Hamilton: It should be uncomfortable to live as a hypocrite
>> Speaker A: Darkness is not an affirmative force. It simply reoccupies the space vacated by the light.
>> Ed Vitagliano: This is the, Hamilton Corner on American Family Radio.
>> Speaker A: It should be uncomfortable for a believer to live as a hypocrite, delivering people
>> Ed Vitagliano: out of the bondage of mainstream media and the philosophies of this world.
>> Speaker A: God has called you and me to be his ambassadors.
>> Alex McFarland: Even in this dark moment. Let's not miss our moment.
Frank Figueroa speaks on the spiritual state of America's young people
>> Ed Vitagliano: And now, the Hamilton Corner.
>> Alex McFarland: Do young people care about truth? do you think, teenagers, young adults, do they really care about spiritual issues? And do they think about God? Hi, Alex McFarland here. Welcome to the American Family Radio Network. this is a pre recorded show. We can't take calls and, I want to say what an honor it is to be sitting in for attorney, pastor and broadcaster Abe Hamilton iii. And as we record this show, moments ago I was in a high school doing an assembly on the Constitution and really the moral foundation of the Constitution. What's pretty, exciting is that even after I finished, for a good half hour till the administration really made the students go back to class, we had probably 100 students standing around wanting to ask questions. Just fantastic young people enthusiastically, talking about God, America. And so I submit, and maybe this is encouraging to some listeners, that young people do think about truth, they do think about God, and they're pretty spiritually hungry. And so we'll talk about that and for all ages, folks, we'll talk about some of the ways of defending truth. Defending, yes, the Christian gospel and the Bible. And with me to talk about this and much more, a valued friend and colleague, Frank Figueroa. Frank is with a ministry that I've partnered with much, much over the last 15 years. Reasons for Hope. We do camps together in the summer. We'll get into that. But, I've just come to trust and appreciate Frank as just a very wise voice on apologetics, biblical worldview and the spiritual state of America's young people. He's with us and we're grateful for it. welcome to the American Family Radio Network, Frank Figueroa.
>> Speaker A: Aloha. Thank you for having me on today, Alex. looking forward to having, some good conversations.
>> Alex McFarland: indeed. Now, the only other Figueroa that I've known was Bobby Figueroa from the Beach Boys. and that's a group that I've had a longtime friendship with. He was originally from Hawaii. might Bobby Figueroa be related to Frank Figueroa?
>> Speaker A: I don't know. meaning, where we're if he's from Hawaii, very possibly. My dad was raised on the west side of the island of Oahu in Hawaii, and that's where I was raised and lived all my life until the past two years. So there might be some family connection, but I don't know him personally.
>> Alex McFarland: So, well, Frank, introduce yourself and, tell us not only what you do, but, how you came to know the Lord.
>> Speaker A: Oh, well, like mentioned, my name is Frank. born and raised on the island of Oahu. And I was the typical teen that I try to reach now. I was the kid who was, doing things I shouldn't do and believing in systems that are just faulty and just didn't. I didn't want to know God. I didn't want to know the things of the Bible. And, just kind of live my life in a way that exemplified that idea, until the point where I actually, had a couple of things happen in big ways that really got me thinking. I got expelled from a couple of high schools because I was a very different person then. And then, I saw a couple of people die within a couple of weeks. And so it really put a dilemma in my soul. I, guess for the first time in my life at age 15 and a half, 16, I knew that I was going to die. And I came. You, know, I had to come to grips with that. Where am I going to go? What's going to happen? And I was raised in, a church system that I would consider largely, problematic. and when I raised, I was made to go, but not really. my parents didn't go. Nobody else went. It was just a good thing to do. And I that years before. Long story short, my friend's mom, her, name is Peggy Migliaro, I ended up going to a couple of Bible studies that her husband taught. so a guy's name is John. My friend's name was Eric. He went home to be with the Lord, sadly, a couple years ago. But, first place I ever remember anybody opening their Bible and having me read from it. And the passage was in First Corinthians, chapter 6, about the people who don't inherit the kingdom of God. And I was in part of that list. And I got mad. I said, I gave her the who are you to judge me speech. And she said, I didn't judge you. I just had you read it. If you feel judged, that's between you and the Lord. And so God did his thing, saved, my soul. And from that point I guess my big thing was I never wanted anybody to not hear the gospel and not have the opportunity at heaven. And so that's kind of became my life mission.
