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Alex McFarland The Bible. It's the word of God. Sharper than any two edged sword. This sacred book is living and active and contains all that's needed for life and godliness. Stay with American Family Radio for the next hour as we study God's Word and take your Bible questions.
On Tuesdays, we take prayer requests; always welcome Bible questions
Welcome to Exploring the Word. You know, a good passage, of, scripture that would be kind of a life verse would be Titus 2, 7 and 8. In all things, showing yourself to be a pattern of good works in doctrine, showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Well, that's in Titus 2 and we'll get there. But I welcome you to this edition of Exploring the word. Alex McFarland here, along with Dylan Burroughs, Bert Harper is traveling. And in addition to looking at the NewSong Testament book of Titus, as we began yesterday, today on Tuesdays, we take prayer requests. You know, we do Bible questions in the third segment of Exploring the Word. And we always welcome Bible questions. We endeavor to give a good, solid, factual answer. But on Tuesdays, we've kind of made it a tradition. I think it was Brent Austin's idea well over a year ago. But we take prayer requests and that's become really special because in addition to prayers and petitions, we get a lot of praises. People call in sometimes just amazing ways. God has answered the prayers. So maybe later on in the program, you want to be one of those that calls in and shares your prayer request. But right now, resuming Titus chapter one at verse 14.
Alex Bishop welcomes back contributor Dylan Burroughs to talk about Titus
Welcome back our contributor, Dylan Burroughs. Dylan, it's great to have you, brother.
Alex McFarland Great to be with you as always. And yesterday we had an amazing start to Titus chapter one, and diving back in today to talk about the other portion of chapter one and diving into chapter two as well, where we look at mentoring. We talk about different groups of people in the church and how it applies to us today. And it resonates with me as I prepared for today, the need to pass on the faith from one generation to the next. And I know that's your ministry, Alex, truth for a new generation. But when you see a leap off the pages of scripture like that, it reminds you once more that this is the key to revival, this is the key to the future, the key in our churches. And I'm glad we get a chance to talk about it today.
Alex McFarland Amen. Amen.
21 of the 27 New Testament books are epistles in some form
We did start Titus. This is one of those NewSong Testament books that's kind of brief and yet incredible. How rich it is with, practical counsel. You know, I love Dylan, some of these short books, like first and second Timothy or Colossians. now these are epistles, and, let's talk about that word for just a second. Dylan. I've always heard that like an epistle was a letter or kind of a message to a person or to a church. any enlightenment you'd like to share with us about, you know, what do we mean when we talk about the NewSong Testament epistles?
Alex McFarland Right. And it's literally the Greek word for letter, Epistle A. And it's what we see translated again and again as letter or message in the NewSong Testament documents. 21 of the 27 NewSong Testament books are epistles in some form, form. And 13 of them are from the apostle Paul. He had three he wrote at the very end of his life, known as the Pastoral epistles, first and second Timothy, and then this letter we're looking at today, Titus. And it's interesting to me that it emphasizes some of those key themes toward the end of his ministry that, I know from listening to other ministers over the years, when you get toward the end of your ministry, what leaks out is what is most important, what has stood out the most to you over the years. So it's interesting to see which aspects of the faith that Paul emphasizes more in these letters versus some of his earlier epistles.
Alex McFarland Yeah, yeah. You know, I love to ask older ministers, you know, if you could give me one bit of advice, you know, what would it be? And two things that, you know, I've heard repeatedly. well, obviously love your spouse and attend to your family. Of course, your, your family is your first ministry. But pastors have always counseled me, they'd say, spend as much time as you can in prayer. But then the other thing, love your people. And that's a, ah, huge part of successful ministry. And it really is, isn't it? I want to say to everybody out there, I know that some of you listening, because we get emails you're dealing with, maybe God's calling you into ministry. And Dylan, even this morning on a secular website, I was reading an article about the, the lack of pastors that, you know, I'm going to say 10 years ago Christian websites were commenting on this, but now even some secular writers are saying, wait a minute, we've, we've got a pastoral shortage. So I want to say to everybody out there listening that, you know, be, at least be open to the fact that God may be calling you into ministry. because the Church, and these letters like Paul is writing, to Titus and he's got a big assignment for him on this very large hundred mile long island called Crete. Well, God is still giving assignments to his followers, still calling people. We're all to minister, but some are called to full time vocational ministry. And just folks be open to that call because there is nothing more, important than the Great Commission and winning people to Christ. But along those lines there's a lot about Chapter 1, the qualifications of elders or overseers, character and spiritual qualities. And then there's assignments. Not only the proclamation of the Gospel, but even the critique and refutation of, of false teaching. And so in verse 14 where we pick up today, Paul is saying, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth to the pure. All things are pure. But to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but even their mind and their conscience are defiled. And here's the indictment kind of sounds like Matthew 7, 21 24. They profess to know God, but in their works deny him being abominable, disobedient and disqualified for every good work. Now we're going to come back to that.
There are those in the church that sometimes defile the teachings of God
But Dylan, let's talk a bit about verse 14. when it says Jewish fables, I don't think it's necessarily talking about myths and legends, although it could be. But really, adding things to the gospel that are, as it says, the commandments of men and not the revealed truth of God. we're not to embellish or spin or you know, add to the Gospel or diminish from it. We're to know it and live it and proclaim it. But we don't add human ideas to God's revelation, do we?
Alex McFarland Right. And that's called legalism. When we add to Scripture. There's some times when people take away from scripture, but there's also adding to it. And some of this was done in the early church. We saw earlier in Titus 1 this idea of the circumcision group. These were Jewish leaders who said that believing in Jesus isn't enough. You have to be circumcised as well in order to truly believe. And that was one thing Paul opposed strongly. And Jesus himself dealt with Jewish traditions by the religious leaders that weren't part of the teachings of God. And time and time again in Scripture we see this focus that it's the scripture that must be obeyed, not the extras that we add to it. Not taking away from it. But the scripture cannot be broken. It is God's truth that we are to follow strictly and not to add to or to take away from. So that's the focus here in this passage. And the emphasis is made because these last couple verses of chapter one point out the fact that just because you're in the church doesn't mean you have everything figured out right. There are those in the church that sometimes defile the teachings of God, who twist them and change them for their own advantage. And that's what we see in verses 15 and 16. Just to mention a little bit of verse 15. It says, to the pure, all things are pure. But to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. But even their mind, m and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny him being abominable, disobedient and disqualified for every good work. Those are some harsh words. And if those don't strike you to the heart as someone who's seeking to live for God, I don't know what will. That is the ultimate challenge to say, okay, am I focusing on the right things and opposing the wrong things and seeking to live a holy life before the Lord, or am I just faking it and getting by with just, okay, m very powerful.
Alex McFarland And let me just say this, not, to belabor the point too much, but we've lived in a time where, a lot of the, decline in church attendance that really goes back to the 1970s. And it was during that time, that some of the older mainline denominations, the Presbyterian Church USA Peace USA The United Methodist Church, and the American Episcopal Church, which really is, from the Anglican Church in Europe. But the older mainline denominations begin to really take a hard left turn. And I mean, whether it be, preaching just love, love, love without the new birth, or in the last really 20 years. I mean, it is unthinkable, how the church, not all, but some of the liberal denominations, have engaged in preaching sexual license things that the Bible is unequivocally clear on. And I'm talking about gay marriage, homosexual activity. And, you know, when verse 16 says, you know, people, and whether it be clergy, denominational leaders, even seminary professors, my goodness, Dylan, I've been interviewed on stories about seminaries that believe Christians and Muslims worship the same God, which is false, we don't. Or I mean, the condemnation of the nation of Israel, which we are not to do. Or, you know, promoting homosexuality, gay marriage, transgenderism. And then even like in North Carolina at Duke University, traditionally Methodist school. They have a chaplain or they did. It was in the Raleigh News and Observer. I've got the article, a chaplain who is an atheist. Now, you don't often hear chaplain and the word atheist in the same sentence. And I'm not going to repeat what this quote unquote chaplain said. I mean, it was very mocking of the idea of belief in God. And I'm not going to say what he said about the God he doesn't believe in because it was blasphemous. But, Dylan, when verse 16 talks about people disqualified from the ministry and really not doing anything good, abominable, disobedient, disqualified, I've got to believe that that would include clergy who might be ordained by men, but they are actually giving messages that besides deny the word of God, they jeopardize the souls of people. Because, you know, heaven forbid that these false teachers mislead people such that they would miss out on Jesus. I mean, when we're talking about leadership and we're talking about ministry and we're talking about daring to open the holy word of God, this is gravely important and imperative that we're truthful and factual and we share what God's word says. We don't deny it, twist it, or mislead people. I think that's why the language is so harsh here, because we're talking about the souls of people.
