one who had been with or seen the risen Jesus. Now, all of the canonical NewSong Testament books were written by apostles of Jesus. And the old testament canon, 39 books, that was well set two centuries plus even before the birth of Jesus. The other thing. So they've got more books in their canon, and the books they include were never really recognized as canonical by any other group.
>> Speaker C: They.
>> Alex McFarland: The other thing is, it was written in a language called G, E, E, Z, Geese or gez, I'm not sure how to pronounce it, which is, an ancient Semitic language. so even if you're reading an English translation of what really was called the Ethiopian Bible, it's not really the Ethiopian Bible because the true Ethiopian collection was written in this ancient, really dead language. The, the final thing is, though, and this is kind of like some groups that drifted the, the church in Ethiopia while they have had believers for 2,000 years, they generally put church tradition on the same par as scripture, itself, which is something that no Protestant church would really ever do. the canon of scripture shapes our tradition. Our tradition should not shape the canon. Bert, do you see the difference?
>> Bert Harper: It is. That's a very important issue. And it reigns true.
People want to know, reading the Old Testament, especially chronologically
Let me do this. we've got a line. We had one or two people to drop off for a reason we don't know. So that number, if you've got a question. 885-898-8840. But while we're waiting, I did this, I guess this week or last week, but we had some more people call in and said, I didn't get this down. So I'm going to give it. They want to know, reading the Old Testament, especially chronologically. Now, Alex, I think that way. I think chronologically, everything that I do. Okay, this happened. Then when I read a Bible, the first thing, when was it written? Who is it written to? What is it about? In the old testament, there's 11 books that if you were to read them straight through, you would read through the history of, of the Old Testament. I want to give.
>> Alex McFarland: This is good.
>> Bert Harper: I get requested to give this and I'm giving it again. But here it is. And I'll say it deliberately, so get ready. For those of you that been wanting this, write it down, just use the initials and that'll do it. Genesis, Exodus, numbers, Joshua, judges, 1st Samuel, 2nd Samuel, 1st kings, 2nd kings, Ezra, and Nehemiah. When you Read through, you'll read the chronological history of the Old Testament. Now what about Those other books? 55 books, they fit in at these different. Like Deuteronomy, it was the second law given numbers still covers that area. Them coming in, why not Leviticus? It's entirely the law that was given. And so that's how it fits in in the NewSong Testament. Now it's simpler to me and I'm leaving Revelation out of that right now because it's what has happened, but it's also what's going to happen. If you read the NewSong Testament, you can read Luke, Acts, the same writer. And honestly, that's the way it. Alex, I say that's the way it should be read. Acts takes up, where Luke left off. So if you leave, read Luke, Acts and then second Timothy, you're basically looking at the NewSong Testament in a, chronological order. And all the others Mark was written, they cover the same thing as Luke. Now I'm not leaving the other gospels out, but anyway, that was a question and I wanted to give it. So I hope that helps those that were asking.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen.
Bert says question arises about whether Samuel was real or an evil spirit
>> Bert Harper: Let's go to Rick in Virginia. Rick, go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Hey, how y' all doing? God bless and longtime listener, the first time caller in this one and well,
>> Bert Harper: thank you for calling.
>> Speaker C: A Bible study had a bubble study where we were discussing the rising of, Samuel by the witch of Endor. And there's always the question as to whether it was the real Samuel or an evil spirit that was risen. And I will leave you for the answer.
>> Bert Harper: Okay, Rick. Alex, is this one of those things you got people on either side and I know the answer. We'll find out one day for sure. I don't mean to be flippant about that, but, you know, I, tend to think, Satan kind of can cause confusion. But God can even use what Satan does what he meant for evil. God turns it. Satan gets things turned around on him all the time. You know it, Alex.
>> Alex McFarland: That's true, that's true. I gotta tell you, 1st Samuel 28 is one of the most amazing passages in scripture. And, King Saul is about to go into a battle. He's very afraid. Ah, 1st Samuel 28, verse 5 says terror filled his heart. And, so Saul is very afraid and Samuel the prophet had died and Saul was very much out of the will of God. And, God did not give an answer. And so Saul was very afraid and he did a bad, bad thing. He went to a witch or a medium to get a word. I Mean, this is so sad, Bert, that a king of Israel would be inquiring from a servant of the devil. So there's a town called Endor. And Saul goes over there. I think actually Samuel did appear. not a. Not a deceptive spirit. This, this among other things, it was really bringing judgment on Saul, who was in a state of disobedience and sin. And, so he goes to this witch. the witch, though, is like suspect because at first, you know, she didn't want punishment to come down on her. And so when Samuel appears, she cries out in verse 12. It's almost like she was as shocked as anybody. You get that?
>> Bert Harper: Yeah, I do. Well, what happens? He did that. Which is wrong. I mean, it was wrong, it was evil. But God, this is. He just know this God is awesome, you know, and his, forgiveness is amazing. And even when somebody gets out of line, God's is still, he, you know, he is one that's trying to get truth to the Malex, no matter what truth. And so if that's true and it was Samuel again, truth getting through, even through an evil source. And that happens sometimes, doesn't it?
>> Alex McFarland: Well, it does. And see, the next day after this, Saul would die in a battle. And so, Saul was bringing judgment on himself. And, you know, by the way, let me just parenthetically say this, folks. A seance, a Ouija board, the horoscope. If you're a Christian, or if even if you're not a Christian, you don't want any part of that stuff.
>> Bert Harper: Give no room to Satan.
