American Family Radio explores relationships in Ephesians today
>> Bert Harper: 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. Welcome to Exploring the Word. One of the greatest things in the world is relationships. One of the most difficult things in the world is relationships and we're going to talk about some of those relationships today. We did yesterday, going to continue it today and we're looking forward to this and hope it'll be helpful to you. It's also a day of prayer and most of the time our prayer request is coming through because peoples of their relationships today with us. With Alex traveling out and about, we have Dylan Burris on with us. Dylan, are you there?
>> Alex McFarland: I'm here. Great to be with you again as usual. So looking forward to our conversation together as we dive into Ephesians and look a little bit more at relationships like you talked about. One of the greatest parts of life, one of the most difficult parts of life. Fascinating, subject and one that we'll have some fun talking with our listeners today and praying together with people today being Tuesday as we usually do.
Paul writes about the employer and employer relationship in Luke 5:18
>> Bert Harper: And with that relationship I want to share what is unique and beneficial, helpful and I would say, desperate for us to know right before he starts this relationship. One, the husband and wife, their relationships and how they do the parents that we'll talk about today. The employer and employer relationship. Notice what he says in chapter 5, verse 18. Do not be drunk with wine which is dissipation, but be filled with the spirit. Now that word filled is continuing. It has the idea of continuing to be filled continually. And then guess what it does. It goes through the rest of chapter five, the first part of chapter six into verse ten it says, finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord in the power of his might and put on the whole armor of God and what's, what is right between that being filled and the armor of God. It is these relationships and we want to continue that today and I think it will be a blessing to you.
Christian family relationships begin in the Garden of Eden, Dylan says
And Dylan again yesterday we talked about the husband and wife, the different positions they have, and how Christ loved the church and gave himself for the church. And then in chapter six it starts out with the word children. Now you can't help but think about this. I think this is true, Dylan. You can't help but go around back to the Garden of Eden when he told Adam and Eve to Be fruitful and multiply. What is the result, children? God had something in mind physically, had something in mind socially, and he had something in mind spiritually when he started this relationship of marriage and family, did he not?
>> Alex McFarland: Oh, you're exactly right. And it begins in the garden. You have Adam and Eve and the family that begins there. But then later we see that this passage refers to the Ten Commandments. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment, with promise that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. this is a key part of the family relationship. As a child, you want to respect and honor your parents, and that builds right upon a mother and a father, a husband and a wife respecting each other, serving one another, like we saw at the end of chapter five. So there's an entire web of relationships here that begin with. With our relationship with God, extends to our relationship with our spouse, and then trickles down to our children and their honor and obedience to parents. Now, I'm a dad of three kids, and I can say from experience, this is easier said than done, right? It's one of those things where day in, day out, it's a battle. Some days it's great. You have those special moments, like last weekend when I had a chance to take one of my kids to the Georgia Aquarium and see all the sea life and all the great things. And then you have the other days where you're trying to get your kid out of bed to go to school, nobody wants to move, or even going to church on Sunday sometimes, and your kids don't want to get moving. And all that goes on in those interactions. But it all comes back to reflecting our relationship between us as similar to our relationship with the Lord. Like the end of chapter five talks about when we do, we treat it differently. It's not something that we're trying to get as much out of it as we can. We're trying to invest as much into it as we can. And that's a major difference in a Christian family relationship.
>> Bert Harper: It really is. And you were talking about three children. My wife Jan and I have. Have three sons. And, they were a lot like their fathers. So it was a great. Yeah, it was a battle. And. But j. I was an expert before I started, you know, in the family and marriage and children. I was an expert before I had any. And, But you're right, it's easier to teach than to live.
