The Bible Is Spiritually Discerned - Ask the Pastor

You can listen to Ask The Pastor every weekday at 9:00am MST on 97.1FM Hope Radio KCMI! You can also listen and subscribe to Ask The Pastor in your favorite podcast feed. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music and most other podcast services.

This edition of Ask the Pastor features Pastors Mike Clement, David Clement, and Michael Gleb.

Michael Clement
We've decided that we're gonna continue on with what we were already doing, which was talking about the fundamentals of the faith. And the first one is the Bible, as the word of God. And what we've already talked about is inspiration in being inherent, in being preserved, and in being authoritative; which means it's not optional. They're called the 10 Commandments, not the 10 suggestions. And this is what God's word is. What he uses to judge cultures, to judge individuals. And so here we have it in front of us today. Another thing that we wanted to point out is that the Bible is spiritually discerned. I wanna read from 1 Corinthians 2:14. It says, "but the natural man," that's talking about somebody that's unsaved. Somebody that doesn't know Christ as their Savior. Somebody that doesn't have the Holy Spirit living in them. It says, "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they're spiritually discerned." There is an aspect of God's word that cannot be understood by somebody who doesn't know Christ as their Savior. Now, they may know what the words mean, they may be able to put it down. They may be able to repeat it. But that inward knowledge and understanding is something that only comes through the Holy Spirit. And the good news is that every person who's come to know Christ as their Savior, the Bible tells us, is "indwelleth with the Holy Spirit." Jesus said, "when the Holy Spirit would come, he would guide us into all truth." And that he would also remind us of the things that he spoke of. So the Bible is spiritually discerned. And another thing that we said is that the Bible is culturally independent. Now, we have a film by a missionary by the name of Otto Coning who said he went to this people group that was in Dutch New Guinea. And it takes a long while for a missionary to be able to, uh, get through. Oh, no! I'm thinking of another person. Ouch. Peace Child, the fellow who wrote the book, Peace Child. He went to this people group, took him a long while for him to get the language down. And once he got the language down, then he began to communicate the message of the gospel. And when he told them how Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, the people began to laugh, because they honored and worshiped treachery. So when they first heard the story of Jesus, they thought Judas was the hero. But it was because their culture was so twisted. That, uh, in their culture wrong was right and right was wrong. And the Bible actually has a verse that talks about that, that says, "woe unto those that call wrong right, and right wrong." But the Bible stands outside of a culture and passes judgment on it. And that's God's perspective. Just because you were told something was right that doesn't necessarily mean that it's right. If we want to know universally what's right or what's wrong, then we can go to the word of God. So it stands outside of the culture, and it stands in judgment over a culture. And then, another thing that we point out is that the Bible needs to be understood, literally. Now, I'm trying to remember the exact phrase. "It's the literal, grammatical, historical, interpretation of scripture." There are things that have certain meaning in a certain time in history, and they're used of something in a historical context. And then there are figures of speech. A hyperbole is an overexaggerated statement to make a point. And there are other figures of speech that you find in the Bible. But there're obvious. I mean, that it can be, it's to be understood. It can be understood through those things. And so when we come to the Bible, we need to recognize, "Yeah, there are historical context. There is literary, grammatical uses." But it needs to be understood literally. Otherwise, it doesn't mean anything. I kind of, I have a problem with when somebody says, "well, this doesn't mean that. It means something else." Well, okay. What does it mean? And they'll offer an opinion, and you ask, "well, how do you know that?" And it comes down to, "that's what I wanted to mean."

David Clement
Well, one of the things that's interesting, you know, along those lines, is the kind of debate we see in Christianity today about the Old Testament, you know. Where we're living in the New Testament age. And so the Old Testament doesn't really apply to us, but we don't really have to look at it. The interesting thing is, if you look at the words of Jesus, a lot of them are from the Old Testament. First of all, he was quoting the Old Testament.

Michael Gleb
So did Paul. Massively.

David Clement
Yeah, and someone once told me, and I haven't necessarily taken the time to look it up, but someone once told me that for every New Testament truth and every New Testament doctrine, there's an Old Testament example. And I haven't, like I said, I haven't taken the time to look it all up.

Michael Gleb
But I'm sure that's the case.

David Clement
I've seen several fo them myself. And if you look at the Old Testament, the way that God dealt with the children of Israel is how He's dealing with the individuals in the church today. And so you see how God would lead them through, you'd see how God would discipline them as a nation from time to time. A lot of times you can see a direct, polar, or parallel to believers today. And so, just not saying that it's a picture necessarily, but it's again, how God has written these things down for them at that time. You know, there are some things that, again, you know, talking about crossing the Red Sea, I'm not sure I need to know about, necessarily that aspect, because I don't cross the Red Sea literally. But there is a spiritual application there. Which is our trust in the Lord. There are some historical things, but again, it does apply to us to date even the Old Testament.

Michael Clement
Okay, good deal. And your view of the Bible is critical to everything else. Because everything else is what the Bible teaches us about. You know, we're gonna talk about the trinity. Well, how do we know that there's a trinity? Because the Bible says so! Now there is, I think there is validity in saying, what has Christianity taught for 2,000 years? But let's face it, the church's denominations, organizations, individuals, schools at times, they stray. They start going off. And when you find great movements of God that are oftentimes called revivals, great movements of God amongst His people, one of the things that happens is people come back to the Bible. They get their lives straightened back up based on what the Bible has to say.