>> Alex McFarland: Exactly.
>> Bert Harper: No room. Thank you, Greg.
Alex: My daughter is looking into Orthodoxy as a research endeavor
Let's go to Texas. And it's Tori. Tori, thank you for calling. Go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Hi, thank you for taking my call. my daughter is looking into Orthodoxy, more of. More in a. I hope, as a research endeavor. but I'm wondering, I don't know really anything about it. And, like, does the Orthodox Church include extra books in their scriptures, you know, in their Bibles, like, like the Catholic Church does or another.
>> Bert Harper: Okay, thank you, Tor. Alex, can you help Tori that with. Do you, remember all the details concerning Orthodox?
>> Alex McFarland: Yes. let me say that, a lot of younger adults are gravitating toward, like the Eastern Orthodox Church, and sometimes the Catholic Church. And in general. In general, I. In principle and in a lot of theological history, I disagree with both the Orthodox Church and Roman Catholicism. However, we're living in an unusual time. You'll find oftentimes very gospel centered evangelicals within both of those camps. But, Bert, let me just say this, that, Protestantism, especially American Protestantism, is in some quarters, not all, but in many, has become so fragmented and in some cases unstructured and sometimes even unbiblical that kids that have come up around Protestantism and it's very loose and fluid, the hyper structured nature of orthodoxy or Catholicism is very appealing.
>> Bert Harper: Yeah.
>> Alex McFarland: now, let me just say this, and we're almost out of time. Believe in Jesus to be saved. The new birth experience through faith in Jesus Christ. That's how anybody can be saved. we don't want to add works to that gospel of grace, do we?
>> Bert Harper: We do not. And it is in faith alone, through grace alone, that we are saved. In Christ alone, He is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, but through Him. Alex it's been a good week. Look forward to continuing in Matthew this coming Monday on Exploring the Word.
American Family Radio asks listeners to tell others about Jesus Christ
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Fire Away Friday is your chance to ask us your Bible question
M It's Fire Away Friday on Exploring the Word. This is your chance to ask us your Bible question at 888-589-8840. That's 888-589-8840. You can also email your [email protected] or visit facebook.com exploring the word.
It's Fire Away Friday on American Family Radio.
>> Alex McFarland: Therefore, whoever of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. That's from Matthew 7:24. The wise person will believe, receive and heed the words of God. But we're going to take a little bit of a break from Matthew 7, because today is what we call Fire away Friday. Alex McFarland here along with Bert Harper. You're listening to Exploring the Word. And this is the day where we take your Bible questions and the number. I'll give this number a few times. It's triple 858-98840. And we'd love for you to call us with a Bible question. Bert, Every day is special on Exploring the Word. But we love Fire Away Friday, don't we?
>> Bert Harper: We really do. I remember 15 years ago when, I first came on and, we were just taking questions and we'd say, Friday, you know, exploring the Word. And one, one day, I don't know, you said it or, I said it, man, this is like Fire Away Friday. And it stuck. And now we love Fire Friday and we want you to be a part of it by calling 888-589-8840. That's 888-589-8840. We'll take your question and, and Alex and I'll do our very best to give you a biblical concise answer that, that you can go away understanding. We, I, I write I paper to, to me because I, I'm, I've got a short memory. I tell folks I got a great memory, but my forgetter is so much better. But anyway, I write down, be precise. I do, I want to be understood. If you go long and long and long, people forget. What did he say to begin with? So Alex and I, we're determined to give that kind of answer so God will get the glory.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen.
Alex has 65 Bible questions from his summer camps with teenagers
Well, I, I've got 65 questions from my recent visits to camp with teenagers. And could I, begin today with one of our questions?
>> Bert Harper: Go right ahead. We got Caleb in Mississippi. Caleb, we're going to answer Alex's question first and then we'll get straight to you. Go ahead Alex?
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. we got this question in our eight summer camps from, M. Most recently we, were in Pennsylvania. Teenager, asked what happens to people who have never heard the gospel? As a pastor and scholar, Bert, how do you answer that? What happens to people who have never heard the gospel?
>> Bert Harper: Well, here's what I say. I usually turn to the book of Romans and, worshiping the creator, you know, do they worship the creature, Creator? God responds to a person responding to the light that they receive. And I believe with all my heart. The Ethiopian eunuch is an example of that. He came to Jerusalem to worship because down in Ethiopia, he knew there was a God. He heard about the one God.
He.
>> Bert Harper: He comes to Jerusalem to worship. He doesn't get it all, but he gets a copy of God's Word. He's on his way back to Ethiopia. And there is. When God invaded his territory as he brought Philip there to tell him. You can read that anyway. But I see the miraculousness of that, Alex. If a person responds to the light that they have, God will bring more light. And so they are. Everybody will stand before God without excuse.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, that's true. And in fact, those exact words are in, Romans chapter one, that says, we have no excuse, everybody is accountable, and everybody is responsible to, respond to the amount of light that they've been given. But the number is 888, 589. 8840. And we take your Bible questions today. Bert, where do we begin?
Alex: Thank you for calling AFR. I really, really appreciate that
>> Bert Harper: Well, we'll start in the state of Mississippi, Headquarters for AFR and it's Caleb. Caleb, thank you for calling. Go right ahead. Hey, guys.
>> Speaker C: Thanks. I listen to you all the time, Alex. I have several of your books,
>> Speaker: and I hope to meet you one
>> Speaker C: day in person, some. Somewhere.
>> Alex McFarland: Well, thank you. God bless you. I really, really appreciate that.