Alex McFarland Yes. And it reminds m me of James 3:1 that says, not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. this is a letter written to a minister from a minister who has been through it all. He knows what the stakes are and he knows the importance of having right belief and opposing wrong belief. And the reason this is so important in this chapter is because what will happen in chapter two is we will see how these beliefs impact the way that we live with different groups of people, whether it be older men, older women, younger men, and younger women in your congregation and those you work with. So it's key that our beliefs are right because those beliefs impact the way that we live in our relationships with one another, whether it's our family, our fellow church members, or those in our community. So we know that, these are key in every aspect of life. When we come back in a few moments, we'll talk more about chapter two and the importance of how we live our lives according to God's word and the impact it has on others today. Thanks so much and stick with us.
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Alex McFarland about forgiveness still learning how to give it Lord, I need your strength to live what I believe I want my life to preach well welcome back to Exploring the Word on American Family Radio, where we take your Bible questions and answers. And today we'll also be dealing with prayer requests and excited to hear from you and how we can lift up your needs and intercede on your behalf to the Lord today.
American Family Radio is offering the Ten Commandments Speech Challenge
But as we continue our study on Titus today and begin chapter two in a moment, I want to tell you a little bit about an opportunity here at American Family Radio called the Ten Commandments Speech Challenge. Maybe you've heard about that before, maybe you haven't. The Ten Commandments Speech Challenges for children and youth ages 7 to 17. We're inviting you to write and present a three to five minute speech on the topic of the first Commandment that you shall have no other gods before me. Those involved can receive assistance from a parent or a sibling and submit your speech by June 30th. if you do, you're going to get a, as a participant, a Ten Commandments T shirt, a bookmark, and a free shipping coupon code to use in the AFA Resource Center. We're excited to hear from you and from your child or teenager about the Ten Commandments to each challenge. And all of the Information is at afr.net 10commands afr.net 10commands. You can find out all the details and get involved. There's plenty of time, but do it now. Be one of the first to get in.
Alex: Dylan, we start with chapter two of Titus 2:2
Well, now that we've mentioned that, I wanted to get us back to Titus 2. Alex, we've camped out in chapter one yesterday and a little bit today. So many important nuggets of truth about church leadership. The importance of the truth being accurate based on God's word and not on cultural conditions and feelings. And as we get to chapter two, we see how this unfolds when it comes to different relationships within the church and within the Christian life. And I want you to take us into this, to start it off, with chapter two and introduce some of these groups of people that it talks about and how we can apply that in our lives today.
Alex McFarland Well, amen, Dylan, it's great to be with you and what an honor to be in this wonderful book. And as I begin to read in chapter two of Titus, remember, verse five of chapter one that Paul had given Titus this assignment to appoint elders or overseers. And so, you know, that's the context of the instructions being given here. And after all of the, disqualified people and characteristics, chapter two turns the corner. It says, but as for you, I love that conjunction. In other words, in contrast to those living unrighteously, you're different. But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. Dylan, I love the way the King, King, James renders it. It says, speak the things that becometh sound doctrine. In other words, there's the truth and the application and the, the clear proclamation of it. That's what a good teacher is doing, is unpacking and making life changing, transformative truth accessible to people. And we are to speak and live things that are proper for sound doctrine. Now, verse two of chapter two, that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience. these are great characteristics for a male of any age. But, let me just say this, like sober. And I think it means sobriety, of course, but clear headed, you know, a serious person doesn't mean no sense of humor whatsoever. But you can, you know, when it's appropriate, talk seriously, reverent, having respect for God and the Church. Temperate means self control, you know, one that can, you know, reign in emotions, and actions. Temperate, sound in faith. I think every believer needs to know what they believe and at least on some level know why they believe it. so we are on good biblical doctrine for beliefs and behaviors. In love, in patience, Dylan. one single verse, Titus 2:2. But so much in there that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we would spend our lives aspiring to.
Alex McFarland Well, you're right and there's six phrases in there. And if you just took those six, you could spend your entire life trying to get it right. In some ways it's a little discouraging. You think I'll never be able to live up to that. But that's not necessarily the focus. Our focus is to keep improving, to keep getting Better in our, walk with the Lord by God's grace and God's spirit. And as older man, if you're listening today and see these verses and these words, there are some good nuggets for you about being sober, about being reverent or the, the Greek word means to be dignified. There's a point in time in which you grow up. You're no longer acting like a kid in a grown up body anymore. So, when you get to that stage, you're expected to be the leader and be the adult in the room. And that's what it's talking about. And that's the first of four groups talked about here and family relationships. And I want to dive into verse three as well, if that's all right, Alex, and keep going with our discussion today.
Alex McFarland Absolutely. The older women likewise, in other words, in a similar vein, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given too much wine, teachers of good things, that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children. And by the way, let me just say heterosexuality is the default, position of God's word. A husband, a wife, a male, a female, children, a, blessing. So, Paul has, you know, a roadmap for the godly man and characteristics for the Godly woman. Verse 5. To be discreet, chaste. Okay. Discretion and chastity, modesty. this is really talking about morals, you know, and the way that we carry ourselves and the women should carry themselves. Homemakers, good. Obedient to their own husbands. Oh my goodness. I mean you can almost feel the rage from, woke feminists that would, if they were to read this, can you imagine how many would recoil at what God's word says? But let me read it then. I've got a, comment. Obedient to their own husbands that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Now, before we go much farther, Dylan, you know, I think that we should take seriously, God's design for healthy marriage, family life, because he's the originator of the family. I mean, God made us. Ah, Billy Graham used to say, God made us. He can fix us if we're broken. But God made the human race. God created and initiated marriage and family life. And we're on good solid ground to do life and family the way the Creator laid out.
Alex McFarland well, that's well said and there's so much you can unpack there. But you look at our world today, where the focus so many times, the Children are something that are a financial expense or they're a burden. Whereas here we're seeing them as God's good gifts to a family, that they are a blessing, something we should cherish and value. we see, for example, this respect between husband and wife, which contrasts with many ideas in our culture about, marriage and the relationship between men and women. And, you know, if we are following God, God's word, like we're seeing here, that the men are subject to God and subject to their wives, and that women are subject to their husband and subject to God, and there's this relationship of love and mutual respect to one another. It's an example to the world, not something that we tear down. then you look, of course, at the, parenting relationship that often we see is broken in our society or that we see as neglected and letting the state raise our children or letting social media raise our children. And yet parents are told in scripture that you're supposed to be the ones who are responsible for developing the next generation according to godly biblical values. And it's a completely different worldview that is often not seen in our culture, but is a reminder here to us today that this should be our, our goal, that we're striving for that, even if we're not there yet, that we're pushing toward that. And it begins with the older men serving the younger men, the older women serving the younger women. So if you're in a church setting and you see this as a concern, that's where to start. You could be the mentor to someone else of the next generation and help be that difference and making the next generation better off in this regard.
Alex McFarland And, you know, let me just digress for a moment and recommend a, very famous book. If you've not heard of it, really, no matter who you are, you will benefit from this book. And it's called the Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. He's a friend. He's been on AFA with us many, many times, and he and I have, done a lot of events together. But the five Love Languages, and I especially want to say a word to the husbands out there and. And I am one myself, but, you know, the time. Words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch, and then gifts. And most husbands and wives, the thing that really is the least priority are gifts. for most husbands and wives, according to Dr. Chapman, the love language that what will fill someone's emotional tank are, you know, words of affirmation, which implies respect, and then quality time together. And, Dr. Chapman has said to me, and he has ministered in this way since 1968, before many of the listeners were probably even born. But Dr. Chapman has said that in. In his decades of counseling families and couples, virtually every marriage in trouble could be saved if you know your spouse's love language and intentionally speak to it. And so you know all of these things about husbands and wives, in a way. And I'm, going to come back to Titus 2. But they kind of remind me of Galatians 5.
Dylan Welch: Titus 2 calls us to model Christ likeness to others
22 and following about the fruits of the Spirit, you know, love and joy and peace and kindness and faithfulness and gentleness. And it talks about how these attributes. And I realize we're all a work in progress. And it takes the work of the Holy Spirit and the willingness of the person to let these things, this love and gentleness and reverence and kindness, for these things to become the dominant way. we carry ourselves rather than the works of the flesh or, emotion and things like that. so these are great words, and I would just encourage all of us to read them again and ponder them. back to Titus 2. 6. It says, likewise, exhort the young men to be sober minded. And all things. Showing yourself to be a pattern of good works in doctrine. Showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility. Sound speech that cannot be condemned. That one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. This is very much like some of the qualifications, for being an elder overseer. Some of the admonition given to the older men and women. Dylan, I think the word would be sanctification. really, that we, no matter how the tide of the world is going or the culture, we're called out, we're set apart. We're to model Christ likeness to those around us, aren't we?