It is important to have a strong relationship with our parents, Jan says
But notice this word, children. Now, I. I had not thought about it until this time, and I've preached through Ephesians, and I've preached this a lot with. I, I, would say with the conferences Jan and I've done with the family and the retreats we've done. We, we go through this passage. Quite a bit of Ephesians here in five and six children. Okay. He was writing this letter to the church at Ephesus, and he pins, points, notice husbands, he pinspoints wives and what they should do. And now he's saying children. Now, again, we're talking about children, those that he, he knows they're in the church and he shares with them their responsibility. You know, the children's responsibility. Now, I found out, and I, hearing you say what you just said, Dylan, I think you'd agree with me. You know, in math, two plus two will always get you four. Now I want to share with you in raising children. I do this, I do this, I do this. It doesn't automatically add up to what's going to go. someone has said, and I heard them say, it's more of an. Parenthood is more of an art than it is a science. And I, would tend to agree that. But the difference in obedience and honor, and there's another difference here about it. It says in verse three, in the book of Exodus, it says about the Ten Commandments that you may live long on the land. And he changes it. And it is a different word, the Hebrew word, the Greek word to earth. And, yes, I think it's an individual promise. Just because someone dies doesn't mean you can automatically say, well, they were disobedient to their parent. This is a principle. But I want to share this with you. Dylan and I came up with this several years ago. Notice when the Ten Commandments were given. They were given right before the children of Israel were to go into the land of promise. And so in that land, not just the long life of an individual, but the long life of a society. The bedrock of any society is marriage and then family. And when children learn from their parents, who's taught them the ways of the Lord and when they live that, guess what it does for that society and land, it really builds a foundation to build life on. Doesn't.
>> Alex McFarland: Does. And it's one of those situations where it's foundational to everything else that we do, that if we're in conflict with our parents, it's difficult to have success in other areas of life. And some of our listeners have probably experienced that you have a difficult relationship, relationship with your parents growing up or even in adulthood that impacts other areas of your life as well. So if you want to live long in the land or be blessed during your lifetime, as the general principle would communicate, it is important that we seek to have a strong relationship with our parents as much as possible. There are some factors we can't have control over depending on the situation with our individual parents. But as much as we can, we're called to live at peace, to live in honor with them even as adults, to respect and show the kind of attitude toward them that we would like to see expressed toward us. I mean we're told elsewhere to love your neighbors yourself. That same idea applies to a parent child relationship.
Paul warns fathers not to provoke their children to wrath in Deuteronomy 6
But then we're going to see something specific in verse four. And I'll let you read this about fathers and our specific role with our children. That makes a major difference in how our children turn out. And that's something that is very overlooked in the church, but very vital to our relationships in both the church and in society.
>> Bert Harper: Amen. Verse four. And you fathers, man, he comes back, he start to the husbands. Now you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture or the training and admonition of the Lord. Not mothers, but fathers, not fathers and mothers. this is quite a, I would say a legacy that a father can have. It is quite a job that the father has. But this shows you the hardest jobs here is fatherhood. And he gives it quite, strongly. He also says the same things in the letter that he wrote to the church at Colossae. same things, a little differently wording, but same thought, same words. But, but you fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath. Dylan, when I read that, I think that's a little bit because of the difference in fathers and mothers. Not that mothers cannot be harsh and yes females can be that way, but fathers have a greater tendency to be that way and making demands and I would say unreasonable demands. And it says so you fathers. Notice that says you fathers. Dylan, I believe it's coming on pretty strong to these fathers and what they need to be. You know, the way he says it really comes across strong as an as, hey, this is expected. You need to do this. It's not if you choose to. It is something we need to do, isn't it? You're right.
>> Alex McFarland: And Paul may be saying this because the fathers especially needed this in this congregation that he's writing to, that he saw that the fathers were harsh toward their children and needed Some kind of warning to tell them not to provoke their children to wrath. some translations, instead of provoke, talk about, exasperate the idea of poking to aggravate your children to wrath. And when you think about children to wrath, that sounds pretty volatile, doesn't it? To anger or to turning violent even in some cases. but this contrast is to bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. I want to highlight this because sometimes we think training and admonition, talking about responsibility, civics, education, those kind of things. The emphasis here however, is on the training and admonition of the Lord. We're talking about godly principles. And that's what you see throughout scripture, especially Deuteronomy 6. 7, where the instruction is to impress them on your children. Talking about God's teachings. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up, quoting the NIV version of Deuteronomy 6. 7. The emphasis throughout here is our godly discipleship of our children. Yes, they need to know math. Yes, they need to know history. Yes, they need to know science. But most importantly, we are called to make disciples of all nations, starting with the children in our household. Wouldn't you agree?
>> Bert Harper: completely. Right. On two or three things. One, Jesus grew that way. Ah, you know.