>> Jeff King: Amen.
>> Alex McFarland: amen.
Alex McFarland asks Frank Figueroa about apologetics
How did you, from finding Jesus and becoming a believer, how did you get into apologetics? And as you answer that also if you would, please Frank, define for us what is apologetics?
>> Speaker A: Apologetics comes from the Greek word apologia, which means to give a reason for why we believe what we believe, to give a reasoned response. And my first initiation into it was by a book, by Josh McDowell, evidence that demands a Verdict, in which, when I first got saved and I was reading it, he said that if I could explain to people, and he went on college campuses and asked some people, if I could explain to you beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ was who he claimed to be and that he, came, lived the life that we should have lived and didn't, died and rose again from the dead, would we accept him as Lord and savior? And 80 plus percentile of people still said no. And so the idea was that it's not a matter of always giving reasons or answers, but the Holy Spirit drawing. But when he does draw, to be able to give the reasons and answers that people are looking for. So that was my introduction into apologetics. And then I, as someone who is a science major, started getting into creation and the thing, well, how did the world come to be, you know, the big questions, and started reading the Genesis record, and other books like that by Henry Morris. Yeah, Henry Morris really got me squared away as far as the Bible needing to be the authority behind everything that we give an answer for and so many other books along the way. But that's where it started. And for me it's not what I think or feel that matters, it's what God has said. And therefore I need to be minded of what the Scripture tells us.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. You know, to God be the glory. By the way, if you're just tuning in, Alex McFarland here, along with a longtime, ah, friend and colleague, Frank Figueroa, of Reasons for Hope. By the way, America's te can hear Frank Figueroa this summer along with myself and people like Carl Kirby and Holly Varnum. we do things called equip camps. The website is equipretreat.org and all around incredible places like Montana, where it's just so beautiful, and upstate NewSong Jersey in the Hudson River Valley, just Only a couple of miles from where Jonathan Edwards ministered. we're going to be in Florida this summer. it's for middle school and high schoolers, and we talk about Jesus and how to know the Lord and how to be a disciple. But we really drill down deeply and we go over the mechanics of a biblical worldview and defending the Christian faith. And folks, there is still time. I realize it's, you know, we're well into spring. Summer is just upon us almost. But go check out the website equipretreat.org and if nothing else, please pray. Every summer. Every summer, we see teenagers give their life to Christ. Many of the kids, they'll come two and three summers multiple times. And, we do all the fun stuff. We go on hikes, you know, we play volleyball, we roast marshmallows. But we also at the equip retreat, more so than any other camp. I know and I've spoken it. I, couldn't tell you how many camps and events throughout all 50 states. But, Frank, I think reasons for hope, one of the reasons that I resonate so much with Carl Kirby, the founder. For one thing, we agree on creation. And I believe what Genesis says, that, God created in six days, rested on the seventh. But, the science background, I've seen it how kids, they get excited when they realize that, biblical cosmology is defensible, the Christian gospel can be defended, and no matter the question or the objection, there's a good, plausible, in fact, compelling answer.
Frank McFarland: I get excited about preparing for Christian camps
And, there's so much I want to ask you. But don't you always get excited right about now, when we're just a few weeks away from the start of all of our camps? I get excited because I know what we're going to see the Lord do in the lives of fantastic young people. It's pretty, pretty uplifting, isn't it?
>> Speaker A: Yeah. And I get very, blown away with the relationships that have developed over the years. we've seen, many of the youth come to camp and then they want to come back and they want to learn more. four lessons per day on average. And question, and answer time. it's a place, like no other, that we can drill down into the word of God and form relationships. Cell phones are put on the side and we can develop relationships with the Lord and with each other. And, it's really neat. In fact, you bring up the creation thing. one of the things that I love talking about is irreducible complexity and looking at the idea that when God created, he created specifically and in such a way that it's mind blowing, to us as people and as we look out at creation, we should, Isaiah 45 says we should know that he is the Lord and there is no other. And it's just an amazing thing. And last year at a camp, I'll throw this in now, in NewSong Jersey, met a young man who came to camp and he wasn't there for Christian apologetics. He was there because he was sweet on a young lady. And so he wasn't a believer and he acknowledged that, but because he forgot his toothbrush, I was the guy who went and got him a toothbrush. And you know, we developed a relationship over a toothbrush. and then he heard me speak the first night and he said, you know what? I like how you present it, but I can't agree with you because of the science. And I said, well, that's pretty neat. I was a science teacher. so let's sit down and let's talk. And so we talked a lot that night. And he talked to the other speakers as well as they spoke. And by Wednesday night, something radical happened. you seen his life start to change right before your eyes. And on Thursday, he received Christ as his Lord and Savior. And so it was nothing short of incredible. and he later told us it was because of the defenses of things within the scientific realm that he didn't realize that he could actually, trust the Bible and trust scientific truth at the same time, that he felt that they were mutually exclusive. I'll wrap the story up. We get a call six weeks after that camp that this young man went home to be with the Lord.
