Transcript

>> Bert Harper: Because of listeners like you, preborn helped to rescue over 67,000 babies. Your $28 to sponsor one ultrasound doubled a baby's chance at life. Your tax deductible gift saves lives. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate, go to preborn.com afr it's

>> Alex McFarland: fire away Friday on Exploring the Word. This is your chance to ask us your Bible question at 88840. That's 888-589-8840. You can also email your [email protected] or visit facebook.com exploringtheword.

>> Bert Harper: It's Fire Away Friday on American Family Radio. Psalm 27, verse 14. It's a Psalm of David. The last verse in that psalm says, wait on the Lord, be of good courage and he shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord. Don't want to get ahead of the Lord. You don't want to. You want to walk with him. And that's what we want to do on exploring the word. As we explore, you get the idea of walking. And we want to walk with the Lord. And today on, this program, it's Fireway Friday where we have people call in, ask our, ask the questions, and we do our best to give a biblical concise answer. Alex, Fireway Friday, it's here again, brother.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, it is. And that number is 888-589-8840. We would love to hear from you. We've got people calling in, but there's still a few lines open and so you'll get through. And we've been going through the book of Malachi. Probably finish it in the next few days. But, whether it's about Malachi or any other Bible question, we'll do our best to give you a good factual answer. Here's that number again. 888-589-8840. And, Bert, before we go to the calls, I've got to ask, is it hot, sunny or stormy where you are?

>> Bert Harper: It is raining. Yes, we are getting rain just about every day. And not bad storm, but rainy and, good guess what happens when it rains here. It cools the temperature off a little bit, so, just a little bit, about 5 degrees. Brent has been wanting to mow a yard for four days and he hadn't got it to it yet. So I can imagine when he does, that grass is going to, gonna have a lot of grass blowing out the side of that lawnmower. How's it doing there in North Carolina? What's the weather like?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, it's hot. And you know, an hour ago it was bright, bright, sunny. And just like it does in the summer, it started raining like you've never seen. I think about a quote by Colonel Sanders. He said there's no such thing as bad weather. There's just different types of good weather.

>> Bert Harper: But well, he must not have been in tornado alleys. All I got, maybe he may have missed that up in Kentucky. I don't know.

>> Alex McFarland: I don't know. But we're going to go to the calls. We're going to start in Ohio. And Anna, in Ohio, you are the first caller on this edition of Fire Away Friday. hello.

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, welcome.

>> Bert Harper: Thank you for calling us back. Anna, you were calling yesterday and we didn't get to your call, but I saw the comment and we were talking to an individual who was wondering about a man he was baptized and he's kind of large and tall, didn't get all the way under and he was wondering if that was alright. And you wanted to comment on that. If I remember right, Ana, I, I do. I, I heard him and I didn't want him to be, you know, worried about it or, you know, that's just the devil just attacking his mind, making him doubt. But I've got, My husband was in the military and I went to Germany with him and we joined a church there. It was amazing church. That's how I learned more about the Lord and could and understand what I do. And the soldiers when they would come to church and they wanted to be baptized. We didn't have a Baptistry and there was no pond. You couldn't use a pond or a river. We used the bathtubs in our government quarters and we. You'd sit in there and your legs would be down under the water and then you'd bend your knees and then they baptize the top half of you. So you got baptized one half at a time.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. M.

>> Bert Harper: I saw that comment and I asked you to call us back today. Praise the Lord. And I love that, story. And listen, following Jesus, listen, you can do it in Germany and you can start out with your baptism in a pool or ocean, or even a baptistery or a bathtub. But praise God, he does it well, doesn't he, Alex? He.

>> Alex McFarland: He does. that's a great call. And like you said yesterday, it's the intent of the heart. And God knows what that is, isn't it?

>> Bert Harper: He really does. Thank you, Ana, and thank you for calling us back.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen well, let's go to Lori in Arkansas. can you hit that, Bert?

You got it.

>> Bert Harper: You got it. It went up.

>> Alex McFarland: Did it?