Alex: Is it still biblical for people to have spiritual gifts today
>> Speaker C: Well, I was just wondering, today, in. In this day and age, is it still biblical for people to have, healing gifts, speaking in tongues, being able to, you know, bound or like, exercise demons, like having, deliverance ministries. Ah, like individual people. Like, is that biblical today that that still actually happens or not, though I
>> Bert Harper: believe, Alex, I'll make one statement, you take it away. God's gifts are still active today. Now, how they operate and where they operate. I. I've got some areas there that I. I believe I'll get to them later. Alex, go ahead.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, and I'm going to give the, four passages where you find out about spiritual gifts. Because, Bert, I think one thing that we don't teach enough in the church is spiritual gifts is really easy to remember this. I want you to think of these numbers 12, 12 and 4, 4. And by that I mean 1st Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4 and 1st Peter 4. I'll give those in, 1st Corinthians 12, Romans12, Ephesians4 and 1st Peter4. And you'll have everything the Bible has to say about spiritual gifts. And you know, really, they, they come under a number of headings. There's faith prophecy, which I really believe is speaking forth God's message. And it does talk about healings. First Corinthians 12, verse 9. and I'm going to come back to that Teaching service or helps administration or leadership, ruling or authority. God entrusts authority positions to some people. Exhortation, giving, mercy showing, and 1st Corinthians 12:10, speaking in unknown languages and the understanding of them.
Bert says spiritual healing is more important than physical healing
and Bert, let me talk about healing for just a second because, in First Corinthians 12, 9, it talks about, the gift of healing. And the wording means curing effect. Now I'm going to tell you how I have seen certain Christians, I believe, be a conduit to healing. I want to be very clear, if anybody gets healed, it's because God does it. I don't think a person has the power to do that, however, to pray, to, lay hands on and get together and pray over somebody which even motivates their faith. And Bert, I've had people begin to pray after they were almost too discouraged to pray for themselves. So I want to be very clear. God is still in the healing business. He does it, but no human does it. But I do think obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit and, I think people can be a tool God uses. Now, some people get healed through medicine, some people get healed through miracles. And the healing is always by the hand of God. But I do think, encouraging people to pray for people, even being an encouragement to the one who might be ill, that's part of how God does work through Christians to facilitate a, ah, healing sometimes in the lives of other people. Agree or disagree, Bert? Feel free to jump in.
>> Bert Harper: No, I agree. Let me share two thoughts about it. When you read the Scriptures, especially the Book of Acts, now you've got Romans, as Alex said, First Corinthians, and so forth. But in the Book of Acts, they're more prominent at certain locations in certain places. The places that they're prominent where they are being just demonstrated in a great way, is in a, pioneer mission area. In other words, when the gospel was being introduced to an area or a city, you see those evidence, of the power of God more readily enough. I think that's true today. I've heard of it. I know of it. Talked to, missionaries and in those areas, a pioneer where the gospel's being introduced and, the power of God is everywhere. I realize that, but I believe it is demonstrated in that prominence. The second thing, healing. You just talking about that there is physical healing. And I believe any physical healing is from God, whether it be therapy, whether it be medication, surgery. God is the great. He's built our bodies in such a way that they can heal, but it's God who does it. He's the creator. There's emotional healing. Listen, I've seen that. And I would say this emotional healing is. Is probably more important than physical healing. They go together. But the great healing is the spiritual healing with all my heart that is prominent. And we make more of the physical and the emotional than we do the physical. I think we're getting our, priorities out of order as believers. We need that spiritual healing where God comes in and just makes things right. So we're praying for that, Caleb. We hope that helps, brother. Let's. Let me give that number because we do have lines that are open here on Fireway Friday, 888-589-8840.
There are thousands of New Testament manuscripts, portions, fragments and copies
If you've got a Bible question, Alex and I would love to hear you today. Let's go to Marian in Kentucky. Marian, thank you for calling. Go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Hi, I'm just wondering why, Matthew 17:21 isn't in a couple of my Bibles, but it's in one of my older Bibles.
>> Bert Harper: Okay. Alex, haven't we had this question quite a bit lately? Is that the passage that people are talking about? Quite a bit, yeah.
>> Alex McFarland: And Matthew 17:20 and 21 is a lot like Mark, chapter nine too. But, it says in verse 21, Howbeit this kind goeth not out, but by prayer and fasting. And so, let me say this. There are thousands of NewSong Testament manuscripts, portions, fragments and copies. And sometimes, translators, they look at what they think or the age, and they like older manuscripts than what they think are newer manuscripts. Although dating the biblical manuscripts, they're all within a very short period of time. And the dating process, is not an exact science. And yes, there are, there are, some manuscripts that don't include verse 21. Now here's the thing about contested passages. Another are the, the last few verses in Mark 16, 1st Jon 5, 7. So, there are on, you know, you can count on really about less than five fingers the places where what is thought to be an older manuscript may be missing a verse. There's just less than half a dozen of these places. And then there are manuscripts, that are what they call the majority text that do have. Now, I think it belongs because it's definitely in many manuscripts and it has harmonious content. I don't want people to get the idea that, oh, my goodness, there's parts of the NewSong Testament missing or something. It's not like that at all. If a Bible doesn't have a verse in the body of text, they'll generally have a note in the margin and it'll say some manuscripts end with verse 20 or, whatever. But Bert, it relates to how translators view the manuscripts that they have access to.