>> Alex McFarland: Oh my goodness.
>> Speaker A: He got on his motorcycle and rode to work and a car hit him. And he never survived the hit.
>> Alex McFarland: Goodness.
>> Speaker A: And yet I know where he is and I know that I will see him again someday. And I'm not naming his name for the sake of, just being kind to his parents and such. What's pretty interesting is we recorded his testimony that he shared on the Friday and we shared it with his family after the fact. And they played it at his celebration of life service. And many of his family members came to Christ.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen.
>> Speaker A: M because of that 90 second video of a life change because of equipped camps and, and not because of us at the camps, but because of what the Lord is doing at the camps. So yeah, it starts with a converse, it starts with a relationship and then conversations happen. And truth flows from that. And some remarkably amazing things, transpire, including the many who got saved and one who shortly thereafter went to meet the Lord that he surrendered to.
>> Alex McFarland: Indeed. the voice you're hearing is Frank Figueroa. Alex McFarland here. When we come back. We've got a brief break. We're going to drill down into some of the questions about the Christian faith. But, Hey, Frank. Last fall, we had a big event on the coast of North Carolina in November, end of year 2000. Teenagers, many equip alumni, and we. 9 o' clock on a Saturday night was free time. But 500 of the 2000 stayed for two more hours of Q and A. Kids do care about truth, folks, I assure you. That's why the church needs to do worldview apologetics, because they've got questions. Fortunately, God's Word has answers. Stay tuned.
Frank Figueroa founded American Family Foundation to give back
Alex and Frank, back after this brief break.
>> Jeff King: When dad passed away, in 07, he left an inheritance. And they had saved and saved through the years. I was just wondering what I could do with that money invested or whatever. I knew that I would like to help the Lord somehow in his work. And then I kept hearing about the charitable gift annuity, and I thought, well, that really sounds good. And I knew that AFR would just be the best because they're in my home all day, all day long. And I kind of wanted to partner with the Lord through AFR and AFA and give back. And I just felt like I knew that's what I wanted to do. Like I say, it's just so easy. I would just highly recommend the Foundation.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Shining Light into the Darkness. This is the Hamilton Corner on American Family Radio.
>> Alex McFarland: Welcome back to the program Alex McFarland. We're going to resume our conversation with Frank Figueroa. just a, brazen, shameless commercial. My website is alexmcfarland.com the camps that Frank and I are Speaking of is equipretreat.org by the way, I'm on tour. In addition to all the youth events that we do, we've got, really a tour called Revive Us. You can learn about [email protected]. we're all over the country promoting spiritual awakening. And, that's vitally important. And so if you would like a Revive Us event in your city, won't cost you anything. we will ask you to gather people around and pray. But you can learn about all that we're [email protected]. frank, how about you? Where may people find you online and the work you do, brother.
>> Speaker A: Oh, reasons for hope. R4H R F O R H.com it has all of my speaking schedule and everything. If you click on my name and you go to speakers, you'll see Carl, Juan, myself, Holly. I mean all of us. And it'll list out all the different places that we're speaking, upcoming, for the summer, bunch of camps. And actually I have a pretty cool opportunity to be one of the speakers at Rise Fest, in Iowa. This, you have, Josiah Queen is going to be playing as well as, other musicians. and they have a big festival and one, of the. They have speakers that speak in between. And so Phil, Wickham will be another one that will be there. But, they allowed me opportunity to share the gospel. And I will be talking about how, we are. Everyone is allowed approximately 40 million minutes. That's the average lifespan. And so the question that we're going to try to answer is what are we spending our minutes on? And is it. Are we doing the right thing by those minutes? Because they're running out. And so that's what I'll be speaking on. But they're expecting 25 to 30,000 people there, so I'm a little bit nervous, but pretty excited.