Alex McFarland Yes. And verse eight is convicting to me because it talks about your actions and your speech and doing so in a way that cannot be condemned. That one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. We think of the Old Testament, scriptures, where we see the example of Joseph, who is in this category, or the prophet Daniel, who is in that category, and others like them who lived within a pagan society and yet lived such godly lives that they stood out because of their actions and because of their words. That is what God's calling us to today. Not just the elders and the leaders of the church, but for all of us. That our witness is through our example, that our witnesses through our words. And when those two are consistent, then we have a greater impact on those that we want to share the gospel with, whether it be someone in our family or next door or someone in our workplace. This is critical if we want to be effective in making disciples of all the nations. So it begins in our own walk with the Lord, our own speech, and then it overflows to those around us, whether we're talking about working with the older men in your church, the younger men in your church if you're a male, the older women or younger women in your church if you're a female, and setting the example that helps the next generation to see, to continue that tradition and to make an impact in society, from the inside out, from the church to the world, from the church to the culture, and the way that we seek. When we're talking about revival and praying for God to intercede on behalf of our nation.
Alex McFarland Well, and it even in verses nine and ten, talks about, employee employer relationships. And let me say what verse nine is not saying. This is not an endorsement of slavery or human trafficking or anything like that. I know that the King James, says, slaves, be obedient to your masters. And I know given, slavery in colonial America, that language in the King James can sound like an endorsement of, owning humans. no, not at all. my translation I've got here says bond servants to be obedient to their own masters or the, you know, in business they talk about your direct report, your supervisor, that's over you. And in the ancient world, there were arrangements. I mean, there was obviously, you know, employer, employee, and this goes back to time immemorial. But I mean, there were, things that, if you were going on a trip, I mean, you could agree to work for a certain period of time to be transported on a ship somewhere. I mean, you would pay your fare by agreeing to do work. And there were different contracts and arrangements. But it says, you know, be obedient. Well, pleasing in all things, not answering back, not smart mouthing or slandering or, you know, being, you know what, Let me just say this. Once you've made an agreement to work, you know, do it. Jack Welch, the, the president of General Electric, at one point ge, very famous leader. But he used to say this. He said, if you're going to be there, be there. In other words, if you're going to take the compensation, give it your best, and, you know, if you don't like it, you can move along. But as long as you're in that, you know, contract, if you will, that employment contract, be there. And I like this, be well pleasing in all things. Not answering back. Verse 10. Not pilfering. And that's not just stealing, but maybe punching in late, you know, showing all good fidelity that they may adorn the doctrine of God our savior in all things. the word adorn is. We get the word garnish. Make the gospel appealing. If you're a born again Christian, give your employer a good day's work. Hey, 888-589-8840. That's the number. And we're back with your calls after this.
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Alex McFarland don't stop praying. Don't stop calling on Jesus.
Alex McFarland Jesus name.
Alex McFarland Keep on pounding on heaven's door Let
Alex McFarland your knees wear out the floor don't stop believing Cause mountains move with just a little faith. And your father's heard every single word you're saying.
Alex McFarland It's triple 858-98-80 toll free nationwide. Triple 858-98-8840. And we would love to have your prayer request. And I mentioned a few days ago a dear friend of mine, a pastor friend, Robert Cornegie. He's on the coast of North Carolina. And he's have scheduled to have open heart surgery tomorrow. And if you just think of Robert, he's just a fantastic man of God. And we just pray that The Lord will. Dylan, I like what you said, either through medicine or a miracle, that, you know, Christ is ultimately our healer. But, I'm lifting up Robert Cornegie and, other prayer requests as well, if you'd like to share in those. Again, the number 888-589-8840.
Brent: Let's take some more prayer requests before we first pray
And where should we begin with our calls today, Brent? Or have we got some calls ready to pull up? We do. let's go to Linne in Arkansas.
Caroline Yeah, hi. Thank you for taking my prayer request. Anyway, I have a couple ministry ideas, and they're also to. For employment. And so, I just am, praying that the Lord would connect me with, people who might be interested in helping with that, and that could benefit them also.
Alex McFarland Sure. Well, thank you for sharing that, Linne. And. And we will pray for that. I, know a lot of people nowadays are, you know, needing prayer about employment and things like that, so God bless you for those, the ideas the Lord has given you. And we're going to pray. Let's take a couple of more prayer requests before we first pray.
Susan in Indiana has nephew having brain surgery for cancer
Brent, where to next?
Alex McFarland Let's go to Susan in Indiana.
Caroline Yes, hello?
Alex McFarland Hey, Susan.
Alex McFarland Yes, you're on.
Caroline Hi. Thanks for taking my call. I called a couple weeks ago, for my nephew Micah. I believe Dylan said a prayer for him. he was having brain surgery. He has cancer, and he got through the surgery fine, but over the weekend, he is having more trouble, and he is having yet another surgery right now on his brain. And it's very risky. It's on the brain, near the brain stem.
Alex McFarland Wow. Wow. Well, Susan, thank you for sharing this. And, we certainly will pray for Micah. In fact, we're going to do that right now. Dylan, would you lead us, as we pray for Micah? And folks, let's just join together in prayer on this. And of course, Linne from Arkansas about, employment that she's seeking as well. But, Dylan, would you lead us?
Alex McFarland Yes. Thank you, Alex.
Brent Austin's son Michael is undergoing a major surgery right now
Let's pray. God, we thank you for this opportunity to come before you and to intercede and to ask, knowing that you are the healer, you are the provider, you can intercede in whatever way is best to meet the needs of the moment. And we pray first for Linne. She shared her desire for your blessing on her ministry and work ideas that she shared. Lord, we don't know the specifics of that, but you do. And we pray that you would lead and guide her to the right people to help develop those ideas and to get her to the next step that you've called her to in ministry to impact others for Christ. And we're just so thankful for her motivation and desire to do so. Father, we thank you also for Susan calling in to pray for Micah. We thank you that you brought him through his first surgery. But to hear that he's in a surgery right now as we speak is overwhelming. And we lift him up to you and we pray for. For healing. it sounds like this is a very risky operation. So everyone on with us right now is lifting him up to you, asking that you would intercede and heal and bring him through this and help all those who are involved, all the medical personnel, and, that we would be able to give you praise and glory for what you do through this time. And we thank you, for Susan calling in about this, and pray you bless her as well as she's helping with this situation, and pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
Alex McFarland Amen. Amen. the number, if you've got a prayer request, folks, it's 888-589-8840. And, Brent Austin, where to next?
Maryann in Kentucky asks for prayers for her parents after an affair
Let's go to Maryann in Kentucky.
Alex McFarland Hello.
Alex McFarland Welcome. Hi.
Caroline I was wanting to say if you guys could pray for my parents marriage. There was an affair, and. And my dad's having a hard time with forgiveness and moving forward, and they're talking about divorce. They've been married 42 years.
Alex McFarland Goodness.
Caroline It's like several people that. Whom are married in my family are having issues similar to these.
Alex McFarland Marian, are your parents Christians?
Caroline my mom, she had an affair with, a Muslim guy. And since then, her faith has been very lacking. So I don't know really what she is. She doesn't talk about God anymore and doesn't want to hear about it. My dad is. But he's kind of having trouble.
Alex McFarland Yeah, sure. for one thing, I'm so sorry. Our sincerest condolences on this situation. I want to pray for this. I appreciate you sharing this. And folks, as we, pray for Marian's parents here, I want to just challenge everybody, pray for the state of the American family. let's pray right now. Father, in the name of Jesus, we intercede for Marian's parents. And Lord, the Bible says that you hate divorce. The Bible tells us that you, clearly adultery and illicit, affairs, immorality, they're against your will. But Lord, we know you can heal. You raised the dead, Lord, you resurrected bodies from the grave, and you can resurrect relationships. So I pray, just, Lord, that Extra, extra measure of the Holy Spirit, Draw Marian's mom back to you. Help her to not be involved with someone who isn't her husband, especially a Muslim man. he needs the Lord goodness. And, Lord, I pray for, Marian's dad. Heal his heart. He's hurt, and that's completely understandable. But, Lord, we just cry out to this couple, and we ask for your Holy Spirit to very, very strongly and swiftly intervene in their lives. Lord, I pray for the state of the family, that you'll heal marriage and heal families. And, Lord, motivate young people to have the desire to get married, stay married, bring children into the world. And, Lord, I just. I know if you give us Christian homes, our nation will be okay. So we lift all this up to you in the name of Jesus, and for your glory we pray, Lord. Amen. Amen.