>> Alex McFarland: Yes.
>> Bert Harper: And so he was in a home. God placed him in that home with Joseph and Mary and who grew there in, in relationships with the Lord, but with others and family members, he grew in that way. The other thing that this word is bring them up or nourish them, train them. And then admonition has the idea of creative discipline. The yes and the no, both yes and no. The woe and the go. As a cowboy would say, knowing when those things are right.
Rules without relationship leads to rebellion, Dylan says
Now I want to make this. As we come to the close of this and Josh McDowell, I think, although it's been said several different ways and people have quoted it and I want to say it too. Rules without relationship leads to rebellion. We need to concentrate on this. Relate. Yes. You're a father and son. It's not friend, friend to begin with. Hopefully as the child matures and. And the father and the son, I got three, I have three sons, but I have three friends now as well. And And so this is what we do. Rules without relationship leads to rebellion. I all found out this Dylan, as we close out. We come back to this at this in the second segment. Relationship without rules or limits. Guess what? That leads to rebellion as well. And so these, these parameters that we see here bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. Listen, they're that gateway to success as a child. We'll be back right after this break with more of Exploring the Word in Ephesians Chapter six.
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Today is a day of prayer on American Family Radio
Welcome back to Exploring the Word on American Family Radio. I know the answer to every question,
>> Alex McFarland: the one solution to every fear.
>> Bert Harper: I know my help and where it comes from. Jesus.
>> Alex McFarland: Here's the answer. Welcome back to Exploring the Word on American Family Radio. This is Dylan Bros here with Bird Harper. And this is a day of prayer. So I want to encourage you as we get ready to pray with our listeners here in a few moments to get ready by, taking down the number if you don't already have it. The number is toll free. It's triple 858-98-8840. That's 888-589-8840. And we will be talking a little bit more about Ephesians chapter 6 today, but then we will briefly be switching over to praying with you. So join us, let us know your prayer request or your questions as well about our passage today, and we will be glad to talk with you. But Burr, we ended our last segment talking about fathers.
There are many missing fathers in the church because there are so many children
this passage In Ephesians chapter 6, verse 4, we started off with children switch to fathers. You're a dad of three kids. I have three kids of my own. Different stages of life, but all the same principles apply. And this emphasis on training and admonition, or building them up in the Lord is so essential. And I want to encourage our listeners. Maybe you are in a church environment where you are the one who has to play the father figure for someone because there are so many missing dads even in the church. let's talk a little bit about that, if we could, about ways that those in our church can help those children who are in their midst. I want to encourage people within my own church. We have an Awana ministry, which is the children. Children's ministry that we do midweek that's a huge influence on children throughout our community. And it's been in place for years and years and has, had an eternal impact. Children come to Faith in Christ every year. Right now, many churches like ours are about to have vbs, or Vacation Bible School, one of those annual programs that helps children come to know the Lord personally and to have salvation. this is a key way that we can help in this role. it doesn't overtake the role of father, obviously, but it does help supplement what parents do. And I want to encourage all of you who are in those roles to faithfully serve, knowing that you are having an eternal impact. And I know you agree as well, Bert, that this is a huge ministry for all of us. It's not the idea, like we hear in culture, that it takes a village to raise a child. It's the idea that the church is here to equip the family, every member, fathers, mothers, children, all generations, as we seek to build disciples in the church and beyond.
>> Bert Harper: One of the greatest joys. I already mentioned, our three sons that we had the. The TV program long time ago. My Three Sons was not based upon us, by the way, but we did have. We did have three boys. And one of the greatest treats, and I want to go somewhere outside to this as well, is having those men, especially from, I would say, the sixth grade, all the way through high school, that those men that was involved in their lives, sharing the truths that they hear at home. Wow. Hey, it's not just my dad that believes this. It's not just my mom and my dad. It's these people. They believe that we're to obey the Lord. We believe that, marriage is God's idea, especially when they get close to the 11th and 12th grade. This is God's idea. It is God's purpose. The other thing I would like to say look for those children who are fatherless and make sure especially take time to, to do, be with them. Especially like you say at vacation Bible school at, if you have a Wednesday night service where it's children and youth have men in those places. The church that I was at, we had men in every, area from all the way from preschool all the way through the sixth grade. It wasn't just the females that was teaching them. We had men that was in that class leading them and teaching them. And especially it was good for my sons who had a mom and dad at home, who hopefully saw some consistency as best we could. But for those boys and girls that had no father at home, that you were there taking time with them and caring for them, being involved in some of their activities, it speaks loudly. And the other thing I wanted to say, one more and I'll throw it back to you. And we can go to verse five for a different relationship. And I, I would say this. If you're at home, you do a lot of things on. I mean you do it with the devotion by reading the Word of God. But then the, where I found out with our, our sons was when we weren't doing that, when we were driving in the car and we would talk about certain things when we're on the soccer field, the baseball field, and, and we would teach the principles in relationships. We'd preach this principle of, of letting God be first. So it's not just what you say, it's what you do. So Dylan, it's everything you got into these children, you pour into them, purposeful when you're teaching them, but also when you're living them, they speak loudly, don't they?