>> Bert Harper: Okay, so Lori should be there. Are you Lori? I can hear you. Go right ahead.

Jesus died on the cross. He went to the heart of the earth, but he must have gone to the heart of the earth with a spiritual body, because he wasn't raised from the dead. wasn't raised only on the third day. So he must have went to the heart of the earth and his spiritual body.

>> Bert Harper: Okay, good question, Lori. Alex, have we had that question exactly like that before?

>> Alex McFarland: I'm not sure. I'm not sure. You know, he entered the realm of the dead, the spiritual realm, and preached to the spirits in prison. So, you know, while his physical body was there, you know, we are spirit, soul and body. And, there's an overlap, but his spirit. And, frankly, I believe the spirit and the soul. The spirit is that part of you that's everlasting. And the soul or spirit, psyche, P S Y C H E I really think they're indivisible. I mean, they are so intertwined and so in a spiritual nature. He went into the spiritual realm, didn't he?

>> Bert Harper: He did, because guess what? They were in the spiritual realm, because when Christ comes back, the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught, up with him in the air, together with Him. So it was. But they could recognize that they were in that spiritual realm as well, weren't they?

>> Alex McFarland: Absolutely. Absolutely. And, you know, as has been written about prior to the resurrection, there was Abraham's bosom or paradise, and Hades, the dwelling place of the unsaved dead. But Jesus led captivity, captive. The those from Abraham's bosom or paradise were taken to heaven proper. And, so, he. But Jesus rose. And from now, like Paul wrote, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. And I believe that all who die now go straight into the presence of God. But let's talk about, prophecy. Linne in Arkansas. Linne, are you there?

Yes, hi.

>> Alex McFarland: Yes.

yeah, I wondered if, there is a verse in scripture that says to teachers or preachers that they are supposed to teach prophecy, and also in Revelation. do you think a church would get blessed if they taught prophecy?

>> Bert Harper: Go ahead, Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, I do think preachers are supposed to preach prophecy for several reasons. Number one, we're to preach the whole counsel of God. And since the counsel of God includes prophetic prophecy, we are to Preach that. And then, you know, in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5, it speaks of the rapture being, quote, the blessed hope of the church. And the one who preaches and ponders these things purifies himself and keeps himself pure. So why would we preachers not preach something that is the blessed or happy hope? Blessed means happy. And so the other thing is that, like in Revelation, where Jon was shown the things which are and will be hereafter, and it says, blessed is he who reads. You know, the book of Revelation promises a blessing to the one who reads that book. And, there are a lot of reasons why a lot of modern preachers, pastors, don't preach about prophecy. and I think it's wrong because they're depriving their congregation of a very key part of God's word. At least the 30% of the Bible is predictive prophecy. And, I don't think the parishioners should be withheld from that, do you, Bert?

>> Bert Harper: I don't either. Now, I've got a suggestion. If you preach through books, you're going to preach on prophecy. you mentioned Thessalonians. You preach through that, you're going to get on that subject and you're going to look at it. If you preach through the Gospel of Matthew, you're going to get to that point passage, those passages of scripture that do that. So those pastors and, you know, you can do a series, and I know, and that's topical. Could be a series of sermons on his return. or you could preach through a book, but you don't skip over those. Okay. This is what you don't do. And, so let me suggest that for pastors. I know when I was pastoring, here in Tupelo, Mississippi, I was the same church 28 years. And, I've got notebooks full of outlines, and we, go through those. And guess what? Prophecy is a part of it. Revelation. Now, you're going to spend more time in it. Daniel, you're going to spend a lot of time in it. Ezekiel, you're going to spend a lot of time. Is it. So either way, to ignore it, is not doing what God sent us to do. Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: And let me say one more thing. if you preach Bible prophecy, it's going to take some courage, which, many, many pastors have none of. And let me explain. If you preach Bible prophecy, you're going to have to take a definitive position on a lot of things. Israel or not Israel, rapture or no rapture, Literal nature of revelation or allegorical, literal millennium or denial thereof. And here's my point. if many preachers, and I love preachers and I try to help preachers, many preachers, and especially 95% of the ones that are, say, 45 or younger, have been taught incorrectly on prophecy and they deny it, they allegorize it and they say, oh, I'm just not going to take a position because it's controversial. So if you preach about prophecy, you have to do your homework and study and be willing to be on record. And if you just get up and say, well, no, it's not true, I don't believe in Israel. there is no rapture, which is what most younger preachers say. Parishioners that have studied their Bible for years are going to say, well, why would you believe that? And so it's a sticky wicket. But I just would encourage all the pastors to, be studious, be courageous, get up there and take a stand for what? well, the faith once delivered to the saints.