>> Bert Harper: It does. Even in my Bible, NewSong King James and I use this and it's the open Bible and it's the new King James Version. But in verse 21, I have a footnote and it says this verse is omitted in certain manuscripts. And so this is what it does. It will give you those if they're inaccurate as they can be. They're going to let you know though, if they left it out, they'll put a footnote. If it's in there, they put a footnote. And, it doesn't take away from anything in the word of God. It really does not. So you can trust the Bible that we have that number and we do have lines that are open. 888-589-8840. Alex and I'll be right back right after this break.
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Fire Away Friday is where we answer your questions on American Family Radio
>> Alex McFarland: M welcome back to Exploring the Word
>> Bert Harper: on American Family Radio. Welcome back to Exploring the Word. Bert and Alex here. And it is Fire Away Friday, where we answer your questions. Some of the questions we answer comes in on Facebook or wordfr.net so, Brent, what kind of question do we have for today? Well, first of all, let me remind you, anytime you can send us questions to Facebook messenger, you can also send them to [email protected] or when we're live streaming during the show, you can post your questions there. If you can't get through or you just don't want to ask on air. And, we've got one from Mary. She has sent us one to, [email protected] she says, I have several loved ones in heaven. I know that one day I'll be reunited with them. Do our loved ones in heaven know what we're doing here on Earth? And do they still remember us? Okay, Alex, I'll take the second part first. That's all right. when we get to heaven, there's no doubt we will know one another. They knew Elijah. They knew who Moses was. They weren't. I don't think we'll have to wear name tags to be identified. And I think we will know. And it's going to be a glorious reunion. you know, as you said, you said it earlier when we were discussing it, we're going to know as we're known. So up in heaven, there's going to be a great, great reunion. Are they remembering us now? I'm not sure. They're observing everything we're doing. But I really know this. The angels rejoice when one sinner comes to Christ. I guarantee you, if I. If I was in heaven now and I heard the angels rejoicing, I'd go and see if it's one of my loved ones. Alex, would you.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen. That's great. That's great. You know, First Corinthians 13, verse 12, speaking of heaven, it says, then we will know as we are known. Well, how thoroughly does God know us right now? Well, completely. So in heaven, we will know each other? yes, I. And let me just say this, too, Bert. one of the reasons that we need to grow in the Lord and be sanctified and more and more Christ like, personality survives death. and the Christian worldview is unique in this regard that, you, the person you will always be you. You know, and we need to be the best in Christ that we can be. And we will know each other. Bert, I'm. I'm really looking forward to meeting the Apostle Peter. He's one of my heroes. I want to meet Moses and talk about what it was like the day the Red Sea parted, you know? And, so we're going to be who we are and we will recognize each other. And yes, our loved ones in heaven will. Will know us. So, Bert, right now our driving passion is to make sure that as many people will hear the gospel and be saved as possible. I've got a lot of loved ones that are in the family and a few we're still working on. How about you?
>> Bert Harper: Me as well. And I can only imagine that would be alright for a song, wouldn't it?
>> Alex McFarland: that would be a great song.
>> Bert Harper: It really would.
Danielle: I'm trying to understand the major theological difference between Presbyterian and Baptist
Ok, let's go to. Is it Danielle in Oklahoma? Is it Danielle?
>> Speaker C: That's correct.
>> Bert Harper: Okay, Danielle. I was hoping I'd pronounce it correctly. Go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Hi. Thank you for taking my call. I've listened to y' all for years and really appreciate what you do. And, my question is, we've. We've kind of gone back and forth between Presbyterian and the Baptist. And I'm trying to understand the major theological difference between them. I know that the Presbyterians teach the Covenant theology, which really makes a lot of sense to me. and they do the baptizing of the infants. but the Baptists believe that there's a break between the Old and the NewSong Covenant. Is that the difference? And if. If not, or if. Could you just explain it to me in a way that I could understand?
>> Bert Harper: Well, Danielle, you've called the right person. Alex has been both. So he as well. But let me just share this with you. this. Alex, you preached there. Coming in September, starting the 13th, I'll be preaching at Fairfield Presbyterian Church. Oh, that's a great church. Yes, it is. And you've preached there. And I'm going to preach there. And here's this Baptist in a Presbyterian church. I just want to suggest this. Listen, we may have some areas that we look at and say, oh, don't make them bigger than they are. Let me just share that with. Don't make the differences bigger. they may be some and it may be, but if it's not a big issue, if it doesn't matter in heaven, don't major on it. I'd put it that way, Alex, but you've been both Presbyterian, Baptist. Answer, Danielle. From your point of view, brother.