>> Alex McFarland: Well, we will be praying for you that God will really speak through you and I know you'll do a fantastic job. And I just want to say, Frank. No, no, flattery here. I've heard a lot of speakers work with a lot of speakers, including you mentioned Josh McDowell, really kind of my hero and mentor and he and I toured together extensively. I've been blessed to work with a lot of people. But you really are one of maybe the best speaker that I've heard on creation versus Evolution. there's a talk you do. You mentioned the term irreducible complexity, and I want you to define what that is. But you do a talk where you show a, tape measure and you show a woodpecker and you show a Venus flytrap plant. And you're talking about design in nature and how these, you know, functionality specificity could not have come about randomly, accidentally. And tell us a little bit about that because from a science background, you very powerfully defend, creation and the fact that there is a creator, designer, God. But, give us a little, little taste of that talk, if you would, Frank.
What are the chances that God created animals and plants the way he did
>> Speaker A: Yeah, that one I call, the creator in the little blue dot. And the idea that we are in the perfect. They call it the habitable zone. Some have named it the Goldilocks zone. We're in a place that's not too hot, not too cold, but just right. So what are the chances that we're in the perfect place to not only have life on this planet, but the perfect situations within this planet to allow life to be had A gravitational force that keep the molecules, that we need closer to the Earth, like oxygen for instance, to sustain life, and yet not so strong as to keep some of the ones that are dangerous to us farther away from the Earth. What are the chances that God, created these animals and plants the way that he did? Micah, Behe, Dr. Micah Behe, when he wrote his book Darwin's Black Box, he talked about irreducible complexity and how ultimately when you do not have bottom up building, we don't see that scientifically. What we see is things coming to be with all of their distinct parts at one time. Because without all of the parts it ceases to function. for instance, the woodpecker. It has not only the thickest bone per body weight of any creature on the planet in its skull, but it comes with a shock absorber between its beak and its skull. Its tongue actually wraps from its mouth around its skull back into its mouth.
>> Alex McFarland: much like a tape measure.
>> Speaker A: Yeah. To be able to take the impact of his pecking, he's able to then have a glue factory in his mouth that sticks the bugs that he's trying to get to his tongue. Which would be awesome except for when he goes to swallow his food, he should swallow his tongue in the process. But that doesn't happen because he has a solvent factory at the base of his jaws for only that type of glue. What are the chances that all of these things come into place by random chance accident? It's impossible. And so therefore, it's one of the things I love to talk about, the Venus fly trap. it knows the difference between bugs that will pollinate it and bugs that won't. Ah, notch tip flowered longhorn beetles, green sweat bees, these different things that pollinate it. The plant doesn't eat those bugs.
>> Alex McFarland: Right.
>> Speaker A: But it does eat almost every other type of bug. It has three hairs on each pad and ultimately they start a timer when the bug touches it, that if the bug touches a second trigger hair within the 20 seconds, the plant will close and eat the bug. So you got timer, you got memory, you got all kinds of a non tooth Carnivore. And yet all these things come together in one plant. And my argument is to give God glory. That's why he did it.
>> Alex McFarland: You know, Frank, when you did the talk on the Venus flytrap plant, that raised my attention because, I'm from North Carolina, and that plant is really native to North Carolina, down on the coastal plain, way down east. And sometime perhaps you and I can take a hike. I can show you places where it grows in the wild. It's pretty rare.
>> Speaker A: That would be amazing.