>> Bert Harper: Thank you, Linne.

All.

>> Alex McFarland: Ah, right. Yeah. Bert, can you. My screen keeps freezing.

>> Bert Harper: Okay, I got it. I'll do it from now on. Charlene from Mississippi, go right ahead with. Thank you for calling.

Well, I'm so thankful for you. Also, my question comes from James 5:16. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. My question is, are we required to confess our faults one to another? Or what is the meaning of that phrase in 5:16 of James?

>> Bert Harper: Okay, we're not going to have time to answer that, but we're going to carry it over into the next segment. But let me just say this. Start reading that whole chapter, but you start in verse 13 to see what the context is in verse 16. And, it really has, some clarity there. Just like Alex and I try to not only share with you, but how to. You always want to look at where you find it, what book it's in, what part, what it said before, what said answer. Is it asking? Answering a question. And we'll come back with an answer to this question right after the break.

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Almost sin. I've been saved by grace this.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. We're in the hands of the grave robber Savior Jesus Christ. Hey, the number is 888-589-8840. If you have a Bible question on this, fire away Friday. We'd love to hear from you and Bert before the break. We got a question about James, chapter five, didn't we?

>> Bert Harper: We really did. And, I know she read that, but I want to read verses 13, 14, and 15 and 16. And it says, is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick. And the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess. Okay, here it is. That's the word, confess. therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. So there are some questions that is asked before this comment, aren't there, Alex?

>> Alex McFarland: There really is. And, yeah, the question about confessing sins one to another, I've heard that the confession should not be more public than the sin. And I believe ultimately we have to confess our sins and transgressions to God, the one against whom we have sinned. But, and I'm all about honesty and owning up and being accountable for our actions. But I think there are some things that, could hurt a lot of people if they got public. And have you ever heard that, Bert, that the confession should be, no more public than the sin itself was?

>> Bert Harper: That's exactly. And I would say that is the standard for doing so. if you have fault with a brother, you go to that brother. And if he gets it right, it doesn't say, after he gets it right, take it back to the church. No, leave it there. But again, I want to do two or three things with this because I really believe it's important. Charlene. I think there's accountability here. in other words, you, confess that sin to that individual, to one another, doesn't mean everybody. You got that, Alex? It doesn't say confess your trespasses to everyone or everybody to one another. You could break off into A group. And you confess that sin to that individual because it is connected to them. It is, one of those things you want accountability to. The other thing that is here, that is kind of unspoken, but I'm going to bring it out. Sin, the sin that is continual many times leads to illnesses, it leads to suffering. You catch what I'm saying? And when you confess that and you're accountable to it, you have the process of turning away from it and having accountability to that individual. So, we was talking about preaching through prophecy. I remember preaching through James and getting this chapter. And I would say we had people coming to us, asking us to come. How about you coming and praying for us as a group of men and women, praying for women in such a way. So I hope that helps you, Charlene. I really do. One another doesn't necessarily mean to everybody that's there. And Alex's comment, the, the more public the, the sin, the more public the recognition or the confession, the more private, the more private it is. And so Alex, I think that is the standard.

>> Alex McFarland: where to now, brother?

>> Bert Harper: Okay. By the way, we do have lines open, so if you want to give us a call at Triple 858-98-8840, do that right now. And while we're waiting for your call, we're going to go to Texas and talk to Lee. Lee, thank you for calling.