>> Alex McFarland: Well, God bless you. And first of all, both Presbyterians and Baptists are Christian denominations that, what we call NewSong Testament Christianity. That we believe the son of God died on the cross, rose again in payment of our sins. Salvation is by faith, not works. And, I want to be very clear whether it's Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, assembly of God, Bible Church, classically Orthodox Lutherans, I mean, there is much, much more that unites us than divides us. We all believe in Christ alone, the Savior. There are some differences, not only Bert. Theological differences, but really church government structure is different. For example, the Presbyterian Church has really an elder, form of leadership. That is kind of a representative form of church government. Just like we have a representative form of government here in America. Most Baptist churches, not all, but most are what we would call congregational, which really is a democratic form of government. And that's why sometimes business meetings at a Baptist church can be a little rowdy and chaotic. Whereas in Presbyterian, business meetings, if they even have one, it's, it's a little more structured. And I'm not saying one's better than the other. I'm just saying they're different in their form of church government. But the theological differences, for one thing, in the Presbyterian Church, and I actually pastored a Presbyterian church for almost three years, even though I was ordained in the Baptist church. but the Presbyterians will view christening, an infant as a covenant. And they'll say a child of the covenant. Whereas in the Baptist Church it's more like a service of baby dedication. now I will say this too. Most Presbyterian churches that are striving to be orthodox, they'll say we follow the Westminster confession. 16, 36. But listen, the Westminster Confession was written by Baptist, Anglican, Quaker and Presbyterians. So again, there's a whole lot more that unites us than divides us. Now, just to make it more complicated, and I'll be brief. Within Presbyterianism, there are some denominational differences. For example, the PCA is a good conservative, high view of scripture. The, EPC Evangelical Covenant Presbyterians, very conservative. Listen carefully, please. The PC USA very, very, very, very liberal. In fact, many, many Bible believing Presbyterian churches have left the PC USA Just like many Bible believing Methodists have left the United States Methodist Church. there are some other things and it relates to whether, or not, a church is very Calvinistic and believes in free will. I do believe in free will, by the way. another unique difference, and I'm being, believe it or not, being very simplistic here. the most Baptists would make a distinction between Israel and the church. Many Presbyterians that embrace something called Reformed theology, they do not distinguish between the church and Israel, and they base it on Galatians 6:16 that references quote the Israel of God. Now, I think it's pretty hard to deny that the rebirth of the nation of Israel is an amazing sign of, I think, Bert, of the last days. And so, you know, I would encourage people read up on the denominations. There's more that unites us than divides us. And I want to say very clearly, and Bert, I'll throw it back to you. Apologize for going so long. We need each other.
>> Bert Harper: Amen. Preach it, brother.
>> Alex McFarland: I mean, we do. And I know there's. There can be theological differences, but, if you believe that the Son of God shed his blood on Calvary's cross, rose from the dead, and by faith in him, we are born again. Hey, we're family, and we need each other.
>> Bert Harper: Amen. Danielle, let me give you one thought, and I've done this here. When I pastored in Tupelo, Mississippi, I pastored a church for 28 years, and I'd visited homes, and Tupelo has some amazing churches that love Jesus, that are on. On mission for him.
Danielle says go to the place where God can use you
And they said, man, we're struggling. I say go to the place where God can use you, and you can be used of God. And listen, God can use you in the Presbyterian Church. God can use you in that Baptist church. Danielle, let God lead you. yeah, there's those differences, and you might be not comfortable with every one of them, but let God lead you. He really will. I believe that with all my heart.
If a person is originally saved and, um, becomes a Christian
Let's go to Texas. Colleen, thank you for calling. Go right ahead with your question. Is it Colleen? Colleen, one more time. Sorry about that. I don't know what happened. Let's go to Barbara in Texas. Barbara, go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Yes, sir. my question is if a person is originally saved and, becomes a Christian according to the Bible, saved by grace, then later joins in to a church that is works, oriented, even though he had a very sincere, change in his life at the moment of salvation, now he's believing and passing it on, trying to pass it on to the rest of our family. we're just wondering and praying that he is still saved. If he originally was saved by grace and believed it then. Now he's. He's believed. He's saying things like, Jesus came for to teach us how to live. So he's more into the, the laws and keeping the laws. not, not. Not like a messianic Jew. It's. He's truly off into something that's more oriented, very low oriented on grace and, salvation by Jesus dying on the cross.
>> Bert Harper: Okay.
>> Speaker C: Would he still be saved if he were to die? Now is my question. That is our concern.
>> Bert Harper: If he was really born again saved, he.
>> Speaker C: He's.
>> Bert Harper: He's right with the Lord. Now only God can do that. We can look at works all day long and be wrong. Nobody but Jesus knew Judas Chariot was a demonic person from the very beginning. have you not prophesied in my name? Have you not preached it? I'm sure, Judas felt good about that. Only God knows that, Alex. Christians can get off track in doctrine. is that. How severe is that? If he's teaching that you're saved by works, he's gone into a wrong doctrine, has he not?
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, he did. I mean, works, works, righteousness is unbiblical. Now, I do believe a truly saved person can, get off track and misunderstand or even drift a little bit. but if they're truly saved, eventually I think the Holy Spirit of God will open their eyes and they'll come back. I'll tell you one that added works to grace momentarily, and that was the Apostle Peter. And didn't he.
>> Bert Harper: He did. He did. And good call. That's right.
>> Alex McFarland: It was, it was outside pressure. I mean, look, I think that's why we need to. From day one, if you, if you come to Christ from the get go, you need to be in the word and know the word. I love how Billy Graham said that, a thorough knowledge of the Book of Romans will, almost inoculate you from false teachings. Billy Graham said. And by the way, next summer at the COVID the Billy Graham Center, I'll be teaching the Book of Romans, which is one of my favorite books. but if somebody could, See, it's one thing to be mistaken, but it's one thing to outright deny. And I've talked to some people that did what they apostatized. They really deny and denigrate the faith they once upheld, denying, Jesus, the deity of Christ, the atonement. If that denial, kind of morphs into, just a vehement hostility against the gospel. I don't think they were Born again in the first place.
>> Bert Harper: Bert, I agree with you, and, we hope that helps. Listen, Barbara, I think all of us have had kin folks that. Okay, they started, right, and now they're off track. Are they really born again or not? you trust the Lord and keep praying and asking God to bring them back or bring him to him. Either way, we got time. A little bit. We're going to go to Steve in Missouri. Steve, go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Well, I thank you for taking my call, and I thank you both for what you do.