>> Alex McFarland: Yeah, you can go to like, a pet store and you can buy a Venus fly trap that was maybe grown in a lab. But I've many hikes down on the coast. I know where you can find these in the wild. What else is really a trip is, you see these, cilia or these, like, little fibers. And if the right kind of bug disturbs those, it'll close on that. And yet it doesn't close on raindrops. Raindrops can hit those very same cilia. And somehow another, the Venus flytrap plant knows, quote, unquote, the raindrop hitting the cilia is not the same as a bug hitting the cilia. I mean, it's just fascinating. And that's one of millions of botanical wonders created by God. And there's, you know, plant life, animal life, human life, angelic life. God created those four categories of life. And I guess the point of chasing this little rabbit trail is just when I look at the creation, I ponder on it the infinitesimally small percentage of what we actually know. I just have to bow my head and I say, God, I give you glory. God, you're an amazing creator, an artist and a merciful savior. And this, this same God that hung the planets, operates the solar system, sustains planet Earth. This same almighty God loves us enough that he sent his son Jesus to be our forgiver and our savior. It really is just about overwhelming for the human mind to ponder, isn't it, Frank?
>> Speaker A: Yeah. And the next generation loves it. I mean, what I mean by that is I've given that presentation at dozens of places. Every single time you have people coming up. Oh, I love what you said about this, but you always bring it back to the emphasis that he is the creator of all things. According, to Colossians, according to, book, of John, the first chapter, that by him all things were created. And therefore we can not only know that someone created these things because you need intelligence to be able to create, but we can actually know the One, the exact person who created these things as our Lord and our Savior, not just as an intelligent designer because of the way that he makes eternal life possible through what he did on the cross. So it's nothing short of incredible. And, youth love the idea of tying the real world into, the Bible. And ultimately, I love bringing up this point. You can use both. Jesus when he taught, for instance, when he was giving the sermon on the Mount, he said, consider the lilies of the field, and the birds of the air, to think or consider. These are scientific terms to study, to understand. Because he even goes as far as to tell people, the Pharisees at the time, that they could discern the signs of the times of the weather by using scientific methods. How could they not understand the scriptural principles? And so it's okay to use solid, accurate science along with the Bible to bring people to a conclusion. And I think that, we're just fortunate to have opportunities to do that, especially with the next generation.
>> Alex McFarland: Amen. Amen. And, Frank, I've got to do this. and I can't believe we're having this conversation. by the way, Alex McFarland here, along with apologist, author, speaker Frank Figueroa, who I would encourage that you, bring him to your city.
YouTube has become the biggest proponent of the flat earth theory
the subject of flat earth. I can't believe we're having to talk about this, but this is real. You know, a couple of months ago, I think it was January actually, I was speaking at a university and a young man came up to me, very. He was completely serious and he had just about abandoned the Christian faith because he saw a YouTube video arguing that the earth is flat, not spherical. And we talked and I did what, any good apologist would do. I called Frank Figueroa and I said, hey, Frank, please talk to this student. Which you graciously did, but, can't believe I'm saying it. Talk to us about the issue of the return of belief. Lord, help us in a flat earth.
>> Speaker A: Yeah, you had. Orlando Ferguson was probably the springboard for the modern flat earth push. that was in 1893. He came out with a map, and within that map he had a lot of scripture validating the flat earth idea. now bring that to today. You have people who have bought into that idea, of, that the earth is flat because the Bible mentions the word foundation, that it ultimately is a flat surface. And, people, because they post videos on YouTube. YouTube has become the biggest proponent of the flat earth theory. in fact, Their algorithms. Once you watch one, it sends you more. And so it keeps feeding you this idea over and over and over again. But the bottom line is, is that ultimately, the earth is not flat. It is a sphere or a globe. and so how would you defend that against somebody who has all of these verses? Well, you need to look up things like what the passages mean literarily. What I mean by that is, in their context, is it written from, certain language perspectives, that. Remember when we translate words from Hebrew or Greek into, English, those are called, transliterations. And what happens is you got meaning gets lost within those transliterations. For instance, I'll give you an idea. Phenomenological language, it's something that's written so that we understand it from our perspective. So when you read the book of Joshua and you see that the sun stood still, for those of us who know good science, we know that the sun always stands still. It's not like the sun was moving and that it all of a sudden stood still. But what is being used there is phenomenological language, that the sun stood still from our perspective, right? And so understanding these literary principles and you can look through many of the scriptures and debunk them. as far as, many of the ideas, you have cognates, which are words that mean the same thing, they sound the same in different languages, but they have different meanings, right?