Yes, I've called. Listen to y' all for a long time. I understand that, that you, the early church started worshiping on Sunday because that was resurrection day, right?

>> Alex McFarland: That's what you've always said.

Okay. do you still, follow the Ten Commandments?

>> Bert Harper: Keep holy the Sabbath day.

So what do you do on the Sabbath day?

>> Alex McFarland: Well, let me jump in here. You know the beautiful thing about the law of God, whether it's the, the Mosaic law, the ceremonial law, or the, the civil law, both of those are fulfilled for the believer in the fact that they've, trusted Christ and Christ's fulfillment of the law, which is complete, atones for our transgression of the law. our keeping of God's law is incomplete. there are plenty of things that we haven't done. And Hebrews 4 speaks of the fact that, if we're in Christ, we have entered God's Sabbath rest. Now, part of the Ten Commandments relates to our relationship with God and our relationship with others. But the Ten Commandments is not only spiritual and personal, but it is civil. Like for a civil society. We don't steal or at Least people shouldn't steal, should not commit murder, should not bear false witness, should not commit adultery. And so, we keep those things. But in terms of remembering the Sabbath to keep it holy, our fulfillment of the Sabbath requirement is in Jesus Christ, who is our perpetual rest, aka Hebrews 4. Bert, what do you say?

>> Bert Harper: The rest is the part that I was, I was thinking about, Alex, and you bring it up. Listen, I agree. Listen, Sabbath. God looked at it and it was before the law. It really was. He created on the seventh day, he observed. He. He wasn't tired. He rested in. Look what we. What's been accomplished in what in creation. When that went over into the law, it was set in that side, that time aside. God was always had set in aside. The tree of knowledge and good and evil in the garden was set aside. It was that area land. When they came into the land, they were letting the land rest every seventh year. And then the 50th year, you had all. So you've always had this part you. And when it came after the resurrection and the early church doing that, I believe they were led of the Holy Spirit, because remember, the Holy Spirit fell on that day, and after the Holy Spirit fell and empowered them, indwelled with them, guiding them, then that's when they started meeting on the first day of the week, the resurrection. So, Lee, I think the foundation for worshiping on the first day of the week on Sunday is well thought of and, using the word taught. No, but observed, yes. And I think it's a good thing to observe what the early church did. Alex.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen.

>> Bert Harper: okay.

>> Alex McFarland: I would agree.

>> Bert Harper: Thank you. Okay, let's. Let's go to Mississippi and talk to Nancy. Nancy, thank you for calling.

Yes, I am in need of something. I am in two Bible studies at my church, and I need something that will help me, in depth with my studies. Like we're doing Matthew and First Chronicles, so.

>> Bert Harper: Okay. Okay. First Chronicles. Okay. Alex, that's kind of unusual because what happens, when you get to 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles, you have so much lap over and usually they do Samuel and then they go to Chronicles as kind of a fill in, you know what I mean? it's usually that way. The ones I've seen. Go ahead.

>> Alex McFarland: Well, God bless you, Nancy, for being in Bible study like you are. Let, me get on my little soapbox and encourage everybody to build a Christian library. And I know we do so much, you know, online and things like that. But Bert, maybe I'm just Old school. But I like to handle a book. I just think that, it's healthy and good to study books. And that being said, for Bible study, there are a number of good commentaries. And let me just say this, that, one of the. If you have a local Christian bookstore that's good, I would encourage you to patronize your local Christian bookstore. Maybe your church has a library. But consider going to CBD Online. The, Christian Book Distributors. CBD Online, Bert, have you ever gotten their catalog?

>> Bert Harper: I have. Let me just tell you, my library is filled with orders that I made from them. Go.

>> Alex McFarland: Right.

>> Bert Harper: Exactly. Yeah.