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, you're right. And it's hard not to get emotional talking about your own kids. And even in my own life, I was 12 years old at my very first church camp, another vital ministry to young people. And that's where I came m. To know Jesus as my savior. 12 years old at a church camp and it still impacts me years later. don't overlook the importance of those opportunities. Opportunities to serve. Whether it's in your church, in a camp, in your community, it makes an eternal impact.
Bert says Ephesians 6 talks about being obedient to your masters
But moving on here to some more verses from Ephesians 6. We were looking at chapter, 6, verses 1 through 4. Moving to verse 5, it switches to a different role. It says bondservants. Now we talk about the idea of slaves. it's not exactly the same but it's different from what we talk about as an employee. So we'll talk about it in the sense of employee employer relationships. But we know there are obvious difference. It says, bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters, according to the flesh, with fear and trembling and sincerity of heart, as to Christ, not with eye, service as men pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart. And I'll pause there at the end of verse 6 for now I want to point out a couple of things. I'll let you comment as well. Bert. this is so key. it starts off with obedience to our masters. Now, if you're a worker in any employee situation, your number one goal is to be a servant to your leader, to your boss, to your manager. If you're not doing that, you're not on the right track. In terms of what the biblical principle gives here. It says to do so with fear and trembling, talking about it in the same idea as fearing and trembling God. So you have a reverence and respect. And then with the sincerity of heart, verse six. I love these words. It says this word eye service. It's literally a Greek phrase that combines the words for eye and service and puts it into one. So not to when people are watching is the idea as men pleasers, which is another really unique word that puts, together the Greek words for men and pleasure or pleasing. And, it says, but as bond servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. So this is about a sincerity and authenticity, not just faking it when people are watching it, but really doing it right. And with the way that work standards are today in many workplaces, it doesn't take much to stand out, right? You show up on time, you do what you're supposed to do. suddenly you're at the top of the crew in, a short time. If you just do the basic things consistently. And more importantly, as a follower of Christ, you get to have an influence through your witness as well as through your work.
Through the gospel, slavery was ultimately overthrown in western civilization
So, Bert, tell us a little bit more about that as well.
>> Bert Harper: Let's go back to where it was written, just for a moment, not long, about the servants in that day. At that point in time, we were told from, and I've heard it from more sources than two or three, there were at least 6 million slaves in the Roman Empire at that time. And, again, and they had no rights. They had none whatsoever. And so all of a sudden, in a local church you have people who are in positions of authority or, some finances, like Lydia, a seller of purple Others, the Philippian jailer. But then you had those that were what bond slaves and they're thrown together in a church. Wow, that, that just speaks to my heart that, that they would come together and be there. Because here he does. He writes to them. Paul's not just writing to us today. He was writing to individuals there. The husbands, the wives, the mothers, the fathers, the children, and now those that were servants and later to the employers or the masters. But let me share this with you. The Bible does not, does not promote slavery. But listen to what, I read. And again, I don't know who all read it from, but I put it together. Paul's ministry was not to overthrow the Roman government nor its institutions. That was not his purpose, but to preach the gospel and win the lost. Now let's go with that. What were the results of this happening? Guess what happened in the Roman Empire. It was overthrown, it ended. And no longer were they Roman slaves. it was overcome. Now, don't stop there. You heard of, Jon Wesley and George Whitefield. They were preaching in England and they were preaching the gospel. And guess what resulted? The abolition of slavery over there. Guess what would happen in America in 1850 as Jeremiah Lanphear started the great prayer revival in NewSong York City of all places, that spread across the northern tier of the United States. As people experienced this new wave of the Holy Spirit of God working in their lives, the abolitionists of slaves became one that they would pray about, they would write letters about, they would stand against and see all that God could do. So through the gospel. Dylan, through the gospel, slavery was ultimately overthrown in this western civilization. And what was the key? Not government, but it was people who had gotten right with God, saw that all men are, look at our Constitution, a declaration of independence. They're equal before God. And so this, I would say this. And you disagree or agree. I just say Paul's weapon against slavery was the idea of the freedom we have in Christ. The good example in the book of Philemon, with onesmus ones left as a slave, but he came back as a brother in Christ. Changed the world, did it not? Dylan, you're right.