>> Alex McFarland: And let me say this, Frank, because folks, whenever the Bible is translated, there's what's called the donor language, and there's the recipient language. The donor language is Hebrew and Greek with a little bit of Aramaic. The recipient language, at least in our case, is English, or it could be Spanish or Cantonese or Hindi or Bimba. God's, word is translated into. Well, they're attempting to put it in every dialect on earth. And folks, the reason I digress momentarily is because every now and then people will say, well, there's been so many translations, you know, who knows what the Bible means? Well, biblical translation is a word exchange program. And when it says Jesus rose from the dead, you know, regardless of the language, it means Jesus rose from the dead. And so, Frank, I'll throw it back to you. But, there are words that like you say, sound similar or the same, but have different meanings. But actually, biblical translation is one of the most exacting sciences in the world. And my point is, folks, you can know what God's word says. And it says, you must be born again. And there's no no ambiguity on that point, is there, Frank?
>> Speaker A: No. And if the Holy Spirit is working in us, he is the explainer of truth. And so there is an answer to be had. It's just understanding what I would argue can, be helped with a basic understanding of biblical hermeneutics. Why? What is that passage saying and what does it mean? And notice I didn't say what does it mean to me because the church has gotten largely into eisegesis, rather than exegesis. What I mean by that is we've gotten away from what does the passage mean, which is the primary, into what does the passage mean to me, which
>> Alex McFarland: then can be, we got to pull away, folks. We're talking with Frank Figueroa about God's truth, how to know it, how to defend it. Stay tuned. We've got a brief break and we'll be back.
>> Ed Vitagliano: Presenting AFA Stream, an online platform that hosts all AFA produced video content, including documentaries, church curriculum, American family radio shows, and our Cultural Institute series.
>> Speaker A: I would submit that we are a Christian nation and the proof of that is in our founding documents and in the US Constitution itself. Because our founders recognized for the first time in world history that our rights come from God, our Creator, not our government.
>> Ed Vitagliano: AFA Stream is a vital step that we are taking to fulfill our vision to be a leading organization in biblical worldview training, training for cultural transformation. You'll find top notch resources that address the issues of our day related to marriage, family, the sanctity of life and many others. Start streaming today. Stream.aca.net. The Hamilton Quarter podcast and one minute commentaries are available at afr.net Back to the Hamilton Corner on American Family Radio.
Alex McFarland: Maybe you need to come to Christ
>> Alex McFarland: Welcome back to the program. Alex McFarland here along with, our friend and colleague Frank Figueroa. Reasons for hope, by the way, if you like this program, it's archived as all the shows [email protected] as in American Familyradio.net afr.net, and maybe you want to listen again, maybe you want to share it with somebody because, even though we're talking about a number of different subjects, the bottom line is this, Jesus Christ loves you. the most verifiable life of the ancient world, the life of Christ, that he rose from the dead. And he did that after having paid our sin debt. And we always say this, but it's really true, folks, if you're thinking about where you stand with God or maybe at one point in your life you considered yourself a Christian, but now Maybe not. there's questions, there's issues. Look, Jesus is as close by as a prayer. That is really, really true. And I can prove it, because, in a number of verses, like John 6, verse 37, Christ said, the one who comes to me I will in no way reject. Jesus really is as close by as a prayer. Maybe you're listening to this show and maybe you need to come to Christ. Maybe, maybe you need to come back to Christ. Jesus is real. I guarantee Frank Figueroa and I, we could do 100 hours of content on the reality of God, the trustworthiness of the Bible, the absolute reality, the historicity of Jesus, his death, burial, resurrection. And he did that because he loves you. I'm going to say this, I'm going to throw it to Frank. But listen, whatever you're going through, we get, easily 100 emails a day and we love to hear from all of the listeners. People are going through things and there's stress and finances and family and just life. Right? Jesus Christ cares for you. Jesus Christ sees you where you are in the journey. He loves you supremely. He really does. Turn to him today. That's truly where life begins. Frank, I was, in California in 06 with a man that had just won a Grammy Award, and he ultimately came to Christ. He was a friend. He was holding in his hand a Grammy that most people would say that, oh, that's the top of the mountain. And he looked at me, he said, I'd give everything I've ever done to know that my father loved me. We told him about the Heavenly Father and he opened his heart to Jesus. And Frank, that's what the human heart really craves, isn't it? It's not money, it's not stuff, it's not the bling of life. I really believe the human heart is unfulfilled until we have a relationship with Almighty God. And that's through Jesus Christ.
>> Speaker A: Amen.