>> Alex McFarland: And they have our books, too. They have the books Bert and I have written, but. All right, a commentary. and there's like, Jon MacArthur. he was a great commentator. Warren Wiersbe, who we love. he's in heaven now. But Warren Wiersbe wrote one called the Bible Exposition Commentary. but commentaries, and they are various degrees of complexity, but they go through all the verses of the Bible, and there's some explanation notes. And I love good Bible commentaries. I love to get a good Bible dictionary. And there have been quite a few. Zondervan has published a Bible dictionary. And there's just every person, every place with a lot of historical backdrop. here's a name I love to mention. He was fantastic. His name was Harold Wilmington. And, W I l l m m I n m G t u n Dr. H l Wilmington. He wrote a book called Wilmington's Guide to the Bible. And it is fantastic. I cannot recommend how good that commentary is. It's just so good. Can't overstate. Then let me just give you a couple more things. Haley's Bible Handbook, H a L E Y posture, V s. And it's kind of an oldie Goldie. Bert, there is so much in there. History, archeology, context, what was going on in the world. And Haley's Bible, Handbook was just so good. Last thing I'll say, a concordance. Now, a concordance has every word of the Bible, Old Testament, NewSong Testament. And there'll be definitions, root words, related words, cross reference, whichever verses this or that word appears in. The two most famous, hands down, would be either Young's Y o U n G S, Young's Concordance, or Strong's Concordance. Now, I've got Young's Concordance, and I've marked it up and everything. Bert, that's my little, spiel on building a Christian library. But, you get about six or seven of these good Study books, and they'll be with you for life.

>> Bert Harper: I really believe that you're right. I got the Strong's Concordance, you know, because I heard in school, young was the young in Christ. Strong's were those that were for Strong. Joke. that was a joke. That was a joke, but it was true. I would agree. Warren Wiersbe's wonderful. And I would say this too. There's several out there that you could look at. I love Jay Sidlow Baxter. Again, explore the book. And not explore the word, but explore the book. And it doesn't mean when you get one volume commentary over the whole Bible, that there may be one or two things. Oh, man, I wonder about that. Well, don't throw the baby out with a wash, okay? If it's not completely off, don't discard it. Think it through those that I've looked at and say, well, I just don't know exactly where that is. It's made me think of my position and come stronger. And, so these. Those are good recommendations, and I hope that helps you a whole lot. Nancy. Well, let's go back to Texas. Karen. I hope we can hold. you can hear us now, can you?

Yes, I can.

>> Bert Harper: Okay, go right ahead with your question.

Okay. I wanted to ask Alex, what was Wriley. Study Bible. I don't know how to spell the name or where to find it.

>> Alex McFarland: Okay. Now, Charles Ryrie. And, Bert, if I get this wrong, please correct me. I think it was like R, Y,

>> Bert Harper: R, I, E. That's exactly right. It's in my library. That's it. Ryrie's Study Bible.

>> Alex McFarland: Yes. In fact, I've got a number of books by Charles Ryrie. He was a great scholar, huge in the 20th century. Great conservative. And he did a thing called the Ryrie Study Bible. And, R, Y, R, I, E. Really good, Bert. When I was in seminary and I worked at a Christian bookstore, we sold lots and lots of Charles Ryrie's Study Bible.

>> Bert Harper: And, it's worth purchasing.

>> Alex McFarland: I'd tell you that I love study Bibles.

>> Bert Harper: They are good. I really do.

>> Alex McFarland: That's a subject unto itself. I suppose it is.

>> Bert Harper: Well, I think we got time for the question from Lori in, Iowa. Lori, go ahead with your question.

Oh, thank you. I'm actually calling because I have two friends that are in a vicious battle. Both say they're Christians. One says, when we die, we sleep until the second coming of Christ. And the other one says, no, we go to Christ immediately. And, I don't carry the way because I'm going to heaven.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Hey, Lord, we're going to talk to you after the break. And, when we come back, Alex will share some of that with you, and I will as well. And, listen, some things you, you debate, maybe argue a little bit, but don't, don't let it go too far. If you brothers and sisters in Christ. We'll be right back. It's been four years since the overturn of Roe, but tragically, abortions have continued to rise. Today, the abortion pill accounts for more than 60% of all abortions. And last year alone, over 1.1 million babies lost their lives. That's why the work of PreBorn Network clinics is more urgent than ever. Every day, mothers facing unplanned pregnancies walk through preborn's doors searching for hope. Instead of pressure and fear, they're met with love. Through a free ultrasound, mothers meet their baby for the very first time.