Michael Gleb
That's exactly what a revival is. There's been a lot talk of revival, even in the news these days. But if it doesn't begin with agreeing with God and agreeing according to His word, I hate to say it, but it's truly not revival. I mean, let's just be honest. It has to be based in the word of God. Unlike this culturally independent thing here. And it's a sad thing where I believe that Satan has got a lot of people convinced that there are, you know, this somehow is an American religion. Or this somehow is a white man's religion, and it's just not the case. This is a word of God for mankind. This is His word to mankind. It's a sad, sad thing. But it rises above anything that I would put onto my own identity. It rises above that. And like you said, this is where we can find truth. As I was growing up, there was two things from a Christian education that I remember very importantly was that, "what is culture?" Culture is a way of life of a group of people. That's why one of the first things I learned. The second thing I learned was, "well, what's the most important part of culture? Is how that culture relates to God. Some cultures don't relate to God. Some people have decided to remove Him from their thinking, as we see in Romans one. How they relate to God; the most important part of any culture. And so, anyway. If that helps at all.

Michael Clement
And you see how God's word, the gospel of God's word, improves any group, any people. When was the last time you saw a hospital that was built by a group of atheists or named for a famous atheist? You know, I don't think there's a Madeline Marie O'Hare hospital anywhere. Oftentimes, what secular thinking people do is, "well, let's preserve that culture." You know, "we don't want to destroy that culture." Yeah, you let them eat one another still, and you let them do all these horrific things. Wherever the Bible has gone, wherever the gospel has gone: it's brought healthcare, it's brought education, it's brought law, it's brought a decent way of living. We had a guy in our church years ago, and we were in Sunday school. I don't remember exactly what it was we were talking about, but he had said something I wrote down on a piece of paper. I still have it on my desk somewhere. And he said, "Every person wants to be treated the way the Bible commands us to treat one another." I was like, "Wow! Yeah, that is so true." You know, that is so true. Everybody wants to be treated important. Everybody wants to be treated decently. Everybody wants to be treated honestly, and with respect and so forth. And those concepts may be found other places, but it's pretty rare. Where it's indoctrinated right into the gospel message.

Michael Gleb
I was listening to one of our missionaries' letters the other night, and William Carey had gone to India. And one of the practices of that was when a husband died, a wife would have to be burned alive on top of her husband's corpse as they floated it down the river. That was the culture. And William Carey came in and changed that. How did he change it? Through the word of God. Not because he was a silver tongue dude, you know? He changed it through the word of God.

Michael Clement
And so, what you find today is all around the world in different cultures. There's Christianity, some places where it's not found yet. We're trying to get it there. But in Asian culture, in European, in South America, on every continent, their churches sometimes look a little different. I mean, it's related to their culture, but it's not dominated by their culture. And, you know, where does it come from? Comes from the word of God. And so, it's so imperative. And that's why with some groups, when people start fooling around with the word of God gets my hackles up. I don't like that, you know? That's not what the word of God says, or what the word of God means.

Michael Gleb
And that goes to the point that you began with; spiritually discerned.

Michael Clement
Spiritually discerned.

Michael Gleb
How do we know, you know? Is because, if you're a child of God, you have the spirit of God. And then you have the word of God, and the spirit of God's gonna lead you into the truth of the Word of God. And that radar starts to scope a little bit when somebody starts to twist scripture. "Wait a minute, that's not what that," yeah.

Michael Clement
Yeah, and that's why it's important for us to know God's word, individually, know God's word. Many years ago, my wife and I were working in a church and a lot of people in the church were very ignorant of God's word. And at Sunday School, the kids didn't know the Bible. The teachers didn't know the Bible. There just was a real lack of knowledge of the Bible. And one of the older ladies in the church told me that many years ago, the church had had a series of pastors that truly believed the Bible, and they were encouraged to be in their Bibles. But then they got a pastor that came, and on one Sunday he said, "you know, you people are bringing your Bibles back and forth from church and home and you're gonna wear them out." He said, "leave your Bible at home. We've got Bibles in the pew, and I'll tell you what the Bible says." And she saw that as the beginning of the decline of their church spiritually. And it makes a lot of sense. Anyway, she's got a lot of wisdom.

Metaphysics and God

Metaphysics deals with the reality behind the reality that we see.

The Metaphysician asks:

“What is true always and everywhere, regardless of time or place?”

“How is this truth related to the particular truths of determinate (having exact and discernible limits or form) times and places?”

Here’s a summary of ‘The Metaphysical Argument’, from Duns Scotus, the influential Medieval Christian theologian, combined with the ‘The First-Cause Argument’, explained by Josh McDowell’s Ministry at josh.org.

_________________________________________

1.   It is possible that something can be produced.

2.   It had to have been produced by itself, by nothing, or by another being.

3.   It can’t be produced by nothing, because nothing causes nothing.

4.   It can’t be produced by itself, because an effect never causes itself.

5.   Therefore, it had to be produced by another, which we will call: ‘A’.

6.   If ‘A’ is the first to ever exist then we have reached the conclusion.

7. If ‘A’ is not the first to ever exist, then we return to 2).

8. From 3) and 4), we find another producer which we will call- ‘B’.

9. Either:

this cycle repeats for infinity

|or|

we eventually come to the first thing to ever exist--the ultimate producer who never had to be produced.