>> Alex McFarland: And Philemon is the shortest book Paul has left behind for us. And yet it's the most powerful on this topic. And what I like is if you look at the progression of the NewSong Testament, you see slavery existed. you also see the Apostle Paul sought for slaves to receive their freedom when possible. But then in the case of Onesimus, he took that next step and urged the person who was the owner of Onesimus, who was a Christian at that time, to free his slave as part of his Christian faith. So we see this progression of being in a society where slavery was normal to Christian leaders speaking out and saying, we need to get freedom for slaves whenever possible, even if it's not the law of the land. And if you look throughout history, the people behind freedom from slavery have always been people who lived out the scriptures. if you look at the practices you've talked about, whether it's in the us Whether it's in Europe, whether it's in other countries today, it's people who are living out the principles of scripture who are leading the way and bringing freedom to those who are enslaved. So it's certainly a strong case for fighting against slavery and not for embracing it or condoning it in any way, which is something sometimes Christians are accused of. But we're simply trying to communicate what the Bible says in this context. When they were in a culture where this was a common practice. And yet you had to do something to live out your faith. Whether you were the servant or whether you were the master is important for them as well in that time as we take the principles and try to apply them today.
>> Bert Harper: Amen.
Dylan: God is watching how you treat your servants and your masters
One thing, and then we want to finish up on at least the masters and their responsibilities, those that were today employers, and that is the human trafficking that's going on in the world today. And it is horrible. It is hideous. And, praise the Lord for those that are really getting involved. I know some that were delivered out of that traffic and, and what a joy it is. And it has done harm. It does harm. But we need to stand with those and help fight against that again. And when you're right with God, you'll stand for righteousness wherever it is. Now, Dylan, going on here, and we do it says, knowing that whatever good verse eight, good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether it is a slave or free. Hey, we're all going to stand before God one day. That's the whole idea. Now he turns in verse nine and I'll read it because I want you to have what you would want to say about and you masters. Okay, now notice how he says that same thing. He said it in verse four and you fathers. Now it says, and you masters. It's like he's putting on more emphasis on the masters than he does in verse five when he says bond servants or bond Slaves and you masters do the same things to them. M given up threatening, knowing that your own master also is in heaven and there's no partiality with him. he's, he's saying, masters, you better treat your people. That's under you. You better treat them right. Isn't he?
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. Well, two things that stand out there. One, he's basically, saying that God is watching, so you're responsible for how you treat your servants. But then second, he's comparing their relationship with how they treat their slaves, with how God treats people. And if you look at it from that standpoint, if you are a Christian, who is a slave owner during this time when this letter is written, you are suddenly very convicted that if I'm going to have people working for me, that I better be treating them as the Lord would have me to treat them. Because he's watching. He cares about them, and I should care about them as well. So it gives you a whole different perspective of someone who is in that role. And to be quite frank, a lot of people who were in that role inherited those situations from previous family generations. So it wasn't always an easy, situation to try to deal, with when you had come to faith in Christ during this period. So it's very complex, but at the same time it's very clear how God would have us to treat one another regardless of what situation we're in.