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Jesus is enough. When you're up on the mountaintop or walking through the valley road when the storms come crashing in and you're carrying a heavy load don't look for the answers.

>> Alex McFarland: Welcome back to Exploring the Word. You know that gospel music reminds me, Sunday's, coming. Let's be in church on Sunday. Amen. Hearing some of that good praise music

>> Bert Harper: and gospel music, well, let me say this about it. I wished I had that deeper voice.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. You know, we're going to have a good time worshiping in heaven, aren't we?

>> Bert Harper: We are. We are. Well, Laura had that question about what happens, when we die, and we want to take that on. Alex, go ahead. What happens? Do we sleep or do we go into the presence of the Lord?

>> Alex McFarland: 2nd Corinthians 5, 8. The apostle Paul said that he would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So the idea of soul sleep. And even when born again Christians have maybe theological discussion and respectful disagreement. I sure hope nobody burns any bridges over this. We need each other. And Even born again believers, we all believe Jesus, the son of God, paid our sin debt on the cross, rose from the dead. Faith in Christ is how we are forgiven. Bert, I've got an opinion on everything. But even when Christians disagree, I hope we can do it in love. But the idea that we're in some dormant hibernative, state until the return of Christ, I don't think you find that in the Bible. I think that, Paul does use this euphemism. Some of you are asleep, but it really means some have died because of unconfessed sin. But no, the spirit, immediately upon death, the spirit goes to where it's going, either heaven or hell.

>> Bert Harper: Yes, it does. And you're talking about opinion. There's two things, holding control. Your opinions and your preferences. Those two things can cause more arguments and even splits, with people. And, that's what Alex and I, when we started doing this program, we said, if it's not going to matter in heaven, we're not going to make it a big deal down here. It may matter where you go to church. It may matter your Bible study and the Bibles you use. But listen, know Jesus Christ as savior, trust him, love his Word, study his word, follow his word. God, God wants us to do that. Thank you, Laura. Let's go to Kentucky. And it's Marianne. Marianne, go right ahead. Marianne, are you there? Well, I'm having trouble. Okay, go ahead, Marian. Yes, I can.

Okay, so my daughter goes to a church that teaches you have to be water baptized to go to heaven. And I showed her in the Bible where several verses where it proves you don't have to be water baptized. You have to confess with your mouth and believe in Christ. And I don't know a better way to explain it to her. I was wondering if you can explain it to try to help me.

>> Bert Harper: Okay. this comes up a lot on this program. Let me set a rule here. Baptism for following Christ, discipleship here upon earth. It is very important, matter of fact, it is one of the first steps of obedience to the Lord after salvation. And, water baptism, it demonstrates the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It has so much in its picture, but essential for salvation. Alex. the one that's mentioned is faith in Christ, trusting in him. And, sometimes it'll say, and they were baptized. I understand that that's good that they were baptized, but it didn't make it essential for it, did it?

>> Alex McFarland: You do not have to be water baptized to go to heaven. going to heaven is the new birth by faith in Jesus Christ. And I mean, you can read, Jon chapter three, where Jesus himself was talking with Nicodemus, and he said, if you want to see the kingdom of God, you must be born again.

>> Bert Harper: How?

>> Alex McFarland: By believing in the Son of God and certainly Christ. he doesn't talk to Nicodemus about any kind of water baptism. Now, if you look at Galatians 3:25, you are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Faith. Now, here's the important thing, and this is where some get confused. the NewSong Testament uses the word baptism in two senses. There is water baptism, Bert. After I got saved, a few months after I got saved, I got water baptized, but I had already been born again because I'd put my faith in Christ. There is the sense that Galatians 3, and I would encourage people to read 25, 26. And following that, when you put your trust in Jesus, you are baptized into Christ. You are immersed, ah, thoroughly in Christ. But then there's water baptism, which is an external act that takes place to publicly proclaim you to the church and the world. But it's, an outward act for the faith that's already taken place on the inside. So the NewSong Testament uses the word baptism in two different ways there.