10.  An infinite series is not possible because it is ‘Infinite Regress’. It breaks the laws of thermodynamics and entropy. Which states: in a closed system, matter cannot sustain itself infinitely because eventually physical matter will be converted into heat and various forms of energy until no matter is left. Something has to be creating and adding new matter to the system.

11.    Therefore, the ultimate, first to exist producer does exist. 

12.  If this producer is the first of everything to exist, it has to be the origin of time, space, and matter. It could not be subject to natural law, or that would imply that it needed time, space, and matter to exist. Which means it is timeless, spaceless, and immaterial.

13. This unproduced producer is God.

He is prime reality, himself.

You can download a free printout of this information by going to our “Free Material” Page and clicking on “Metaphysics and God”. For more information on the topic of Metaphysics you can also read, “The Metaphysical Search” blog post and utilize a free printout of “The Metaphysical Search”.

This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”

Click here for more stuff written my Amanda Hovseth.

What's New in the Cross Reference Library? Novels That Tell of Life and its Mysteries!

More Than We Remember - One night changes everything for three women. When Addison Killbourn's husband is involved in a car accident that leaves a woman dead, her perfectly constructed life crumbles apart. With her husband's memory of that night gone and the revelation of a potentially life-altering secret, Addison has to reevaluate all she thought she knew. Emilia Cruz is a deputy bearing a heavy burden far beyond the weight of her job. Her husband is no longer the man she married, and Emilia's determined to prevent others from facing the same hardship. When she's called to the scene of an accident pointing to everything she's fighting against, she's determined to see justice for those wronged. Brianne Demanno is hiding from reality. She was thriving as a counselor, but when tragedy struck a beloved client, she lost faith in herself and her purpose. When her neighbors, the Killbourns, are thrown into crisis, Brianne's solitary life is disrupted and she finds herself needed in a way she hasn't been in a while. As the lives of these women intersect, they can no longer dwell in the memory of who they've been. Can they rise from the wreck of the worst moments of their lives to become who they were meant to be?

By Way of the Moonlight - For as long as she can remember, Allie Massey, a gifted physical therapist, has dreamed of making her grandparents' ten-acre estate into a trauma recovery center using equine therapy--a dream her grandmother, Nana Dale, embraced wholeheartedly. But when her grandmother's will is read, Allie is shocked to learn the property has been sold to a developer. Decades earlier, headstrong Dale Butler's driving passion is to bring home the prized filly her family lost to the Great Depression, but with World War II looming, she's called upon in ways she never could have imagined. And while her world expands to include new friends and new love, tragedy strikes close to home one fateful night during the Battle of the Atlantic, changing her life forever. As Nana Dale's past comes to light in Allie's search for answers, Dale's courage and persistence may be just what Allie needs to carry on her grandmother's legacy and keep her own dreams alive.

At Lighthouse Point - Blaine Grayson returns to Three Sisters Island with a grand plan--to take Camp Kicking Moose to the next level. Her dream starts to unravel when she discovers Moose Manor's kitchen has been badly remodeled by her sister, Cam, who doesn't know how to cook. Added to that blow is the cold shoulder given by her best friend, Artie Lotosky, now a doctor to the unbridged Maine islands. As old wounds are opened, Blaine starts to wonder if she made a mistake by coming home. Little by little, she must let go of one dream to discover a new one, opening her heart to a purpose and a future she had never imagined. Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher invites you back to the coast of Maine for a story that reminds you to release what doesn't matter and cling to what does: faith, family, and friendships.

How Do The Different Accounts Of The Resurection Fit Together?

You can listen to Ask The Pastor every weekday at 9:00am MST on 97.1FM Hope Radio KCMI! You can also listen and subscribe to Ask The Pastor in your favorite podcast feed. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music and most other podcast services.

This edition of Ask the Pastor features Pastors Ben Cline, Johnathan Hernandez and Gary Schick.

Gary Schick
So, the question, and this is the fourth week that we're dealing with this question. "Hey guys, as we approach Resurrection Sunday, which is just a couple days away now, would you talk about the different accounts of the resurrection and how they fit together?" So we began this series with the gospel of Mark, and kind of an introduction of the whole series. And really, Mark is a good base to start from, cause we believe it's most likely the first gospel that was written. Then we branched out into Matthew and Luke. And so today, fitting John in with the rest is kind of our topic. Jonathan, would you get us started as we think about the gospel of John's resurrection account?