>> Bert Harper: Now, we're not going on to verse 10. We'll save that for tomorrow. But I did want to notice this when he says my brethren. Now, when he's talking about my brethren, who's he talking about? He's talking about those husbands. He's in generic. He's talking about those wives, he's talking about the children, and he's talking about the slaves. What are they to do? Be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. In other words, in relationships and in life, you depend upon the Lord. It's his power that makes you the kind of father, the kind of mother, the husband, the wife, the child, the servant, the employer. We need to be filled with his spirit and put on the armor of God that we may able to stand and do what God says for us to do.
Tuesday is national prayer day in honor of America's 250th birthday
Hey, we've enjoyed going over this, but we're looking forward to the next segment. It is prayer day and so you can call this number 888-589-8840. We would love your prayer request, your praise, or your question. America's 250th birthday. It's a great excuse to have some extra cake and ice cream, but we can help your celebration go well beyond that. Show your patriotism with America 250 apparel that will become a memento of this special year. We also have special episodes on AFA Stream to help underscore that America is a Christian nation and help you find God in the Constitution. Find all of this and more in one place. Afa.net topics250 I will praise you, Lord, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know that full well.
>> Alex McFarland: Psalm, 139, verse 14.
>> Bert Harper: Amen. That song means it is Tuesday, a day of prayer. and so if you have a prayer request, we would love to hear it. If you have a praise that God has come through, we would love to hear that. And we re. We would hear it every day, but on Tuesday we purposely set it aside. But you also can have your questions and we'll try to get to as many as possible. And so we're going to go to the phone lines and, and by the way, I need to give that number, triple 858-98-840, 888-58-9840. We would love to hear from you today. Linda from Mississippi has called. Linda, thank you for calling. Go right ahead.
>> Caroline: Thank you for taking my call. I'll try and be brief. Is it wrong for me to, cross multiple times, or pity party, whatever, when having a bad, health diagnosis? I have, recently been diagnosed, with Alzheimer's and,
>> Bert Harper: M. Linda, listen. Grieving, grieving. A lot of times, Dylan, we're guilty of thinking grieving is only over the death of a, you know, loved one. But no grief, can be the loss of. And when you're diagnosed with something physically or mentally, and the grieving process. And a lot of that is. Is crying tears hurting beyond measure. I, I find nothing wrong with that. It. The tears hopefully would bring us back to him, to trust him. Don't. Don't you think?
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, I mean, we look at what Jesus did. Jesus wept, when he was quoted in the shortest verse of the Bible. We think of him saying, blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. So there is certainly an example from Jesus himself of mourning during difficult times. But we don't mourn like those without hope. That is the difference. As followers of Christ, yes, we can grieve, we can mourn whether it is the loss of a loved one, whether it is a negative, health diagnosis like you are talking about. But even in our worst moments, we know that God is there and that he is with us and that we are not alone. And I, just want you to know that you are not alone, because we are here to pray with you as well.
Linda is suffering from dementia and many people are praying for her
And in addition to all of our listeners and Bert, maybe you can lead us in prayer for this one and just encourage our caller today that, God is there with her, that we, are there for her. Many people are praying for her during this time.
>> Bert Harper: Linda, just if you can imagine thousands of people all over America and even into the world, they're praying for you right now. Father, I thank you for Linda calling. And I can hear the pain, the concern in her voice, and it's real. And Father, we don't deny that you gave us these feelings. But as Dylan said, we don't grieve as lost people. We grieve, but we grieve through it with the hope of knowing there's something better for those that are physically, there's ultimate healing in Christ, if not here. For those with dementia of some type, Father, yes, there's that loss, and it is hard and it is difficult. But, Father, we have the hope, and it's not hope. So maybe so it is the knowledge of the reality that one day we'll be fully, fully understanding with what God has given to us in his presence. So I'm praying for Linda right now, God, I pray for her. The diagnosis may be real, but research is being done. I read an article recently on it about someone who. That dementia was, was stopped and even to a point, reversed. And so, Father, I pray, God, that you would be of Linda, regardless the direction of stopping, continuing, or being restored. We just trust you and we pray for her in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you, Linda. And, seriously, a lot of us know what it is to have loved ones that are hurting for that. And I know you have loved ones that number, Triple 858-98-8840.
Jamie calls with a question about the mystery of godliness in the Bible
Let's go to Jamie in North Carolina.