Alex McFarland Amen.
Alex McFarland Brent.
Michael in Louisiana needs prayer for care of his sick mother
the next call.
Alex McFarland Let's go to Micah in Louisiana.
Alex McFarland Micah, welcome.
Alex McFarland Thank you. I need prayer. Prayer for me. I've been taking care of my mom three years bedridden, and I've been trying to keep a job, and I can't right now. I need one. And, I don't want to declare a bankrupt right now. It's has been hard.
Alex McFarland I just need some kind of miracle. Amen. Oh, my goodness. well, thank you for sharing that, and I know a lot of people are in dire straits. God bless you, Micah, for looking after your mother. I know God is going to bless that. And, look, I think at one time or another, we've all been there, and God is our source. Dylan, would you pray for Micah and his situation?
Alex McFarland Of course. Micah, thank you for calling us today. And let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for Micah calling today and asking for your assistance and your help through prayer. We know that you are the one who has the best solution to the situation. And we want to thank you for him honoring you and honoring his mom by taking care of her. We pray for her and for her health. We pray for Micah as he seeks to care for her in the best way possible. And we also pray for this need that, he has for a job that you would provide just the right situation, that he can continue to provide for his mother's needs and also take care of financial needs for himself. This is a difficult situation, but not too difficult for you. We're told time and time again in scripture that nothing is too difficult difficult for you, and that all things are possible with God. And we claim that promise today for Micah and for his mom. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you so much, Micah, for calling about that. We do have a few minutes left, so if you haven't called, we still have some time. It's 888-589-8840. Again, 885-89840. And I, just appreciate the time to pray with you. And no, it's not just me and Alex. There are people all across this nation who are lifting you up in prayer at the same time as we are listening together in our cars and our homes, all over the place. And this is a special time to intercede on behalf of God's people. So if you have a prayer request that's overwhelming you right now, now's the time. Triple 858-98-8840. We're going to go to our next prayer request right now. if you have one there for us. Ready to go? Yes, it's, Marie in Louisiana.
Alex McFarland Okay. Welcome.
Caroline Thank you so much. I just want to say thank you all so much for your ministry, and I don't know how I would get through my week without y'. All. I do have. I do have a prayer request. My husband is having knee, ah, replacement surgery done on Thursday, and I would just appreciate y' all remembering him.
Alex McFarland Amen. We certainly will. Do you mind? What's his first name?
Caroline Name? Dean.
Alex McFarland Dean, Absolutely. And thank you for those kind words. We give God the glory. we love to read and teach God's word and, just interact with dear folks like yourself, Marie. So thank you very much. hey, by the way, I've got a prayer request. You may know, folks, our president is, traveling to China, and so let's just pray for safety for the president and his staff as he goes to China. Also, I just want to pray for our nation. I don't know if you saw this, folks, but in Arcadia, California, the mayor has, been charged with, being a foreign agent, for China, and has resigned as mayor. And I mean, we need protection for our country. We really do. And so for the president, for our nation, we, we pray as well. And, Brent, before we pray for, Dean, Marie's husband, do we have another prayer request?
Nathan in Arkansas has a prayer request for us
Alex McFarland Yes, we have several. let's go to Nathan in Arkansas.
Alex McFarland Nathan, welcome.
Alex McFarland Hey, this is, this is Nathan.
Alex McFarland Yes. You're on. Welcome.
Alex McFarland Oh, I just want to thank y' all for just having this opportunity to have this prayer request because I listen to y', all, every afternoon after work. So, thank you. My, My prayer Request is, I am missionary. I served in the Middle east for about three years and I, came back. It's about a year and a half now. And I've been working at a, a Christian non profit and it's a multi denominational non profit and it's just, there's a lot of spiritual compromise from the top to bottom. And just biblically. And I went, to the leadership and just shared my heart about my spiritual convictions that I just read in scripture that were just not, leading properly. And they got very hateful with me and spiteful. And I'm being laid off this month.
Alex McFarland Wow. well, God bless you for, standing up for your convictions. And you know, I want to tell you, you're probably going to look back and realize that you got rescued out of that situation as hard as it might be to lose your position. God, God bless you. and tell you what, let's add one more prayer request. Brent, where to next?
Angie is retiring to care for her husband who has dementia and Alzheimer's
Next let's go to Angie in Texas. Angie, welcome. Hello, Angie.
Alex McFarland Yes.
Alex McFarland Yeah, yeah, welcome.
Caroline Thank you. I just need some prayer. I'm retiring in four days. but I'm, I'm retiring, and I do have peace about it, so. But I'm retiring to take care of my husband who has dementia and Alzheimer's. So I just need strength and good health for me.
Alex McFarland Sure. So God bless you. God bless you.
Let's pray for caregivers, uh, and there are many
And folks, as you're praying, let's pray for the caregivers, and there are many. Let me lead us. right now, folks, let's go to prayer. Father, in the name of, of Jesus. I think about, Luke 18:1 that says we ought to always pray and not faint or give up. Literally, always pray and not give up. And so we do that now. Lord, I pray for Marie's husband who's having knee surgery this week. Please let it go. Well, help him heal up very quickly. I pray there'd be no complications, but he would just be up and about completely restored very soon. I pray for Nathan, who has served you on the mission field and now is back in, Old Backslidden usa. And help him, Lord. He is, getting laid off. So please, Lord, have that next place of service prepared whereby not only could he serve you, but provide for his needs. So we lift up Nathan's employment situation present and future. Lord, I pray for Angie, retiring to care for a husband with dementia. And that can be a long road. That can be a very taxing, very hard thing. And Lord, bless this sister in Christ. Give her strength. And, Lord, we lift she and her husband up to you and so many thousands and thousands of caregivers. Lord, give strength, give endurance, give resilience. And Lord, for all of us, help us to do what we do as unto the Lord. Let us remember that we're doing it as if we were serving Jesus himself. And, Lord, we know you'll bless that all these things and many, many other things we bring to you, Jesus, in your name we pray. Amen. Amen.
Dylan asks for prayers for his son who has been in a serious accident
Brent, do we have time for one more quick prayer?
Alex McFarland We don't, but I have, the last one. I have Steve in Mississippi. He's asking for prayers for his son who has been in a serious accident.
Alex McFarland Goodness, goodness. Well, time Fleet, Steve, we're praying for you and all the others on the prayer board. I know that the Lord knows what they are, folks. Please pray for Steve's son who was in a car wreck or a serious accident. I don't know the details. I shouldn't say that because I don't know the details, but a serious accident. Well, Dylan, I appreciate you, my friend.
Alex McFarland End been a blessing to be with you and thank you for the opportunity to pray with so many of you today. We continue to lift you up even after this show. God's blessings upon you. May his face shine upon you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Blessings to you all. We'll see you next time on American Family Radio and exploring the word.
Alex McFarland The views and opinions expressed in this
Caroline broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of
Alex McFarland the American Family association or American Family Radio.
American Family Radio takes your Bible questions live on American Family Radio
Alex McFarland The Bible. It's the word of God. Sharper than any two edged sword. This sacred book is living and active and contains all that's needed for life and godliness. Stay with American Family Radio for the next hour as we study God's Word and take your Bible questions.
On Tuesdays, we take prayer requests; always welcome Bible questions
Welcome to Exploring the Word. You know, a good passage, of, scripture that would be kind of a life verse would be Titus 2, 7 and 8. In all things, showing yourself to be a pattern of good works in doctrine, showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Well, that's in Titus 2 and we'll get there. But I welcome you to this edition of Exploring the word. Alex McFarland here, along with Dylan Burroughs, Bert Harper is traveling. And in addition to looking at the NewSong Testament book of Titus, as we began yesterday, today on Tuesdays, we take prayer requests. You know, we do Bible questions in the third segment of Exploring the Word. And we always welcome Bible questions. We endeavor to give a good, solid, factual answer. But on Tuesdays, we've kind of made it a tradition. I think it was Brent Austin's idea well over a year ago. But we take prayer requests and that's become really special because in addition to prayers and petitions, we get a lot of praises. People call in sometimes just amazing ways. God has answered the prayers. So maybe later on in the program, you want to be one of those that calls in and shares your prayer request. But right now, resuming Titus chapter one at verse 14.