Jonathan Hernandez
Yeah. We open up in John chapter 20, and we would run through verses 1 through 18. And at the beginning it talks about Mary, "the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb." And as I think about that, you know, Jesus could've came out of that tomb without moving the stone, right? Like, He could've easily just been on the other side. And so, you know, thinking about that, why was the stone itself moved? It wasn't for, you know, like, it wasn't for him, right? He didn't have to have it moved for him to exit the tomb. It was for, you know, Mary Magdalene when she gets to the tomb. It was for, you know, the disciples when they get to the tomb. It was for us to see that, you know, I was able to peer into that tomb and see that he was gone, right? We know that Simon Peter, and the one whom Jesus loved, which we would say was John, right? And I always teased people saying, "yeah, Jesus loved me, you know, since my name is John!" And we know that in this story, Simon Peter and John, in a sense, raced to the tomb. And we find out in this gospel that John must have been faster or a track star and made it to the tomb first. And so another thing, I always tease my brother, his name is Peter, and my name is John. So I always tell him, "I'm a lot faster than you, but you're a little braver than me." You know, as we see this story, John made it there first, but he didn't look in first. As Simon Peter got there, he was the one that peered into the tomb. And, you know, I wonder, why was this, you know? We can always think, you know, think into scripture a little bit further, I guess. And, you know, Peter was always the one that spoke first, or I guess in a sense, a little braver. Obviously, during the rooster crowing he had a moment of not being brave, you know? But here, Peter looks into the tomb and he sees, you know, obviously Jesus isn't there, right? Like, the body's not where it was placed. And so, you know, these are some of the things I enjoy as I read through this. Just seeing, you know, Peter was willing to, even though he had that moment back then, you know, "I'm gonna peer in. I'm gonna see for myself what's taken place." And I encourage each of our listeners, you know, see for yourself who Jesus is. See for yourself. Like, get into those scriptures and start reading and digging in and doing those deep dives into the scriptures and seeing for yourself who Christ is. You'll always come back with joy and, you know, it'll be exciting for you. We see that when they go back and tell the other disciples about what they seen, and you know, we see that some of them had some moments of doubt, right? Thomas doubted, "Okay, is it really, you know, our savior? You know, our leader left us and he died, right?" And so we see these men or disciples, even the women that were there, where they were at, you know, how would we be in those places, right? Would we have been like Thomas and doubt what was taking place? I mean, as an early, early believer, I doubted a lot of things. Like, "Gosh, is this, is the Bible true?" Right? "Is this resurrection true?" Like, you know, there's a lot of things that I doubted early on. And as we dig into scriptures and we start learning who Christ is, we can see the truth, and we can see that the Bible is reliable. And I think that's what we see here. You know, Jesus had shown himself, not just to Mary and that's it. He showed himself to multiple people over a certain period of time. And, you know, that's what we would've seen back then. That they needed more than just one eyewitness to have something to be true. You know? And so he showed himself to multiple people to show, "Hey, what I said before and what I'm doing now, there's truth to this."

Ben Cline
Yeah, that's so good. And we, you know, come to the book of John and it's the last of the four in our canon of scripture as far as the order that they're placed in our Bibles. You know, the gospels are there. And we wanna read through each of those accounts, you know, pick up the things that are unique about each of those accounts and see how all of those things fit together. And when you're looking at the book of John, it's so interesting because this is John's record from his perspective of, you know, all these events that took place. And as you're reading through, it seems to be a story that is a lot about Mary Magdalene's experience. And I just thought that that was so interesting. There's some things that are unique in this record. You know, Mary Magdalene goes early in the morning, at the beginning of the day to the tomb. And in the other accounts, you see that there's other women who went there with her while, you know, this is her account. She goes there, she sees that the stone has already been rolled away, and she leaves. She goes and she finds the other disciples that were living nearby. The ones who had actually stuck around, that would be Peter and John. And she tells them the stone has rolled away. And the report that she gives to them is, you know, it would've been startling news to see that the stone had been rolled away. And her fear was that somebody had taken Jesus' body. And that's what she went back and reported to Peter and John. And so you can understand, you know, as they were racing toward the tomb, you can understand the urgency behind that, right? And you can understand why they wanted to get there as quickly as they possibly could. And so she went back with them and, you know, after they went and they both eventually ended up looking inside of the tomb and seeing the linen wrappings that were sitting where Jesus used to be, where his body used to be. She stayed there and she was weeping outside of the tomb. And she ended up looking into the tomb and saw the two angels there. They asked her a question actually that would get, you know, asked of her again in just a minute, uh, but by a different person. They asked her, "why are you here? Who are you looking for?" And she explains to them again, the same thing that she reported to Peter and John. That she was afraid that somebody had come and taken her Lord. She was chosen. Mary Magdalene was chosen, to be, well I guess, I don't know if she's the only one, but she's one of the few who got to see Jesus that early. You know, Jesus came, she turns around, and Jesus came and met her at the tomb. And, you know, he was talking to her as well, and she didn't even recognize him at first. And I just love what Jesus did there, because he knows what's going on in this woman's heart. He knows how distraught she is. And he knows the concerns that she has about Jesus' body. And so he's telling her all of these things and having this discussion with her. And then he says her name, he says, "Mary," and then suddenly she recognizes him and calls him "Rabbi," which is His teacher. And she just thought that he was a gardener, at first, who was tending to the, you know, I guess you could call it landscaping or whatever, around the tombs. But you know, he was standing there in front of her. And, you know, there's just this very uniqu record in John about all these things that Mary Magdalene experienced. And I love what Jesus does here, because he doesn't just let her stay in that state. He doesn't just let her, you know, stand idle. He gives her this first command that she's hearing from him, and that is, "go and tell the others." And I think that that's an important lesson for all of us, that we need to go, we need to take this message out into the world, that Jesus is risen. And that's why I look so forward to Easter each and every year, is to be able to do that.