If we have not embraced Christ as Lord and Savior, we really have nothing
The world that we're in today, it pushes us to be intellectually, smart people, to really know things and to, be able to defend or argue a position or a point. in fact, one of the things we use, in our ministry is called debunk videos. It's looking at something that the world pushes and debunking that idea. But even if we could debunk every false logical notion out there, and we have not embraced Christ as Lord and Savior, we really have nothing. in fact, ah, according to First Corinthians, chapter 15, that, if we have not believed that Jesus came, died, and what it's speaking of as resurrected from the dead, that we are the most pitiable of all people because really we have nothing. And so therefore, to me, it's not only being able to defend truths, but being able to introduce people to the author of truth, Jesus himself. it would do no good to be able to, prove to a scientist even that evolution is a false model if I don't introduce that person to Christ and at least give them an opportunity to repent of their sins and turn to Him. because the knowledge doesn't save. What saves is the Holy Spirit working in the heart, convicting us of sin and trying to exalt ourselves above the knowledge of God. And so, yeah, the importance and the primary is making sure that we get to talk to people about Jesus.
Frank Bruni talks about objectivity in handling God's written revelation
>> Alex McFarland: Indeed, before the break, you were talking about, and I've heard this many times, maybe you're in Sunday school or Bible study and somebody reads a verse and the leader will say, Frank, tell us what that means to you. And that's not really the right question. it's not what does it mean to me? Quote unquote, what does it mean? So if you would talk about objectivity in handling the word of God, not subjective spin, but objective truth, comment on the objective nature of God's written revelation, if you would.
>> Speaker A: Yeah, because when we read a passage, we should want to know what was actually said, who it was said to, and why was it said. And so therefore, we can know that using proper biblical hermeneutics, understanding, who it was written to, why it was written, and what the, the author's intended purpose was to the hearer of that particular passage. And that is understandable and it's knowable. And so we should be people who are striving to understand that we, we have gotten into the eisengetic mindset. What does it mean to you? but I have believed, and falsely so a lot of times, all kinds of ideas that ended up not being true no matter what I believe. And so therefore my belief in something, my, feeling that it's true for me, is all relativism. It really means nothing when it comes to what we want to know. It's what God has said and ultimately what he wants us to know from what he said. And so it's knowing the scripture, but knowing why he gave that scripture. And, it's of utmost importance, for sure.
Frank, you're going to share the gospel at an Iowa event this summer
>> Alex McFarland: Frank, as you're on the road M. And by the way, you've got a big event coming up. Tell people about that because it might be, something people could attend. You're going to be sharing the gospel at a major, major happening this summer, aren't you?
>> Speaker A: Yeah, Phil Wickham, Josiah Queen, bunch of other people. what happens is in Iowa, from what I understand, they have a festival called the Rise Fest. This, Rise Festival was developed because the largest gathering in Iowa, as far as the record goes, was for a former long time ago Ku Klux Klan meeting. And so Iowa desires to have that record taken from them. At least some, some of the Christians in Iowa and that record honor be given to something else. And so their desire is to get at least 26,000 people, to gather to worship Jesus. and so I will be fortunate to be the one, who will be there at the, well, there will be other speakers as well at the Rise Fest. It'll be actually June 12th and 13th in Sheldon, Iowa. And so I would, if you're able to come, come on out. in between each band there will be guest speakers. I'm just one of them. but it would be a great opportunity to not only set a record that proclaims the name of Jesus, but that we can worship the Lord and we can fellowship together and hear people encourage us in God's word. So it's a great opportunity in that way.
>> Alex McFarland: Do you know the dates of that again?
>> Speaker A: the 12th and 13th June of June in Sheldon, Iowa.
>> Alex McFarland: we'll be praying for you, in that regard.
As you travel, what are the top questions that people grapple with
let me ask you this. As you travel, what are the top one or two questions that, that you are hearing that people grapple with?