Alex Bishop welcomes back contributor Dylan Burroughs to talk about Titus
Welcome back our contributor, Dylan Burroughs. Dylan, it's great to have you, brother.
Alex McFarland Great to be with you as always. And yesterday we had an amazing start to Titus chapter one, and diving back in today to talk about the other portion of chapter one and diving into chapter two as well, where we look at mentoring. We talk about different groups of people in the church and how it applies to us today. And it resonates with me as I prepared for today, the need to pass on the faith from one generation to the next. And I know that's your ministry, Alex, truth for a new generation. But when you see a leap off the pages of scripture like that, it reminds you once more that this is the key to revival, this is the key to the future, the key in our churches. And I'm glad we get a chance to talk about it today.
Alex McFarland Amen. Amen.
21 of the 27 New Testament books are epistles in some form
We did start Titus. This is one of those NewSong Testament books that's kind of brief and yet incredible. How rich it is with, practical counsel. You know, I love Dylan, some of these short books, like first and second Timothy or Colossians. now these are epistles, and, let's talk about that word for just a second. Dylan. I've always heard that like an epistle was a letter or kind of a message to a person or to a church. any enlightenment you'd like to share with us about, you know, what do we mean when we talk about the NewSong Testament epistles?
Alex McFarland Right. And it's literally the Greek word for letter, Epistle A. And it's what we see translated again and again as letter or message in the NewSong Testament documents. 21 of the 27 NewSong Testament books are epistles in some form, form. And 13 of them are from the apostle Paul. He had three he wrote at the very end of his life, known as the Pastoral epistles, first and second Timothy, and then this letter we're looking at today, Titus. And it's interesting to me that it emphasizes some of those key themes toward the end of his ministry that, I know from listening to other ministers over the years, when you get toward the end of your ministry, what leaks out is what is most important, what has stood out the most to you over the years. So it's interesting to see which aspects of the faith that Paul emphasizes more in these letters versus some of his earlier epistles.
Alex McFarland Yeah, yeah. You know, I love to ask older ministers, you know, if you could give me one bit of advice, you know, what would it be? And two things that, you know, I've heard repeatedly. well, obviously love your spouse and attend to your family. Of course, your, your family is your first ministry. But pastors have always counseled me, they'd say, spend as much time as you can in prayer. But then the other thing, love your people. And that's a, ah, huge part of successful ministry. And it really is, isn't it? I want to say to everybody out there, I know that some of you listening, because we get emails you're dealing with, maybe God's calling you into ministry. And Dylan, even this morning on a secular website, I was reading an article about the, the lack of pastors that, you know, I'm going to say 10 years ago Christian websites were commenting on this, but now even some secular writers are saying, wait a minute, we've, we've got a pastoral shortage. So I want to say to everybody out there listening that, you know, be, at least be open to the fact that God may be calling you into ministry. because the Church, and these letters like Paul is writing, to Titus and he's got a big assignment for him on this very large hundred mile long island called Crete. Well, God is still giving assignments to his followers, still calling people. We're all to minister, but some are called to full time vocational ministry. And just folks be open to that call because there is nothing more, important than the Great Commission and winning people to Christ. But along those lines there's a lot about Chapter 1, the qualifications of elders or overseers, character and spiritual qualities. And then there's assignments. Not only the proclamation of the Gospel, but even the critique and refutation of, of false teaching. And so in verse 14 where we pick up today, Paul is saying, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth to the pure. All things are pure. But to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but even their mind and their conscience are defiled. And here's the indictment kind of sounds like Matthew 7, 21 24. They profess to know God, but in their works deny him being abominable, disobedient and disqualified for every good work. Now we're going to come back to that.
There are those in the church that sometimes defile the teachings of God
But Dylan, let's talk a bit about verse 14. when it says Jewish fables, I don't think it's necessarily talking about myths and legends, although it could be. But really, adding things to the gospel that are, as it says, the commandments of men and not the revealed truth of God. we're not to embellish or spin or you know, add to the Gospel or diminish from it. We're to know it and live it and proclaim it. But we don't add human ideas to God's revelation, do we?
Alex McFarland Right. And that's called legalism. When we add to Scripture. There's some times when people take away from scripture, but there's also adding to it. And some of this was done in the early church. We saw earlier in Titus 1 this idea of the circumcision group. These were Jewish leaders who said that believing in Jesus isn't enough. You have to be circumcised as well in order to truly believe. And that was one thing Paul opposed strongly. And Jesus himself dealt with Jewish traditions by the religious leaders that weren't part of the teachings of God. And time and time again in Scripture we see this focus that it's the scripture that must be obeyed, not the extras that we add to it. Not taking away from it. But the scripture cannot be broken. It is God's truth that we are to follow strictly and not to add to or to take away from. So that's the focus here in this passage. And the emphasis is made because these last couple verses of chapter one point out the fact that just because you're in the church doesn't mean you have everything figured out right. There are those in the church that sometimes defile the teachings of God, who twist them and change them for their own advantage. And that's what we see in verses 15 and 16. Just to mention a little bit of verse 15. It says, to the pure, all things are pure. But to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure. But even their mind, m and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny him being abominable, disobedient and disqualified for every good work. Those are some harsh words. And if those don't strike you to the heart as someone who's seeking to live for God, I don't know what will. That is the ultimate challenge to say, okay, am I focusing on the right things and opposing the wrong things and seeking to live a holy life before the Lord, or am I just faking it and getting by with just, okay, m very powerful.
Alex McFarland And let me just say this, not, to belabor the point too much, but we've lived in a time where, a lot of the, decline in church attendance that really goes back to the 1970s. And it was during that time, that some of the older mainline denominations, the Presbyterian Church USA Peace USA The United Methodist Church, and the American Episcopal Church, which really is, from the Anglican Church in Europe. But the older mainline denominations begin to really take a hard left turn. And I mean, whether it be, preaching just love, love, love without the new birth, or in the last really 20 years. I mean, it is unthinkable, how the church, not all, but some of the liberal denominations, have engaged in preaching sexual license things that the Bible is unequivocally clear on. And I'm talking about gay marriage, homosexual activity. And, you know, when verse 16 says, you know, people, and whether it be clergy, denominational leaders, even seminary professors, my goodness, Dylan, I've been interviewed on stories about seminaries that believe Christians and Muslims worship the same God, which is false, we don't. Or I mean, the condemnation of the nation of Israel, which we are not to do. Or, you know, promoting homosexuality, gay marriage, transgenderism. And then even like in North Carolina at Duke University, traditionally Methodist school. They have a chaplain or they did. It was in the Raleigh News and Observer. I've got the article, a chaplain who is an atheist. Now, you don't often hear chaplain and the word atheist in the same sentence. And I'm not going to repeat what this quote unquote chaplain said. I mean, it was very mocking of the idea of belief in God. And I'm not going to say what he said about the God he doesn't believe in because it was blasphemous. But, Dylan, when verse 16 talks about people disqualified from the ministry and really not doing anything good, abominable, disobedient, disqualified, I've got to believe that that would include clergy who might be ordained by men, but they are actually giving messages that besides deny the word of God, they jeopardize the souls of people. Because, you know, heaven forbid that these false teachers mislead people such that they would miss out on Jesus. I mean, when we're talking about leadership and we're talking about ministry and we're talking about daring to open the holy word of God, this is gravely important and imperative that we're truthful and factual and we share what God's word says. We don't deny it, twist it, or mislead people. I think that's why the language is so harsh here, because we're talking about the souls of people.
Alex McFarland Yes. And it reminds m me of James 3:1 that says, not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. this is a letter written to a minister from a minister who has been through it all. He knows what the stakes are and he knows the importance of having right belief and opposing wrong belief. And the reason this is so important in this chapter is because what will happen in chapter two is we will see how these beliefs impact the way that we live with different groups of people, whether it be older men, older women, younger men, and younger women in your congregation and those you work with. So it's key that our beliefs are right because those beliefs impact the way that we live in our relationships with one another, whether it's our family, our fellow church members, or those in our community. So we know that, these are key in every aspect of life. When we come back in a few moments, we'll talk more about chapter two and the importance of how we live our lives according to God's word and the impact it has on others today. Thanks so much and stick with us.
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American Family Radio is offering the Ten Commandments Speech Challenge
But as we continue our study on Titus today and begin chapter two in a moment, I want to tell you a little bit about an opportunity here at American Family Radio called the Ten Commandments Speech Challenge. Maybe you've heard about that before, maybe you haven't. The Ten Commandments Speech Challenges for children and youth ages 7 to 17. We're inviting you to write and present a three to five minute speech on the topic of the first Commandment that you shall have no other gods before me. Those involved can receive assistance from a parent or a sibling and submit your speech by June 30th. if you do, you're going to get a, as a participant, a Ten Commandments T shirt, a bookmark, and a free shipping coupon code to use in the AFA Resource Center. We're excited to hear from you and from your child or teenager about the Ten Commandments to each challenge. And all of the Information is at afr.net 10commands afr.net 10commands. You can find out all the details and get involved. There's plenty of time, but do it now. Be one of the first to get in.