Gary Schick
Good stuff! And this really concludes this series for us. So as we kind of draw it together, it's probably good to just step back for a second and just realize the four gospels are kind of like the four ends of the compass. You know, they are looking at the life of Jesus from four different perspectives. But that said, the first three that we've looked at, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are what are called the Synoptics. And they basically kind of use the same framework, and just kind of branch out in different directions. We believe Mark is telling us the eyewitness account as Peter remembers it. And there's so much in Mark that just, is very eyewitness. Even though Mark himself probably wasn't the guy who was standing there talking about; for example, the feeding of the 5,000. They sat down on the green grass or, uh, talking about how Jesus felt on certain occasions, just very up close in that way. But just quick snapshots. Peter, just even in this account of running through the tomb, you just know he's an abrupt guy who charges in. And so that's how he would've told the stories. Matthew as a former tax collector and one who's really got a heart for the Jewish community, just very meticulously lays out how Jesus fulfills, fulfills, fulfills. And Luke, who is not an eyewitness at all, he was actually the one Gentile to come back and to research everything and say, "and you know what? These things I've researched so that you may know." And he's talked so much about Jesus, especially as he relates to, they all do, but in a special way, Luke kind of zeroes in on the downtrodden and the way that Jesus lifts people up. But what is so magnificent about John, is he just starts from a different place. In fact, in John 20, he says, "Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples not written it in this book." And John made no attempt to follow the outline previously prepared. He made it his goal to really tell some things that hadn't been told. And where Mark is kind of like, an old fashioned photo album, does anybody remember those? I think today we call it Facebook, where you just see individual snapshots. Luke and John could be, and actually Luke has been by the Jesus film made into a full-length movie. I think actually, at this point, all the gospels maybe have, but John has been described to me as a beautiful, like a Rembrandt painting. Just up close, the detail is just, it's like the, the paint is still wet, and you have these up close moments. And so, where John is telling us the same resurrection account as the others have told, as has been pointed out, he really brings us close. Rather than talking about the women, he talks about one woman at the tomb. Rather than focusing very much on Jesus' appearance to the disciples, he tells the story of one disciple; Thomas. And then, rather than zeroing in on kind of the whole group of them as they go up on the mountains to receive the great commission, he zeroes in on that one restoration and commissioning of Peter. So, you know, all of it's true accounts, all of it happened. But John tells the story in a way, as you pointed out, as you guys both pointed out, that focuses on individual experiences of that. And his purpose, as we see in John 20 is, "but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And that by believing, you may have life in His name." And I think, one of the powerful things about John is, is it tells these individual stories and the book is full of them. You know, there's Nicodemus, there's the woman caught in adultery, there's the man born blind. Really, it tells us extensively their stories, even the coming of the first disciples as they kind of went and found Jesus. "Well, where are you staying?" "Well come and see." You know, these up close personal accounts. But John is ultimately inviting us to have our own personal encounter with Jesus. And friends, I know I speak for the brothers in Christ with me today. That is what we are longing for, for you. You know, Easter's a great time. It's hopefully, we're about to see the full flowering of spring; looks like some warmth in the week ahead here. So that's a beautiful time of year. There's a lot to celebrate in terms of the story of Easter. Whether we're talking about the passion of the Christ, what he endured as he died for our sins, the songs of Resurrection Morning, "Christ The Lord Has Risen Today. The fellowship time, the Breakfast at church, the time around the table at home. But ultimately friends, it's gotta be more than celebrations and chocolate rabbits and great movies. It's got to be your personal encounter with the risen Christ. And once you've experienced that, it just changes it forever. It's not just a day in the calendar, it's not just some time off of work. It's not just some special celebration and some good music or some whatever. It becomes a time of personal worship. Whether that starts for you at sunrise, or a little bit later in the day. Where does your personal encounter with Jesus come? And I just wish that for you today, good Friday, as we think about what he endured on the cross for us.

What's New in the Cross Reference Library? A New Tracie Peterson Series!

Destined For You - Gloriana Womack’s family is much smaller since scarlet fever killed her mother and two of her siblings. She’s dedicated her modest life in Duluth, Minnesota, to holding the remains of her fractured family together, caring for her father and younger brother. But it is hard not to be overrun by worry when her father is often gone on long fishing trips, their livelihood coming from the waters of the temperamental and sometimes deadly Lake Superior. Luke Carson has come to Duluth to help shepherd the arrival of the railroad to the city’s port, and he’s eager to be reunited with his brother and sister-in-law, who recently moved there and are expecting their first child. Competition for the railroad is fierce, with the neighboring city of Superior, Wisconsin, fighting for the tracks to come through their town instead. But the real danger lies in a man who has followed Luke across the country with revenge on his mind. When tragedy brings Gloriana and Luke together, they help each other through grief and soon find their lives inextricably linked. If they survive the trials ahead, could it be possible they’ve been destined for each other all along? 