>> Caroline: Yes, I have my Bible question about first Timothy 3, 16, and it's concerning the mystery of godliness. what, what is throwing me off is the colon there. I know that in our English language, that's usually indicative of, of what, you know, further explanation of what was just said. And so is the mystery of godliness, that he was manifested in the flesh, you know, so on justified in the spirit, or is it good things? Okay, you know how. Yes, sir.
>> Bert Harper: Thank you for calling. This is the first time we've had this. Let me just share with you. When you see mystery, you have several of them in the mystery of even our salvation, the mystery of the church that was not known until it was there. So this mystery of godliness, regardless of what you see, is that, Dylan, again, you can expound on this. Is that his righteousness, God's and you can call it, godliness is transferred, is placed upon us through. Through the shed blood, through the forgiveness of sin. Let me just tell you, I've been saved a long time, and I've studied the word of God. But man, that redemption that he's given to us in his righteousness and his godliness, there's some still mystery about it. Dylan, do you catch what I'm saying?
>> Alex McFarland: Yes. And the passage he's talking about is found at the end of First Timothy 3:16. In what many scholars believe is an early Christian hymn. And this phrase is used just before the lyrics that talk about how God was revealed in flesh through Jesus Christ. this by itself is this fascinating. What the Bible calls mystery. Something that we can't completely comprehend or understand. That God would come in human form, that he would be seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, it says, believed on in the world, and yet go back up into glory to be at the right hand of the Father. We can't comprehend that as humans, and yet we saw it happen. Those who were eyewitnesses saw it happen and wrote it down and proclaim it to us still today. So this is what I believe it's communicating here is this idea of how amazing it is that God could send Jesus in human form and that he could be a God in flesh. all that we are, except no sin, and yet give us this incredible opportunity of salvation. So, you know, that's one way to put it, is a mystery of godliness. But there are lots of ways we could talk about this concept of God's greatness, his salvation, and what it means to us today. Thanks so much for your question. I hope that's helpful.
>> Bert Harper: Amen. Ah. it's beyond. Even when Paul, was caught up into the third heaven, what he saw he couldn't fully even put into words. And our salvation that's in Christ is amazing.
Chip's son is a school resource officer at Maryland school
Let's go to Chip in Florida. Chip, go right ahead. Yes.
>> Caroline: Hey, how are y' all today?
>> Bert Harper: Doing great. Great. Go right ahead, Chip.
>> Caroline: Ah. yeah, I'm trying. Look. Hey, my son is a school resource officer.
>> Bert Harper: Chip, no, Let me pray for you so you can get it Through Father, I pray for Chip right now. We know the pain. We see a little bit on my screen, the difficulty. Give him clarity just for a moment, Father, so we can pray for him as a follower of Jesus Christ. Go ahead, Chip.
>> Caroline: Anyways, he's a school resource officer up at Maryland. And, during school there was a, There was a. One of the students, asked, you know, for prayer. So he stopped and prayed with them. Anyways, another student saw him, saw them praying together and turned him in, you know. Turned him in. Well, they're kind of investigating it. And, he's been relieved as a school resource officer. You know, they reassigned him to a different duty of the school resource officer now. But his job, it depends on what the outcome of this investigation, you
>> Bert Harper: know, and it's simply for him praying for us. Fellow student that asked him to pray.
>> Caroline: Yeah, praying with another student that asked him to pray. Now you gotta remember this school that they're. He's the school resource officer at. They've had seven suicides since January. Seven.
>> Bert Harper: Okay.
>> Caroline: You know.
>> Bert Harper: Yeah. Okay, Chip, we got enough. Dylan. Let's pray for him, man.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah. This reminds me so much of what you see in the, chapter we just talked about and that we have to put on the full armor of God to take your stand against the devil's scheme. And that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but it's a spiritual battle. And we do. Father, we pray today for the situation. We pray for this man whose job, is in jeopardy for praying for a student after being requested to do so. We pray that you would let this investigation find that he is cleared, of any wrong doing. We pray for the student, that he would stand up and speak out on his behalf if needed to help clear the reputation of what's going on. We do pray for the school and for the families and students and staff who are hurting as a result of those who have lost their lives recently at that school. And we pray that this would draw attention to you and that people would be glor. Would be, brought to faith in Jesus Christ through these actions and through the boldness of this man who's taken a stand to pray in a difficult situation. Father, we put this into your hands and we pray that you be with all the family, including those who've called in today to, lift up this prayer need. In Jesus name. Amen.