>> Bert Harper: It does one scripture, and you've used it, and I want to use it first. Corinthians 1:14. Paul's writing to the church at Corinth and about them being baptized, about them being. Following this one and that one here. He says, if, baptism was essential. He said, I thank God that I baptize none of you except Crispus and Gaius. Alex, that sure does strike a note against baptism being essential, you know?

>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. I mean, if baptism were essential. My goodness. Paul is saying, well, I'm glad that I didn't evangelize more people.

>> Bert Harper: I know. That's it. Okay. Marian, we hope that helps your friends and encourage your friends not to, go to war over this calm spirit. You disagree, but, listen, make much of Jesus. Let's go to Texas. And it's William. William, thank you for calling today. Go right ahead, brother.

Howdy.

>> Bert Harper: Pilgrims slash disciples. Amen. I appreciate Yalls transparency and accountability. yeah, this morning I just had a, assist removed from my chest. it was successful. but, you know, aren't we. We get to a certain age, it just seems like it's always something.

I guess it's payback.

>> Bert Harper: When we were working on our cars back in the day, it just always going to be something.

But thank y'. All.

>> Bert Harper: Okay. We're gonna pray for you, William. God, I thank you for. Yeah, I thank you for William. Thank you for that spirit that Father, it's amazing, the Christian spirit that other believers can sense in others. And we, we can sense that even on the radio with William. I pray God that the recovery would be strong, that he would keep his health and Father keep on following you and serving you. And I know there's a lot of other people out there, even in families that are struggling with health issues and other issues. And we're praying, God, that you would meet them where they are and remember James, it doesn't mean we don't go to the hospital, but it does mean we need to pray for one another and our illnesses, our sicknesses. And Father, I pray that gathering around the altar that people would be praying for people to be saved, for folks to be healed. And God, we trust you with the results. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Thank you, brother. Let's go to Arkansas and talk to Sandy. Sandy, thank you for calling.

Hello. How are you doing?

>> Bert Harper: Well, go ahead.

Good. okay. I have a friend who believes in God but does not accept Jesus. And so she is not a born again Christian, but she's a strong believer in God. And she prays and when something comes up she'll say, I'll pray for you, I'll pray about this. And she firmly believes that her prayers are, are being heard and God listens and responds to her prayers. my question is, is she, because she's not a believer, are her prayers being heard and respected by God?

>> Bert Harper: Sandy? Good question, Alex. Does the ah, name Bailey Smith mean anything to you?

>> Alex McFarland: I was just going to say this. he was a, renowned Christian leader in the latter 20th century. And he was asked this question about does God hear the prayers? the larger discussion was of the unbeliever. let me just say this. I'm going to put two words here. Theism T H E I S M M To be theistic is to believe that there is a God. But we are specifically Christian theists. And you know, I don't know why some people, I've had people say this too, Bert, and they'll say, well, you know, I believe in God. I'm not one of these born agains or believe in Jesus. but I believe in God. We have to come to God the way he's laid it out. And the Bible says that God commends people Everywhere to repent. And in Jon 8, verse 24, regarding the Son of God who died and rose again, Jesus said, Jon 8. 24, if you do not believe that I am he, you'll die in your sins. So just to be theistic is not enough. Even the devil. James 2:19. Even the devil knows there's a God. But again, Christ. In Jon 3, if a person would see the kingdom of God, they must be born again. And I would encourage, the caller to pray for that person. Sandy, pray for your friend and do everything you can to get them under the sound of the gospel.