Forever My Own - Kirstin Hallberg thrives on setting things right, eagerly accepting the challenge to cross an ocean to care for her elderly grandmother. She arrives in Duluth, Minnesota, to find the city intent on rising to greatness as it builds a canal to provide access to Lake Superior. But she also discovers a grandmother still full of life and secrets—secrets from the past that have the power to change her family forever and threaten the tranquility of their future. Ilian Farstad has troubles of his own when a logging accident renders him bedbound. Estranged from his father, Ilian is grateful when his father’s neighbor and her newly arrived granddaughter offer to care for him. His friendship with Kirstin’s family gives him the opportunity to get closer to her, but does he dare take a chance with his heart after watching how love failed his parents? With no clear way forward, can love survive and the past be forgiven? 

Waiting On Love - Crisscrossing the Great Lakes onboard her father’s freighter ship, the Mary Elise, Elise Wright has grown up cooking and caring for the crew. It is a life she loves. Unlike her estranged sister, Elise has turned down numerous opportunities for a “respectable life” with their wealthy relatives. And now, because of promises she made to her dying mother, she’s bound to the ship and her deeply grieving father more than ever. Nick Clark is grateful to be hired on as Mary Elise’s first mate as he works to overcome his own guilt and other’s censure for a fatal decision he made captaining another ship. He feels protective of the Wrights and their generous natures, especially when a rough new sailor seems intent on causing serious trouble. As the sailor’s misdeeds grow, tragedy swells up from another corner. Left to pick up the pieces of the commitments they’ve made to themselves and to each other, Nick and Elise will have to rely on their faith to see them through.

If God Knows That Some People Will Go To Hell Why Does He Create Them?

You can listen to Ask The Pastor every weekday at 9:00am MST on 97.1FM Hope Radio KCMI! You can also listen and subscribe to Ask The Pastor in your favorite podcast feed. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music and most other podcast services.

This edition of Ask the Pastor features Pastors Gary Hashley and Brad Kilthau.

Gary Hashley
The question that we're going to talk about today is this: "If God knows that some will reject His offer of salvation, why would He create people that He knows will go to hell?" I would say there's even another question, a question posed by one of my professors at Bible college years and years ago, a question to get us thinking. "If God knows all things, and the Bible implies He does, He knows the past, He knows the present, He knows the future. He knows what is actual, and He knows what is possible. If God knows all that, and God knew that Adam and Eve, when He put them in the garden and He gave them the one rule. Don't eat from the tree in the midst of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If God knows all things, then God would've known Adam and Eve would disobey. Why did God even make Adam and Eve? And that is one of those questions that I don't know we will ever have an answer for that will satisfy anybody. And one thing we always need to keep in mind, and I think Brad would agree with me on this, is that we are not God's judge and jury. God doesn't answer to us. I think sometimes people make up their mind, "If God isn't the way I want Him to be, then He's wrong and I just don't want to believe in Him." But think about it on the other side, since He is the creator of the heavens and the earth, and He is the creator of us, and He is the giver of truth and the giver of morality. Who are we to look to God and say, "I don't think you're fair. I don't think you're doing this well. John 3:16 says, "For God's so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life." We know from scripture that those who don't put their faith in Jesus, not only will be condemned, they are, John 3:17, it talks about, "God didn't send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." Then it says, "He who does not believe is condemned already because he's not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God." And so, you know, God created us, not robots. He created us with the ability to choose. We have intellect to think, we have emotions to feel, we have a volition or the ability to choose. Now, from God's side, scripture makes it very plain that He wants people to be saved. Let me just share some examples: Ezekiel 33:11, "As I live, declares the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways. For why will you die, O house of Israel? Earlier in chapter 18, he says, "I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord. So turn and live." Another place in that same chapter, "have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live." Proverbs 8, "I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me." Lamentations 3, "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him." Jeremiah 29, "you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Isaiah 45, "turn to me and be saved all the ends of the earth for I am God and there is no other." 1 Timothy 2, "This is good and is pleasing in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." God wants people to be saved. He provided for us to be saved. Jesus made it possible through his death, burial and resurrection. The Holy Spirit works in people's hearts to draw them to God. We have the scriptures that point us to God. We, as believers, have been told to be his witnesses. And so, if people don't believe and they've never heard, that's our fault. But if people have heard and don't believe, that's their fault. None of it is ever God's fault. I was studying to write my senior thesis as a senior at the Grand Rapid School of the Bible in music in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I was writing my thesis on the sovereignty of God and the free will of man in salvation. I was reading a book by Arthur W. Pink who said that Jesus did not even die for some people. He said, "God created some people just to send them to hell." Now, I can't go with that because the Bible says, "God loved the world and gave His only begotten son." So when I posed that to someone close to me, who is of the persuasion that Arthur Pink has, I said, "well it says, for God so loved the world." And he looked at me and said, "yeah, but world in John 3:16 doesn't mean 'world.' World only means the few He's chosen to save." Well, I can't go there folks, because the Bible so many times talks about the offer being made to all of mankind. In fact, Peter talks about people denying the one who bought them. Jesus bought us with his blood. He paid the price on the cross. So I think God's heart is, He wants everyone to be saved. Salvation is to be offered to all. It is available to all. And those who do not put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, that's their choice. He said, "they're condemned already because they have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." So we can play the game of, "God should do what I think is right, and God should do it the way I think He should do it." Or we can sit back and say, "I trust God to always do the right thing, because God is faithful to Himself." Faith comes by hearing the word of God. And the Bible is out there. People pick it up in motel rooms. People hear it on the radio. People hear it from a friend, read it in a gospel tract. They see scripture in the gospel tract. People have come to put their faith in Jesus. So the thought of, "why would God create people He knows will go to hell?" I don't know why, but I do know that they don't have to if they put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. So, my theologian friend across the table here, Brad, why don't you pick up where I've left off. Or start where I haven't even been and throw some input into this question.