Steve: I fear that my son may never give his heart to the Lord
And this question is one that works
>> Alex McFarland: very hard on my heart, in my mind.
>> Speaker C: I fear that my son may never give his heart to the Lord. But y' all were talking that when we get to heaven, we will know
>> Alex McFarland: the people that are there.
>> Speaker C: But if my son doesn't give his
>> Alex McFarland: heart to the Lord and he's not
>> Speaker C: there, God says he will wipe every tear from our eye. But how will he wipe those tears from my eyes when I am grieving for my son?
>> Bert Harper: Steve, listen, there's some transformation that's gotta take place between here in heaven and I don't know exactly how it works. The joy that we have with Christ will be there. But we're going to pray for your son right now, before as we go out. We got this. 20 seconds, but we're praying. Father, I pray for Steve. I pray for his son. You know where he is right now. You know what he's doing. I pray that the Holy Spirit of God would come upon him, drawing him to yourself. We're believing this. Trust in this. In Jesus name, amen. And we'll be right back.
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I can only imagine what it will be like When I walk by your side I can only imagine what my eyes will see See when your face is before me I can only imagine.
Yeah.
Surrounded by your glory what will my heart feel? Will I be dance for you, Jesus? Or in all of you be still? Will I stand in your presence? Or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah? Will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine we can only imagine.
Colleen from Texas calls in with Bible questions on Fire Away Friday
Welcome back to Exploring the Word. You know, I listening to those words, but I remember where I was in the corner car one day, the first time I ever heard that song. And it was coming on and I thought, this is awesome. That song is so good. The band is Mercy me. I'm sure many have heard that beloved song. But we welcome you back to Fire Away Friday on Exploring the Word. Bible questions and, Bert, let's continue on. Where, where shall we go?
>> Bert Harper: Well, let's go to Texas. Colleen, are you there?
>> Speaker C: Yes, I am.
>> Bert Harper: Okay, thank you for calling back. Yeah, go right ahead with your question.
>> Speaker C: Yes, I'm not going to be long. I, just want to, give some encouraging spiritual words to everyone at Second Thessalonians, chapter one, verse one through 12. And it states of, how we can be counted worthy of the kingdom. Thank you.
>> Bert Harper: Okay. Well, that was short. yes, matter of fact, what we've been studying in the book of Matthew, and this is awesome, Alex is being citizens in his kingdom. Now I'm giving in a. A different view of Matthew, but it's so true. We need to be kingdom minded, don't we?
>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. I appreciate, that, dear sister from Texas and those words of encouragement. Yes, we need to be kingdom minded and I, would say also stewardship minded, that everything we do post salvation is by the power of God and for the glory of God. And, Bert, don't you think it's liberating to realize that, we don't have to stress about keeping up with the Joneses or materialism or, you know, all the trappings of this world. We are now citizens of heaven and as long as we're alive, we're on mission for God.
>> Bert Harper: Amen. I want to read, God's word. This is second Thessalonians okay, verses 11 and 12. She was talking about verses one through 12. But listen to this. Therefore, we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him, according to the grace of, our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Alex, most of the time when we pray before we go on air, whether Brent's praying, you praying, or I'm praying, we're praying. Lord, get all the glory. That is why he has left us here, that men might see our good works and glorify the Father who's in heaven. If God, if we were just saved to be saved, and that's good, he would take us to heaven immediately after we were saved. But he's left us here to be a witness of his great. And that's what it says, his great grace. Colleen, thank you for that.
There are three major differences between the standard Bible and the Ethiopian Bible
Okay, let's go to Tracy in Texas. Tracy, go right ahead. Hey, yes, yes, you're on the air. Go right ahead, Tracy.
>> Speaker C: Yeah, I've been listening on guys for a while and, I'm a newbie, I'm a 65 year old newbie. And this guy, I've been, you know, I got to catch up, and this guy told me about the Ethiopian Bible. And I've been reading it, but I'm wondering, should I be reading it?
>> Bert Harper: Okay, listen, the Bible, do you have, 66 book Bible, the King James. Hey, that's what you need to concentrate on, brother. I, I don't. I'm not cutting you short. Alex will fill you in better than I. But listen, those 66 books, that you're not missing out on anything when you have the 66, the 39 and the old 27 and the new, we got all that God wanted us to have. Alex, go ahead.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, the, the, the church in Ethiopia goes back a long, long way. But there are basically three kind of differences between, the standard Bible known the world over and the Ethiopian Bible. And really what they include in the canon, the language and even really the theological framework. Although Ethiopia does have a rich tradition of Christianity. But the Ethiopian Bible has 81 books in it, because there's seven more that they include with the Old Testament, and there are six more that they include with the NewSong Testament. And, and they include what are some apocryphal writings like first Enoch and some other, books that, let me just say were never, ever really viewed as canonical by any other Christian groups. And, the test for canonicity was it written by an apostle. And these extra books were not one who had been with or seen the risen Jesus. Now, all of the canonical NewSong Testament books were written by apostles of Jesus. And the old testament canon, 39 books, that was well set two centuries plus even before the birth of Jesus. The other thing. So they've got more books in their canon, and the books they include were never really recognized as canonical by any other group.
>> Speaker C: They.