>> Bert Harper: Chip. Thank you. Thanks, man.
Brent: Tina is asking for prayer for her missionary daughter
Wow. Brent, I know we got a prayer request. This is going to fall under the category of, trying to silence, the word of God. Tina, on, email, I'm sorry, is asking for prayer for her missionary daughter. Things have gone terribly bad with her organization's leadership. Please pray God to make things right so she can live out her calling in South Asia. I think that'll hit home for you there, Bert. Father, I'm listen the leadership and, and that's what we've in a way been talking about. Leadership of the father, the leadership of a master or a, boss. Leadership in a ministry, in a church. When they get off track, when they do things and say things that are just wrong, the consequences of the domino effect follows down to those that are on the field serving in their calling. So I pray God that you would bring about some, some relief from the chaos. I pray that you would bring to this position some leadership from even a board or someone there that would stabilize that and not let the suffering, going on down the line. We're praying for this, believing this. In Jesus name, Amen. Amen.
Adam from Georgia requests prayer for his child who drowned in swimming pool
Well, let's go to Georgia and it's Adam. Adam, thank you for calling. Go right ahead.
>> Caroline: Hey guys, I appreciate, I, really have never listened to your radio show before. I had to be riding down the road and found it and I'm glad I did. To Chip, let me recommend he call Kelly, Shackleford at First Liberty. I think they will help him immensely in that situation. Here's my quagmire here. I lost a son some ten and a half years ago. So I'm coming at this from a different perspective. I'm a grandfather. We just had a two and a half year old that drowned ten plus days ago in a swimming pool. And she now is in intensive care in a hospital in Texas. It's a real tragic situation. no brain activity. There is, you know, some little, little heart, little bowel movements, but that's not enough to really make a major difference. And so I've got a situation here where you're going, okay, I got a, a half year old who I believe might be sitting in Jesus's lap. And I have two parents who probably feel a little bit guilty for the situation of not watching their child closely, when she jumped into the swimming pool. So this is a hard prayer right here. I mean, you know, it's, it's hard to find goodness out of a two and a half year old, who's drowned. And I've got parents who are wishing and praying and believing without a shadow of a doubt that this child's going to resurrect. And I'M not saying that God can't provide incredible miracles. We have an unbelievable God that we serve, and I've seen things like that, but I don't know if that's the case right here at this time. So need a prayer, certainly for the child, but also for the parents to understand that they've got to. Somehow they've got to let go. You know, I think all of us would hope and pray that every child that we have, that we raise and every grandchild would make it to heaven. You know, I know right now this child is in heaven, but it's hard to let go. And I think right now what we're fighting for is maybe more for us and not for the child.
>> Bert Harper: We're going to pray, Adam. We're praying for you. Let me. We don't have a lot of time. Dylan. I'm going to name David from Oklahoma. We haven't got time to go to him, but he wants prayer for his children. We don't know everything that is. And Jill from Georgia, she has a prayer request for her daughter who is in the LBGT lifestyle. So we're praying for Adam's family, for David and his children, and Jill for a daughter. Would you lead us in this prayer?
>> Alex McFarland: yes, Father. Thanks so much for these requests that have been lifted up, and we pray for these others that Bert's been sharing as well, that you'd intervene in these situations and provide just the right answer. But I especially want to lift up the caller who's just made a request for the, two parents and the child who's at the edge of life, and we don't know which way it's going to go. Lord, we pray that you would provide healing if you see fit and do something miraculous that would bring this child back to full life. We, pray that regardless that these parents would see you as their hope and their comfort and peace to get through this time, that you'd be with them in this tragic situation. pray for all the extended family as well, the grandparents and other families, members and friends, and we, just lift this up into your hands. In Jesus name, Amen.
>> Bert Harper: Wow. Got a lot to pray for. Kristin Linne, Sorry we could not get to you today, but we thank you for calling. Thank you for listening, and we want to thank you, Dylan, for being in for Alex. And tomorrow we'll continue in the Book of Ephesians. We'll probably come close to finishing, so join us tomorrow for more of exploring the Word in the Book of Ephesians. The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
>> Caroline: M.