Alex: Dylan, we start with chapter two of Titus 2:2
Well, now that we've mentioned that, I wanted to get us back to Titus 2. Alex, we've camped out in chapter one yesterday and a little bit today. So many important nuggets of truth about church leadership. The importance of the truth being accurate based on God's word and not on cultural conditions and feelings. And as we get to chapter two, we see how this unfolds when it comes to different relationships within the church and within the Christian life. And I want you to take us into this, to start it off, with chapter two and introduce some of these groups of people that it talks about and how we can apply that in our lives today.
Alex McFarland Well, amen, Dylan, it's great to be with you and what an honor to be in this wonderful book. And as I begin to read in chapter two of Titus, remember, verse five of chapter one that Paul had given Titus this assignment to appoint elders or overseers. And so, you know, that's the context of the instructions being given here. And after all of the, disqualified people and characteristics, chapter two turns the corner. It says, but as for you, I love that conjunction. In other words, in contrast to those living unrighteously, you're different. But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. Dylan, I love the way the King, King, James renders it. It says, speak the things that becometh sound doctrine. In other words, there's the truth and the application and the, the clear proclamation of it. That's what a good teacher is doing, is unpacking and making life changing, transformative truth accessible to people. And we are to speak and live things that are proper for sound doctrine. Now, verse two of chapter two, that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience. these are great characteristics for a male of any age. But, let me just say this, like sober. And I think it means sobriety, of course, but clear headed, you know, a serious person doesn't mean no sense of humor whatsoever. But you can, you know, when it's appropriate, talk seriously, reverent, having respect for God and the Church. Temperate means self control, you know, one that can, you know, reign in emotions, and actions. Temperate, sound in faith. I think every believer needs to know what they believe and at least on some level know why they believe it. so we are on good biblical doctrine for beliefs and behaviors. In love, in patience, Dylan. one single verse, Titus 2:2. But so much in there that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we would spend our lives aspiring to.
Alex McFarland Well, you're right and there's six phrases in there. And if you just took those six, you could spend your entire life trying to get it right. In some ways it's a little discouraging. You think I'll never be able to live up to that. But that's not necessarily the focus. Our focus is to keep improving, to keep getting Better in our, walk with the Lord by God's grace and God's spirit. And as older man, if you're listening today and see these verses and these words, there are some good nuggets for you about being sober, about being reverent or the, the Greek word means to be dignified. There's a point in time in which you grow up. You're no longer acting like a kid in a grown up body anymore. So, when you get to that stage, you're expected to be the leader and be the adult in the room. And that's what it's talking about. And that's the first of four groups talked about here and family relationships. And I want to dive into verse three as well, if that's all right, Alex, and keep going with our discussion today.
Alex McFarland Absolutely. The older women likewise, in other words, in a similar vein, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given too much wine, teachers of good things, that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children. And by the way, let me just say heterosexuality is the default, position of God's word. A husband, a wife, a male, a female, children, a, blessing. So, Paul has, you know, a roadmap for the godly man and characteristics for the Godly woman. Verse 5. To be discreet, chaste. Okay. Discretion and chastity, modesty. this is really talking about morals, you know, and the way that we carry ourselves and the women should carry themselves. Homemakers, good. Obedient to their own husbands. Oh my goodness. I mean you can almost feel the rage from, woke feminists that would, if they were to read this, can you imagine how many would recoil at what God's word says? But let me read it then. I've got a, comment. Obedient to their own husbands that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Now, before we go much farther, Dylan, you know, I think that we should take seriously, God's design for healthy marriage, family life, because he's the originator of the family. I mean, God made us. Ah, Billy Graham used to say, God made us. He can fix us if we're broken. But God made the human race. God created and initiated marriage and family life. And we're on good solid ground to do life and family the way the Creator laid out.
Alex McFarland well, that's well said and there's so much you can unpack there. But you look at our world today, where the focus so many times, the Children are something that are a financial expense or they're a burden. Whereas here we're seeing them as God's good gifts to a family, that they are a blessing, something we should cherish and value. we see, for example, this respect between husband and wife, which contrasts with many ideas in our culture about, marriage and the relationship between men and women. And, you know, if we are following God, God's word, like we're seeing here, that the men are subject to God and subject to their wives, and that women are subject to their husband and subject to God, and there's this relationship of love and mutual respect to one another. It's an example to the world, not something that we tear down. then you look, of course, at the, parenting relationship that often we see is broken in our society or that we see as neglected and letting the state raise our children or letting social media raise our children. And yet parents are told in scripture that you're supposed to be the ones who are responsible for developing the next generation according to godly biblical values. And it's a completely different worldview that is often not seen in our culture, but is a reminder here to us today that this should be our, our goal, that we're striving for that, even if we're not there yet, that we're pushing toward that. And it begins with the older men serving the younger men, the older women serving the younger women. So if you're in a church setting and you see this as a concern, that's where to start. You could be the mentor to someone else of the next generation and help be that difference and making the next generation better off in this regard.
Alex McFarland And, you know, let me just digress for a moment and recommend a, very famous book. If you've not heard of it, really, no matter who you are, you will benefit from this book. And it's called the Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. He's a friend. He's been on AFA with us many, many times, and he and I have, done a lot of events together. But the five Love Languages, and I especially want to say a word to the husbands out there and. And I am one myself, but, you know, the time. Words of affirmation, acts of service, physical touch, and then gifts. And most husbands and wives, the thing that really is the least priority are gifts. for most husbands and wives, according to Dr. Chapman, the love language that what will fill someone's emotional tank are, you know, words of affirmation, which implies respect, and then quality time together. And, Dr. Chapman has said to me, and he has ministered in this way since 1968, before many of the listeners were probably even born. But Dr. Chapman has said that in. In his decades of counseling families and couples, virtually every marriage in trouble could be saved if you know your spouse's love language and intentionally speak to it. And so you know all of these things about husbands and wives, in a way. And I'm, going to come back to Titus 2. But they kind of remind me of Galatians 5.
Dylan Welch: Titus 2 calls us to model Christ likeness to others
22 and following about the fruits of the Spirit, you know, love and joy and peace and kindness and faithfulness and gentleness. And it talks about how these attributes. And I realize we're all a work in progress. And it takes the work of the Holy Spirit and the willingness of the person to let these things, this love and gentleness and reverence and kindness, for these things to become the dominant way. we carry ourselves rather than the works of the flesh or, emotion and things like that. so these are great words, and I would just encourage all of us to read them again and ponder them. back to Titus 2. 6. It says, likewise, exhort the young men to be sober minded. And all things. Showing yourself to be a pattern of good works in doctrine. Showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility. Sound speech that cannot be condemned. That one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. This is very much like some of the qualifications, for being an elder overseer. Some of the admonition given to the older men and women. Dylan, I think the word would be sanctification. really, that we, no matter how the tide of the world is going or the culture, we're called out, we're set apart. We're to model Christ likeness to those around us, aren't we?
Alex McFarland Yes. And verse eight is convicting to me because it talks about your actions and your speech and doing so in a way that cannot be condemned. That one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. We think of the Old Testament, scriptures, where we see the example of Joseph, who is in this category, or the prophet Daniel, who is in that category, and others like them who lived within a pagan society and yet lived such godly lives that they stood out because of their actions and because of their words. That is what God's calling us to today. Not just the elders and the leaders of the church, but for all of us. That our witness is through our example, that our witnesses through our words. And when those two are consistent, then we have a greater impact on those that we want to share the gospel with, whether it be someone in our family or next door or someone in our workplace. This is critical if we want to be effective in making disciples of all the nations. So it begins in our own walk with the Lord, our own speech, and then it overflows to those around us, whether we're talking about working with the older men in your church, the younger men in your church if you're a male, the older women or younger women in your church if you're a female, and setting the example that helps the next generation to see, to continue that tradition and to make an impact in society, from the inside out, from the church to the world, from the church to the culture, and the way that we seek. When we're talking about revival and praying for God to intercede on behalf of our nation.