>> Alex McFarland: The other thing is, it was written in a language called G, E, E, Z, Geese or gez, I'm not sure how to pronounce it, which is, an ancient Semitic language. so even if you're reading an English translation of what really was called the Ethiopian Bible, it's not really the Ethiopian Bible because the true Ethiopian collection was written in this ancient, really dead language. The, the final thing is, though, and this is kind of like some groups that drifted the, the church in Ethiopia while they have had believers for 2,000 years, they generally put church tradition on the same par as scripture, itself, which is something that no Protestant church would really ever do. the canon of scripture shapes our tradition. Our tradition should not shape the canon. Bert, do you see the difference?
>> Bert Harper: It is. That's a very important issue. And it reigns true.
People want to know, reading the Old Testament, especially chronologically
Let me do this. we've got a line. We had one or two people to drop off for a reason we don't know. So that number, if you've got a question. 885-898-8840. But while we're waiting, I did this, I guess this week or last week, but we had some more people call in and said, I didn't get this down. So I'm going to give it. They want to know, reading the Old Testament, especially chronologically. Now, Alex, I think that way. I think chronologically, everything that I do. Okay, this happened. Then when I read a Bible, the first thing, when was it written? Who is it written to? What is it about? In the old testament, there's 11 books that if you were to read them straight through, you would read through the history of, of the Old Testament. I want to give.
>> Alex McFarland: This is good.
>> Bert Harper: I get requested to give this and I'm giving it again. But here it is. And I'll say it deliberately, so get ready. For those of you that been wanting this, write it down, just use the initials and that'll do it. Genesis, Exodus, numbers, Joshua, judges, 1st Samuel, 2nd Samuel, 1st kings, 2nd kings, Ezra, and Nehemiah. When you Read through, you'll read the chronological history of the Old Testament. Now what about Those other books? 55 books, they fit in at these different. Like Deuteronomy, it was the second law given numbers still covers that area. Them coming in, why not Leviticus? It's entirely the law that was given. And so that's how it fits in in the NewSong Testament. Now it's simpler to me and I'm leaving Revelation out of that right now because it's what has happened, but it's also what's going to happen. If you read the NewSong Testament, you can read Luke, Acts, the same writer. And honestly, that's the way it. Alex, I say that's the way it should be read. Acts takes up, where Luke left off. So if you leave, read Luke, Acts and then second Timothy, you're basically looking at the NewSong Testament in a, chronological order. And all the others Mark was written, they cover the same thing as Luke. Now I'm not leaving the other gospels out, but anyway, that was a question and I wanted to give it. So I hope that helps those that were asking.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen.
Bert says question arises about whether Samuel was real or an evil spirit
>> Bert Harper: Let's go to Rick in Virginia. Rick, go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Hey, how y' all doing? God bless and longtime listener, the first time caller in this one and well,
>> Bert Harper: thank you for calling.
>> Speaker C: A Bible study had a bubble study where we were discussing the rising of, Samuel by the witch of Endor. And there's always the question as to whether it was the real Samuel or an evil spirit that was risen. And I will leave you for the answer.
>> Bert Harper: Okay, Rick. Alex, is this one of those things you got people on either side and I know the answer. We'll find out one day for sure. I don't mean to be flippant about that, but, you know, I, tend to think, Satan kind of can cause confusion. But God can even use what Satan does what he meant for evil. God turns it. Satan gets things turned around on him all the time. You know it, Alex.
>> Alex McFarland: That's true, that's true. I gotta tell you, 1st Samuel 28 is one of the most amazing passages in scripture. And, King Saul is about to go into a battle. He's very afraid. Ah, 1st Samuel 28, verse 5 says terror filled his heart. And, so Saul is very afraid and Samuel the prophet had died and Saul was very much out of the will of God. And, God did not give an answer. And so Saul was very afraid and he did a bad, bad thing. He went to a witch or a medium to get a word. I Mean, this is so sad, Bert, that a king of Israel would be inquiring from a servant of the devil. So there's a town called Endor. And Saul goes over there. I think actually Samuel did appear. not a. Not a deceptive spirit. This, this among other things, it was really bringing judgment on Saul, who was in a state of disobedience and sin. And, so he goes to this witch. the witch, though, is like suspect because at first, you know, she didn't want punishment to come down on her. And so when Samuel appears, she cries out in verse 12. It's almost like she was as shocked as anybody. You get that?
>> Bert Harper: Yeah, I do. Well, what happens? He did that. Which is wrong. I mean, it was wrong, it was evil. But God, this is. He just know this God is awesome, you know, and his, forgiveness is amazing. And even when somebody gets out of line, God's is still, he, you know, he is one that's trying to get truth to the Malex, no matter what truth. And so if that's true and it was Samuel again, truth getting through, even through an evil source. And that happens sometimes, doesn't it?
>> Alex McFarland: Well, it does. And see, the next day after this, Saul would die in a battle. And so, Saul was bringing judgment on himself. And, you know, by the way, let me just parenthetically say this, folks. A seance, a Ouija board, the horoscope. If you're a Christian, or if even if you're not a Christian, you don't want any part of that stuff.
>> Bert Harper: Give no room to Satan.
>> Alex McFarland: Exactly.
>> Bert Harper: No room. Thank you, Greg.
Alex: My daughter is looking into Orthodoxy as a research endeavor
Let's go to Texas. And it's Tori. Tori, thank you for calling. Go right ahead.
>> Speaker C: Hi, thank you for taking my call. my daughter is looking into Orthodoxy, more of. More in a. I hope, as a research endeavor. but I'm wondering, I don't know really anything about it. And, like, does the Orthodox Church include extra books in their scriptures, you know, in their Bibles, like, like the Catholic Church does or another.