>> Speaker A: Well, both of them actually came out, in Hawaii. In Hawaii, I'm fortunate because I was a licensed teacher there. I go into schools and I'm still allowed to share. I just went into a school, Hawaii Tech Academy, and they allowed me to share during their lunchtime. So therefore nobody was forced to attend. And we had a pretty decent crowd of youth that came out. We had pizza and talked. And the two main questions that came up was, number one, how can I believe your Bible? What makes your Bible trustworthy? What makes what you believe as a Christian different than the other religions? Because there are many religious practices that go on in Hawaii. We have many different religions. And so therefore what makes yours stand apart? to which one of my answers always focuses on the resurrection. That Jesus Christ is the only person who claimed to be God, who died, who actually Rose himself from the dead. The other one is, if God is so good, why would he allow so much pain and suffering? Yeah, if God is good, why would he allow bad? And so the bottom line is, it brings me to the conclusion that the youth know about suffering. They know what it is to feel painful. They know what it is to want a way out of it. And what they're saying in the first question, by wanting to know what makes me so sure the Bible is true is that their system isn't working. Because if it was working, they would know that's true and they would be seeking that information from that source. But they're not. And so therefore, we have an amazing opportunity to let people know of a Savior that came and suffered, and that he not only suffered and died and rose himself from the dead, but he offered a direct line of truth from God the Father. And so we can actually meet the two greatest needs for the greatest questions, at least that I'm seeing in one person, Jesus. And it starts with just having a conversation with people and letting them know that because he lives, I can live too. And, ultimately, you can as well. And so we need to, that's why I love the title of our ministry, Reasons for Hope. our desire is to give people an actual hope based on reason that is in the person of Jesus Christ. And that's absolutely doable, when we combine what the Holy Spirit's doing in us and the word of God, as he speaks it to the souls of men.
Frank: The gospel is not a myth; it's reality
>> Alex McFarland: You know, I love two Peter 1, 16, 21. But let me just, kind of focus in on verse 16 regarding the gospel. Peter says this. We have not followed cleverly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. I mean, and folks, this gospel, it's reality. It's not a myth, it's not a legend, it's not a fairy tale. It is the most historically documentable life of the ancient world. Jesus and his resurrection. and, oh, my goodness, we could talk endlessly. I give God the glory. I've written. I personally have written 21 original books on the evidences for the gospel. Frank, it's such a blessing to be with you.
Frank Figueroa: People get obsessed with apocryphal writings
I've got to ask you this as we, Time just ticks away here. We have the Bible. We call it the canon of Scripture. The 66 canonical books. Genesis through Malachi, Matthew through Revelation. and for centuries, centuries, we've known this is the Bible. In recent years, there have been, ancient works. They were not contemporary with the Bible. In fact, they came several hundred years later. Sometimes they're called the Gnostic writings. Pseudepigrapha. One in particular that gets all kind of PR is called the Book of Enoch. And it's kind of fascinating, talks about giants and things like that. Here's my question. What is your view on the, apocryphal writings? And why do you think it is that people, will be obsessed with these when they actually could and should be reading the actual Bible, which is the documentable word of God? What's the buzz around all the apocryphal books, Frank, real quick.
>> Speaker A: I think it goes back to the Garden of Eden. You have the two trees, the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. And God laid out his plan for Adam and Eve. He gave them boundaries to live within, but they wanted knowledge above and beyond what he gave. And they chose, and they chose poorly. And they suffered the consequences of their choice. But ultimately God wanted to give them directly, be in a conversation with them, because we have record of him walking in the garden with them and talking with them. And so we know ultimately that his, desire was to be in a relationship with them. But they wanted more. They wanted something else. And so I think a lot of these apocryphal writings, and, these different books, they get into things that is a little bit more detailed, nuanced, whatever you want to call it, on some things that really don't matter. But people, we get obsessed with that. Giants. What are. You know, one of the other questions that I always get asked about is a nephilim, you know, and I'm not going to spend time going into it, but the idea being that because that's something that a lot of people see as almost unanswerable, they want to know more because they feel that God is holding out. But God actually gave us exactly what we need in, in the 66 books. all pointing to one person, Christ. One central theme, and. And, no, no, coercion in the writing styles of people. And, and what they said, you see the nuances of each individual writer coming out, but in ways that God is directing. Is this the ultimate screenplay? And so my thing is, if we have the ultimate, why would we settle for less than that?
>> Alex McFarland: Well said, Frank Figueroa. you'll see him this summer on tour. The Equip camps. I'll be there too. The website is equipretreat.org. thanks for listening. Stay bold, stand strong, speak truth, and may the Lord bless you in all things. Thanks for listening. The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