Alex McFarland Well, and it even in verses nine and ten, talks about, employee employer relationships. And let me say what verse nine is not saying. This is not an endorsement of slavery or human trafficking or anything like that. I know that the King James, says, slaves, be obedient to your masters. And I know given, slavery in colonial America, that language in the King James can sound like an endorsement of, owning humans. no, not at all. my translation I've got here says bond servants to be obedient to their own masters or the, you know, in business they talk about your direct report, your supervisor, that's over you. And in the ancient world, there were arrangements. I mean, there was obviously, you know, employer, employee, and this goes back to time immemorial. But I mean, there were, things that, if you were going on a trip, I mean, you could agree to work for a certain period of time to be transported on a ship somewhere. I mean, you would pay your fare by agreeing to do work. And there were different contracts and arrangements. But it says, you know, be obedient. Well, pleasing in all things, not answering back, not smart mouthing or slandering or, you know, being, you know what, Let me just say this. Once you've made an agreement to work, you know, do it. Jack Welch, the, the president of General Electric, at one point ge, very famous leader. But he used to say this. He said, if you're going to be there, be there. In other words, if you're going to take the compensation, give it your best, and, you know, if you don't like it, you can move along. But as long as you're in that, you know, contract, if you will, that employment contract, be there. And I like this, be well pleasing in all things. Not answering back. Verse 10. Not pilfering. And that's not just stealing, but maybe punching in late, you know, showing all good fidelity that they may adorn the doctrine of God our savior in all things. the word adorn is. We get the word garnish. Make the gospel appealing. If you're a born again Christian, give your employer a good day's work. Hey, 888-589-8840. That's the number. And we're back with your calls after this.
Preborn network clinics offer free ultrasounds to women facing unplanned pregnancies
Bert Harper Right now, the voices in our culture are loud. But truth is often silent. And today, preborn needs you to help speak that truth. Women facing unplanned pregnancies are often pressured to act quickly before they have time to pause, breathe, or hear the truth about life, dignity and hope. But I refuse to be silent, and I'm asking you to join me. At preborn network clinics, a woman is welcomed with compassion and given a free ultrasound. She sees the life growing inside her, often for the first time. And in that sacred moment, fear gives way to clarity. And she's offered something the abortion industry will never provide. The hope of Jesus Christ. This April, our goal is to have 11,000 gospel conversations in preborn network clinics, trusting God to bring the increase as we remain faithful to speak. You can help make that possible by sponsoring ultrasounds. Just $28 provides one ultrasound. $140 sponsors five ultrasounds for mothers in crisis. Every dollar helps save babies and share the good news of Jesus Christ. To donate, dial £250 and say the keyword baby. That's £250, baby. Or visit preborn.com host that's preborn.com host
Alex McFarland don't stop praying. Don't stop calling on Jesus.
Alex McFarland Jesus name.
Alex McFarland Keep on pounding on heaven's door Let
Alex McFarland your knees wear out the floor don't stop believing Cause mountains move with just a little faith. And your father's heard every single word you're saying.
Alex McFarland It's triple 858-98-80 toll free nationwide. Triple 858-98-8840. And we would love to have your prayer request. And I mentioned a few days ago a dear friend of mine, a pastor friend, Robert Cornegie. He's on the coast of North Carolina. And he's have scheduled to have open heart surgery tomorrow. And if you just think of Robert, he's just a fantastic man of God. And we just pray that The Lord will. Dylan, I like what you said, either through medicine or a miracle, that, you know, Christ is ultimately our healer. But, I'm lifting up Robert Cornegie and, other prayer requests as well, if you'd like to share in those. Again, the number 888-589-8840.
Brent: Let's take some more prayer requests before we first pray
And where should we begin with our calls today, Brent? Or have we got some calls ready to pull up? We do. let's go to Linne in Arkansas.
Caroline Yeah, hi. Thank you for taking my prayer request. Anyway, I have a couple ministry ideas, and they're also to. For employment. And so, I just am, praying that the Lord would connect me with, people who might be interested in helping with that, and that could benefit them also.
Alex McFarland Sure. Well, thank you for sharing that, Linne. And. And we will pray for that. I, know a lot of people nowadays are, you know, needing prayer about employment and things like that, so God bless you for those, the ideas the Lord has given you. And we're going to pray. Let's take a couple of more prayer requests before we first pray.
Susan in Indiana has nephew having brain surgery for cancer
Brent, where to next?
Alex McFarland Let's go to Susan in Indiana.
Caroline Yes, hello?
Alex McFarland Hey, Susan.
Alex McFarland Yes, you're on.
Caroline Hi. Thanks for taking my call. I called a couple weeks ago, for my nephew Micah. I believe Dylan said a prayer for him. he was having brain surgery. He has cancer, and he got through the surgery fine, but over the weekend, he is having more trouble, and he is having yet another surgery right now on his brain. And it's very risky. It's on the brain, near the brain stem.
Alex McFarland Wow. Wow. Well, Susan, thank you for sharing this. And, we certainly will pray for Micah. In fact, we're going to do that right now. Dylan, would you lead us, as we pray for Micah? And folks, let's just join together in prayer on this. And of course, Linne from Arkansas about, employment that she's seeking as well. But, Dylan, would you lead us?
Alex McFarland Yes. Thank you, Alex.
Brent Austin's son Michael is undergoing a major surgery right now
Let's pray. God, we thank you for this opportunity to come before you and to intercede and to ask, knowing that you are the healer, you are the provider, you can intercede in whatever way is best to meet the needs of the moment. And we pray first for Linne. She shared her desire for your blessing on her ministry and work ideas that she shared. Lord, we don't know the specifics of that, but you do. And we pray that you would lead and guide her to the right people to help develop those ideas and to get her to the next step that you've called her to in ministry to impact others for Christ. And we're just so thankful for her motivation and desire to do so. Father, we thank you also for Susan calling in to pray for Micah. We thank you that you brought him through his first surgery. But to hear that he's in a surgery right now as we speak is overwhelming. And we lift him up to you and we pray for. For healing. it sounds like this is a very risky operation. So everyone on with us right now is lifting him up to you, asking that you would intercede and heal and bring him through this and help all those who are involved, all the medical personnel, and, that we would be able to give you praise and glory for what you do through this time. And we thank you, for Susan calling in about this, and pray you bless her as well as she's helping with this situation, and pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
Alex McFarland Amen. Amen. the number, if you've got a prayer request, folks, it's 888-589-8840. And, Brent Austin, where to next?
Maryann in Kentucky asks for prayers for her parents after an affair
Let's go to Maryann in Kentucky.
Alex McFarland Hello.
Alex McFarland Welcome. Hi.
Caroline I was wanting to say if you guys could pray for my parents marriage. There was an affair, and. And my dad's having a hard time with forgiveness and moving forward, and they're talking about divorce. They've been married 42 years.
Alex McFarland Goodness.
Caroline It's like several people that. Whom are married in my family are having issues similar to these.
Alex McFarland Marian, are your parents Christians?
Caroline my mom, she had an affair with, a Muslim guy. And since then, her faith has been very lacking. So I don't know really what she is. She doesn't talk about God anymore and doesn't want to hear about it. My dad is. But he's kind of having trouble.
Alex McFarland Yeah, sure. for one thing, I'm so sorry. Our sincerest condolences on this situation. I want to pray for this. I appreciate you sharing this. And folks, as we, pray for Marian's parents here, I want to just challenge everybody, pray for the state of the American family. let's pray right now. Father, in the name of Jesus, we intercede for Marian's parents. And Lord, the Bible says that you hate divorce. The Bible tells us that you, clearly adultery and illicit, affairs, immorality, they're against your will. But Lord, we know you can heal. You raised the dead, Lord, you resurrected bodies from the grave, and you can resurrect relationships. So I pray, just, Lord, that Extra, extra measure of the Holy Spirit, Draw Marian's mom back to you. Help her to not be involved with someone who isn't her husband, especially a Muslim man. he needs the Lord goodness. And, Lord, I pray for, Marian's dad. Heal his heart. He's hurt, and that's completely understandable. But, Lord, we just cry out to this couple, and we ask for your Holy Spirit to very, very strongly and swiftly intervene in their lives. Lord, I pray for the state of the family, that you'll heal marriage and heal families. And, Lord, motivate young people to have the desire to get married, stay married, bring children into the world. And, Lord, I just. I know if you give us Christian homes, our nation will be okay. So we lift all this up to you in the name of Jesus, and for your glory we pray, Lord. Amen. Amen.
Alex McFarland Amen.
Alex McFarland Brent.
Michael in Louisiana needs prayer for care of his sick mother
the next call.
Alex McFarland Let's go to Micah in Louisiana.
Alex McFarland Micah, welcome.