>> Bert Harper: And Sandy, I would get them read the Book of Jon. Get your friend to read the Gospel of Jon. really, if ministry that translates the Bible into languages of other people, the first book they translate is the Gospel of Jon. And then they go from there and, challenge her or he, whoever it is, to read Jon and listen to the conversations that Jesus has with other people and listen to what he says. And this God of the Bible, if you have seen me, you have seen the father, Jesus said, and does he hear her prayer? Well, it's according to what I hate to sound like a politician, but I'm going to. It's according to what the word hear means, how you use it. He hears everything. But to respond to it, he can or does not. Now, for believers, he responds, yes, no, or not now. But, you know, but get her to read the Book of Jon. I really believe that would be effective. Thank you, Sandy. And let's go to Louisiana and talk to Wayne. Wayne, thank you for calling. Go right ahead.

Yes. Praise the Lord. I have a question about how many times in the word of God will people baptize in the name of Jesus or in the name of the Lord? When the apostles baptized people.

>> Bert Harper: Okay, I don't know the number. Alex, you're pretty good at these numbers. Do you remember the exact number or any of it?

>> Alex McFarland: The word baptism is in the NewSong Testament 22 times, but it means it, depending on the context, could mean water baptism, like, the Ethiopian Eunuch. What prevents me from being baptized? Nothing, says Philip, if you believe in Jesus christ. so 22 times it appears. And sometimes it's water baptism, and sometimes, though, it's the fact that we're in Christ through faith. Baptizo is a word that means, like, you know, immersed in something. In fact, in ancient literature, in the Greek, a ship sinking was referred as baptizo. dishes being washed thoroughly, put in water to wash dishes. Baptizo Baptized. So it could mean that we are in Christ through faith, or it could mean that we went through the external, event of baptism to proclaim our salvation. the color mentioned in the name of the Lord. Bert. Because of the indivisible nature of God, the Trinity, you could baptize in the name of the Father or the Son or the Holy Spirit, or all three. if you invoke the Son, you have invoked the Father in the Spirit, and vice versa. I believe that, it's not such a specific, that you do any sort of formula when someone is water baptized, but we're invoking the name of the true and living God, as presented and personified in the Holy Trinity.

>> Bert Harper: Wayne. We hope that helps. I remember 50, years ago, 55 years ago when I first started preaching. I remember some folks, you know, you got to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And I remember saying, man, yes, that's good. But the Father man, he sent the Son, the Son came and the Holy Spirit convicted and stays with me. I want to honor all three of the Trinity, even though one would be sufficient. I, still believe that these 60 closer to 60 years later. Micah from Tennessee. Don't have a lot of time, but go right ahead. Thank you for calling, brother.

Thank you. I'll make it quick. just in regards to the baptism there all four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jon, all four of them have the wording from Jon the Baptist that says, yeah, I baptize with water, but there's one coming. It's going to baptize with the Holy Spirit. That's the part that gets you to heaven. The baptism of the Holy Spirit.

>> Bert Harper: Preach it.

When you accept Jesus as your savior.

>> Bert Harper: Amen. Preach it. Micah. Alex. I remember saved as a 12 year old boy. Okay. On a Tuesday night in August, in a revival, there was a transaction made in my life that I hadn't gotten over yet. And it was the Holy Spirit of God indwelling my life. He changes everything, doesn't he?

>> Alex McFarland: He really does. You know, I love Titus 3 5. Not by works of righteousness that we have done, but by his mercy, he saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. And that word renewal is the word for regeneration. Made alive. How is our dead Spirit made alive? By the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ah.

>> Alex McFarland: Upon our faith in Jesus.

>> Bert Harper: amen. I hope, hope you've enjoyed exploring the Word this week. We've had a great time studying Malachi. We're going to continue on that in Monday. Looking forward to it, Alex. Preach the word.

>> Alex McFarland: Amen. We're going to do that, folks. I hope you'll be in church on Sunday, be in the house of God on Sunday, and if you would, tell somebody about it. Explore the word, but most of all, tell everybody about Jesus. The views and opinions expressed in this

broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of

>> Alex McFarland: the American Family association or American Family Radio.

>> Bert Harper: PreBorn's whole mission is to rescue babies from abortion and lead their families to Christ. Last year, PreBorn's network of clinics saw 8,900 mothers come to Christ. Please join us in this life saving mission. To donate, go to preborn.com afr.