Brad Kilthau
Well Gary, you know, when you look at that question, and I know that question comes up a lot, "why would He create people that He knows will go to hell?" I think you can look deeper into that question and really see what the person is really asking. They're trying to put, again, guilt on God or fault on God for people not being able to go to heaven. And I think what we have to keep coming back to, obviously is it is not God's fault. And it is not God's desire, again, that anyone would perish. And one of the ways we know that is, when we look in the Bible, especially in Romans 1. In Romans 2, it speaks about how God offers Himself as light to every single human being. It talks about how creation is without and how conscience is within. And as we know, that the Lord gives us witness of His existence, and that goes to everyone. Now there are people who do not want to accept that there is a God. There are people who do not want to accept that they have to answer to God. And so they might come up with their own theory of how things came to be. And that's how come we have, I believe, the false propaganda of evolution that's going on right now. It's not that people don't know that there's a God, they just don't want to acknowledge that God is there. They don't want to answer to God. But again, we come back to what you were sharing too, Gary. Is that God created us because He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to be with Him. He wants all of us to be saved. And so, again, He shares that He's there. Just look at creation. Just look at, even the moral law that's written on the heart of every human being. Where did that come from? Well, it had to come from some source. And when a person turns to that source, or looks for the source of what that came from, you gotta see that there's a designer who made the design and all of the beauty that we live in on this world. And so, God's witnessing that, "I'm here. I want to have that relationship with you." And then when we, as Christians, come along and we read scripture and we read what Jesus said, as you were saying in John 3:16. And then we also read in Acts 4, when the apostles are sharing the same thing. That they're salvation in no one else other than the name under heaven given among men, which must be saved. And that's through Christ Jesus. And again, there's a resistance. And they, um, "well, we don't wanna believe in this Jesus. We don't want to accept Him." Well, there again is the fault of the person who will end up someday in hell. The Holy Spirit is always drawing people to the truth that there is God. And when we acknowledge that there is a God, that there is some light in general, again, of a creator. Then the truth of the matter is, God will always, always bring more light to show that He is there. One of the questions that come up in my Bible school training was, you know, of course we always have these that come along and say, "well, what about the guy that's living out there on a remote island? And he's never heard the gospel. No one's ever shared the Bible with him. And what about him?" Is it his fault that he'll end up someday in hell? Well, that's when you go to what we teach about in the subject of Apologetics. And we come back to a very familiar story that often could be shared. Think about a guy that's lost out in a dark jungle. He's been out there for some time. He's been exposed to the elements, he needs to get back to civilization, otherwise he's going to die. He's out there in the middle of the night. He climbs up on this mound and he starts looking around and he sees off in the distance there's this little speck of light. Now, what should he do? Well, he should walk towards the light. If he rejects the light, he's gonna be in trouble. So if he starts walking towards the light, the light will get brighter and brighter and brighter, and eventually he'll find himself coming back into civilization where he could find the help that he needs. But if he looks out and sees that little speck of light and says, "nah, I don't want anything to do with that," and turns around and walks back into the darkness, well, whose fault is that? It's the man who chooses to turn away from the light that was offered to him. And in the same way, when God offers, he says, "I'm here. Look at what I've created. Look at the law that's written on your heart." When you see that light and you say, "is there a God?" Here's what's gonna happen, God is going to bring more light to you. And it might show up just as you were sharing, Gary, it might show up as a gospel tract. It just shows up out of nowhere. Maybe somebody threw it inside of your kids' trick or treat bucket on Halloween, and it ends up in your hands. Maybe all of a sudden you find yourself with a Gideon Bible in your hand. Maybe you're the guy on that island all by yourself, and all of a sudden a missionary comes rowing up in a little boat. Why do you think he's coming? Because God is sending more light. And I know that we live in a society today that wants to try to promote our God as some evil tyrant that would just love to see people suffer. That's the work of Satan. That is not God. God doesn't want anyone in hell. In fact, he created hell for Satan and the fallen angels. It's not even there for human beings. He doesn't want us there, He wants us in his heaven. But that is up to us if we're going to accept Him or reject Him. And so when we see God, He gives a general revelation to show that He exists to show that we need to actually start turning to Him. But again, we have to come to the truth is that no one is gonna be saved by general revelation. They have to hear the gospel. They have to hear it from the word of God. They have to hear the message just as you were sharing. And John 3:16, that's how my Sunday School teacher led me to Christ when I was eight years old, is through that verse right there. And so we have to hear it again from God, from His word. And so God will get that word to those who are desiring a relationship or to know Him. And you know, when you look in the Bible, you think about the early church and those who went out. How Peter went out to Cornelius, how Philip went out to that Ethiopian. God must have really loved that Ethiopian to send Philip out there into the wilderness and say, "Hey, there's a guy reading from the book of Isaiah. Go out there and talk to this man about me." And when we look around the world today, we can even see some in Muslim countries that where the word of God is being shut out. But we find that God is still revealing Himself to many today in dreams to show that He exists. And as we see those who are starting to turn and say, "Is there a God? Is there a God like this that loves me?" All of a sudden we find that radio waves or internet or some way, God gets the message or the gospel to those people. And so the truth of the matter is, God wants all sinners, all of us who are lost in sin, He wants us to get the message of grace so that we can say yes to Jesus. There's never gonna be a time of when someone's gonna stand at the great white throne of judgment, which is for only those who have rejected Christ and stood into eternity that way. But there's never gonna be someone who can stand before God at the great white throne of judgment and say, "God, I didn't know you were there. I didn't know you loved me. I didn't know that. I had no chance to have an opportunity to come to know you." And that is not true. The Lord will say, "Depart from me, because I never knew you." But it wasn't because of God's fault. It's because man has chosen to reject Him and His light.