Alex McFarland Thank you. I need prayer. Prayer for me. I've been taking care of my mom three years bedridden, and I've been trying to keep a job, and I can't right now. I need one. And, I don't want to declare a bankrupt right now. It's has been hard.
Alex McFarland I just need some kind of miracle. Amen. Oh, my goodness. well, thank you for sharing that, and I know a lot of people are in dire straits. God bless you, Micah, for looking after your mother. I know God is going to bless that. And, look, I think at one time or another, we've all been there, and God is our source. Dylan, would you pray for Micah and his situation?
Alex McFarland Of course. Micah, thank you for calling us today. And let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for Micah calling today and asking for your assistance and your help through prayer. We know that you are the one who has the best solution to the situation. And we want to thank you for him honoring you and honoring his mom by taking care of her. We pray for her and for her health. We pray for Micah as he seeks to care for her in the best way possible. And we also pray for this need that, he has for a job that you would provide just the right situation, that he can continue to provide for his mother's needs and also take care of financial needs for himself. This is a difficult situation, but not too difficult for you. We're told time and time again in scripture that nothing is too difficult difficult for you, and that all things are possible with God. And we claim that promise today for Micah and for his mom. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you so much, Micah, for calling about that. We do have a few minutes left, so if you haven't called, we still have some time. It's 888-589-8840. Again, 885-89840. And I, just appreciate the time to pray with you. And no, it's not just me and Alex. There are people all across this nation who are lifting you up in prayer at the same time as we are listening together in our cars and our homes, all over the place. And this is a special time to intercede on behalf of God's people. So if you have a prayer request that's overwhelming you right now, now's the time. Triple 858-98-8840. We're going to go to our next prayer request right now. if you have one there for us. Ready to go? Yes, it's, Marie in Louisiana.
Alex McFarland Okay. Welcome.
Caroline Thank you so much. I just want to say thank you all so much for your ministry, and I don't know how I would get through my week without y'. All. I do have. I do have a prayer request. My husband is having knee, ah, replacement surgery done on Thursday, and I would just appreciate y' all remembering him.
Alex McFarland Amen. We certainly will. Do you mind? What's his first name?
Caroline Name? Dean.
Alex McFarland Dean, Absolutely. And thank you for those kind words. We give God the glory. we love to read and teach God's word and, just interact with dear folks like yourself, Marie. So thank you very much. hey, by the way, I've got a prayer request. You may know, folks, our president is, traveling to China, and so let's just pray for safety for the president and his staff as he goes to China. Also, I just want to pray for our nation. I don't know if you saw this, folks, but in Arcadia, California, the mayor has, been charged with, being a foreign agent, for China, and has resigned as mayor. And I mean, we need protection for our country. We really do. And so for the president, for our nation, we, we pray as well. And, Brent, before we pray for, Dean, Marie's husband, do we have another prayer request?
Nathan in Arkansas has a prayer request for us
Alex McFarland Yes, we have several. let's go to Nathan in Arkansas.
Alex McFarland Nathan, welcome.
Alex McFarland Hey, this is, this is Nathan.
Alex McFarland Yes. You're on. Welcome.
Alex McFarland Oh, I just want to thank y' all for just having this opportunity to have this prayer request because I listen to y', all, every afternoon after work. So, thank you. My, My prayer Request is, I am missionary. I served in the Middle east for about three years and I, came back. It's about a year and a half now. And I've been working at a, a Christian non profit and it's a multi denominational non profit and it's just, there's a lot of spiritual compromise from the top to bottom. And just biblically. And I went, to the leadership and just shared my heart about my spiritual convictions that I just read in scripture that were just not, leading properly. And they got very hateful with me and spiteful. And I'm being laid off this month.
Alex McFarland Wow. well, God bless you for, standing up for your convictions. And you know, I want to tell you, you're probably going to look back and realize that you got rescued out of that situation as hard as it might be to lose your position. God, God bless you. and tell you what, let's add one more prayer request. Brent, where to next?
Angie is retiring to care for her husband who has dementia and Alzheimer's
Next let's go to Angie in Texas. Angie, welcome. Hello, Angie.
Alex McFarland Yes.
Alex McFarland Yeah, yeah, welcome.
Caroline Thank you. I just need some prayer. I'm retiring in four days. but I'm, I'm retiring, and I do have peace about it, so. But I'm retiring to take care of my husband who has dementia and Alzheimer's. So I just need strength and good health for me.
Alex McFarland Sure. So God bless you. God bless you.
Let's pray for caregivers, uh, and there are many
And folks, as you're praying, let's pray for the caregivers, and there are many. Let me lead us. right now, folks, let's go to prayer. Father, in the name of, of Jesus. I think about, Luke 18:1 that says we ought to always pray and not faint or give up. Literally, always pray and not give up. And so we do that now. Lord, I pray for Marie's husband who's having knee surgery this week. Please let it go. Well, help him heal up very quickly. I pray there'd be no complications, but he would just be up and about completely restored very soon. I pray for Nathan, who has served you on the mission field and now is back in, Old Backslidden usa. And help him, Lord. He is, getting laid off. So please, Lord, have that next place of service prepared whereby not only could he serve you, but provide for his needs. So we lift up Nathan's employment situation present and future. Lord, I pray for Angie, retiring to care for a husband with dementia. And that can be a long road. That can be a very taxing, very hard thing. And Lord, bless this sister in Christ. Give her strength. And, Lord, we lift she and her husband up to you and so many thousands and thousands of caregivers. Lord, give strength, give endurance, give resilience. And Lord, for all of us, help us to do what we do as unto the Lord. Let us remember that we're doing it as if we were serving Jesus himself. And, Lord, we know you'll bless that all these things and many, many other things we bring to you, Jesus, in your name we pray. Amen. Amen.
Dylan asks for prayers for his son who has been in a serious accident
Brent, do we have time for one more quick prayer?
Alex McFarland We don't, but I have, the last one. I have Steve in Mississippi. He's asking for prayers for his son who has been in a serious accident.
Alex McFarland Goodness, goodness. Well, time Fleet, Steve, we're praying for you and all the others on the prayer board. I know that the Lord knows what they are, folks. Please pray for Steve's son who was in a car wreck or a serious accident. I don't know the details. I shouldn't say that because I don't know the details, but a serious accident. Well, Dylan, I appreciate you, my friend.
Alex McFarland End been a blessing to be with you and thank you for the opportunity to pray with so many of you today. We continue to lift you up even after this show. God's blessings upon you. May his face shine upon you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Blessings to you all. We'll see you next time on American Family Radio and exploring the word.
Alex McFarland The views and opinions expressed in this
Caroline broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of
Alex McFarland the American Family association or American Family Radio.
💬 Show Notes
In this episode of Exploring the Word, hosts Alex McFarland and Dylan Burroughs dive into the rich teachings of the Book of Titus. They discuss the importance of sound doctrine, the qualifications of church leaders, and the responsibilities of different groups within the church. As they explore key verses, they encourage listeners to reflect on their own faith and how to effectively pass it on to future generations. Additionally, the hosts take prayer requests, sharing heartfelt stories of faith and community support.
Chapters:
(00:00) American Family Radio takes your Bible questions live on American Family Radio
(00:17) On Tuesdays, we take prayer requests; always welcome Bible questions
(01:41) Alex welcomes back contributor Dylan Burroughs to talk about Titus
(02:27) 21 of the 27 New Testament books are epistles in some form
(06:46) There are those in the church that sometimes defile the teachings of God
(15:08) American Family Radio is offering the Ten Commandments Speech Challenge
(16:13) Alex: Dylan, we start with chapter two of Titus 2:2
(25:44) Dylan : Titus 2 calls us to model Christ likeness to others
(31:30) Preborn network clinics offer free ultrasounds to women facing unplanned pregnancies
(34:20) Let's take some more prayer requests before we first pray
(35:23) Susan in Indiana has nephew having brain surgery for cancer
(36:24) Michael's son is undergoing a major surgery right now
(37:54) Maryann in Kentucky asks for prayers for her parents after an affair
(40:47) Michael in Louisiana needs prayer for care of his sick mother
(44:39) Nathan in Arkansas has a prayer request for us
(46:20) Angie is retiring to care for her husband who has dementia and Alzheimer's
(47:03) Let's pray for caregivers,and there are many
(48:55) Dylan asks for prayers for his son who has been in a serious accident
✍️ Episode References
American Family Radio
https://afr.net
The Bible
https://www.biblegateway.com/
Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
https://www.5lovelanguages.com/
James 3:1
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%203%3A1&version=NIV
Galatians 5:22
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians%205%3A22&version=NIV
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