>> Bert Harper: Okay, thank you, Tor. Alex, can you help Tori that with. Do you, remember all the details concerning Orthodox?
>> Alex McFarland: Yes. let me say that, a lot of younger adults are gravitating toward, like the Eastern Orthodox Church, and sometimes the Catholic Church. And in general. In general, I. In principle and in a lot of theological history, I disagree with both the Orthodox Church and Roman Catholicism. However, we're living in an unusual time. You'll find oftentimes very gospel centered evangelicals within both of those camps. But, Bert, let me just say this, that, Protestantism, especially American Protestantism, is in some quarters, not all, but in many, has become so fragmented and in some cases unstructured and sometimes even unbiblical that kids that have come up around Protestantism and it's very loose and fluid, the hyper structured nature of orthodoxy or Catholicism is very appealing.
>> Bert Harper: Yeah.
>> Alex McFarland: now, let me just say this, and we're almost out of time. Believe in Jesus to be saved. The new birth experience through faith in Jesus Christ. That's how anybody can be saved. we don't want to add works to that gospel of grace, do we?
>> Bert Harper: We do not. And it is in faith alone, through grace alone, that we are saved. In Christ alone, He is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, but through Him. Alex it's been a good week. Look forward to continuing in Matthew this coming Monday on Exploring the Word.
American Family Radio asks listeners to tell others about Jesus Christ
So we ask those who are listening, tell others about AFR and about exploring the Word. We, love it. We want you to know about it. But more importantly, we're asking you to tell those that you talk to about the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ. Thank you for listening.
The views and opinions expressed in this
broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
00:00 </Fire Away Friday is your chance to ask us your Bible question
02:24 </Alex has 65 Bible questions from his summer camps with teenagers
04:26 </Alex: Thank you for calling AFR. I really, really appreciate that
04:48 </Alex: Is it still biblical for people to have spiritual gifts today
06:53 </Bert says spiritual healing is more important than physical healing
10:28 </There are thousands of New Testament manuscripts, portions, fragments and copies
14:01 </Preborn Ministries fights for the babies. To donate, dial pound 250
15:21 </Fire Away Friday is where we answer your questions on American Family Radio
18:46 </Danielle: I'm trying to understand the major theological difference between Presbyterian and Baptist
25:45 </Danielle says go to the place where God can use you
26:11 </If a person is originally saved and, um, becomes a Christian
30:46 </Steve: I fear that my son may never give his heart to the Lord
32:09 </Preborn Network offers free ultrasounds to women facing unplanned pregnancies
34:46 </Colleen from Texas calls in with Bible questions on Fire Away Friday
37:55 </There are three major differences between the standard Bible and the Ethiopian Bible
41:36 </People want to know, reading the Old Testament, especially chronologically
43:58 </Bert says question arises about whether Samuel was real or an evil spirit
47:55 </Alex: My daughter is looking into Orthodoxy as a research endeavor
50:26 </American Family Radio asks listeners to tell others about Jesus Christ
✍️ Episode References
American Family Radio
https://afr.net
Preborn Ministries
https://preborn.com
1st Corinthians
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+12&version=NIV
Romans
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1&version=NIV
Matthew
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7&version=NIV
Book of Acts
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts&version=NIV
MercyMe
https://mercyme.org
43:58 </Bert says question arises about whether Samuel was real or an evil spirit
47:55 </Alex: My daughter is looking into Orthodoxy as a research endeavor
50:26 </American Family Radio asks listeners to tell others about Jesus Christ
00:00 </Fire Away Friday is your chance to ask us your Bible question
02:24 </Alex has 65 Bible questions from his summer camps with teenagers
04:26 </Alex: Thank you for calling AFR. I really, really appreciate that
04:48 </Alex: Is it still biblical for people to have spiritual gifts today
06:53 </Bert says spiritual healing is more important than physical healing
10:28 </There are thousands of New Testament manuscripts, portions, fragments and copies
14:01 </Preborn Ministries fights for the babies. To donate, dial pound 250
15:21 </Fire Away Friday is where we answer your questions on American Family Radio
18:46 </Danielle: I'm trying to understand the major theological difference between Presbyterian and Baptist
25:45 </Danielle says go to the place where God can use you
26:11 </If a person is originally saved and, um, becomes a Christian
30:46 </Steve: I fear that my son may never give his heart to the Lord
32:09 </Preborn Network offers free ultrasounds to women facing unplanned pregnancies
34:46 </Colleen from Texas calls in with Bible questions on Fire Away Friday
37:55 </There are three major differences between the standard Bible and the Ethiopian Bible
41:36 </People want to know, reading the Old Testament, especially chronologically
43:58 </Bert says question arises about whether Samuel was real or an evil spirit
47:55 </Alex: My daughter is looking into Orthodoxy as a research endeavor
50:26 </American Family Radio asks listeners to tell others about Jesus Christ
✍️ Episode References
American Family Radio
https://afr.net
Preborn Ministries
https://preborn.com
1st Corinthians
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+12&version=NIV
Romans
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1&version=NIV
Matthew
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7&version=NIV
Book of Acts
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts&version=NIV
MercyMe
https://mercyme.org
43:58 </Bert says question arises about whether Samuel was real or an evil spirit
47:55 </Alex: My daughter is looking into Orthodoxy as a research endeavor
50:26 </American Family Radio asks listeners to tell others about Jesus Christ
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