What’s New at the Cross Reference Library? New Jody Hedlund Books about Love and Second Chances!

Come Back To Me - The ultimate cure that could heal any disease? Crazy. That's exactly what research scientist Marian Creighton has always believed about her father's quest, even if it does stem from a desire to save her sister Ellen from the genetic disease that stole their mother from them. But when her father falls into a coma after drinking a vial of holy water believed to contain traces of residue from the Tree of Life, Marian must question all of her assumptions. He's left behind tantalizing clues that suggest he's crossed back in time. Insane. Until Marian tests his theories and finds herself in the Middle Ages during a dangerous peasant uprising. William Durham, a valiant knight comes to Marian's rescue and offers her protection . . . as his wife. The longer Marian stays in the past, the more she cares about William. Can she ever find her father and make it back to the present to heal her sister? And when the time comes to leave, will she want to? Bestselling author Jody Hedlund is your guide down the twisting waters of time to a volatile era of superstition, revolts, and chivalry in this suspenseful story.

Never Leave Me - In the last stages of a genetic disease, Ellen Creighton has decided to live out her remaining days at the estate of her longtime friend Harrison Burlington. Harrison cares deeply for Ellen, but as a wheelchair-bound paraplegic, he's never allowed himself to get serious in a relationship. However, he's desperately trying to save her by finding the holy water that is believed to heal any disease. When he locates two flasks, Ellen refuses to drink one of them because she believes the holy water killed her sister and father. In an effort to convince her to take it, Harrison ingests the contents first, and when Ellen witnesses the effects, she can no longer deny the power of the substance in the bottles. Dangerous criminals are also seeking the holy water, and Ellen soon learns they will go to any lengths to get the powerful drug - including sending her back into the past to find it for them. Best-selling and award-winning author Jody Hedlund plunges you into the swiftly flowing river of history in a race against the clock in this breathtaking, emotional second Waters of Time story.

Falling for the Cowgirl - As the only girl in her family, and with four older brothers, Ivy McQuaid can rope and ride with the roughest of ranchers. She's ready to have what she's always longed for--a home of her own. She's set her heart on a parcel of land south of Fairplay and is saving for it with her winnings from the cowhand competitions she sneaks into--but her dream is put in jeopardy when the man she once loved reappears in her life. After two years away, Jericho Bliss is back in South Park as an undercover Pinkerton agent searching for a war criminal. He has no intention of involving a woman in the dangerous life he leads, but one look at Ivy is all it takes for him to question the path he's set out for himself. Even though Jericho tries to resist his longtime attraction to the beautiful and vivacious Ivy, he finds himself falling hard and fast for her. In the process, his worst fear comes true--he puts her smack-dab in the middle of danger. With Ivy's life in the balance, will Jericho give her up once again, or will he find a way back to her, this time forever?

The Last Chance Cowboy - With danger drawing ever closer, their only hope of saving their futures lies in each other. As a midwife, Catherine Remington is successful in bringing new life into the world, but she's failed one too many times in finding true love. When she's accused of a murder she didn't commit, she's forced to flee to Colorado to honor a patient's dying wish by delivering a newborn infant to his father. The repentant prodigal Dylan McQuaid is finally back in Fairplay. As sheriff, he's doing his best to prove to the town he's a changed man and worthy of their trust. When a woman shows up with an infant son he didn't know he had, Dylan is left with only complicated choices on what to do next. Having grown attached to Dylan's son, Catherine doesn't want to part ways with the infant, but what she doesn't bargain for is how easily she'll fall for the charming sheriff, or how quickly the past will catch up with her and put their love and lives in danger.

What's in the Cross Reference Library? Great C.S. Lewis Biographies

The Magic Never Ends - Since The Screwtape Letters catapulted C.S. Lewis to fame in the 1940s, he has been among the world’s most widely read apologists for the Christian faith. The contributors to this book suggest that his popularity might be explained by the fact that he asked the hard questions about Christianity so directly and answered them with uncommon clarity and simplicity. But C.S. Lewis’ enduring fame can also be traced to his broad literary legacy: 

  • His profound apologetic books such as Miracles, The Problem of Pain, and Mere Christianity are often considered the most readable works available on the subjects.

  • In novels such as Perelandra and Out of the Silent Planet, he created new worlds to test old truths. 

  • His children’s fantasies, set in the magical realm of Narnia, are among the most widely read children’s books ever. 

  • His scholarly works on English literature remain standard classics in their field. 

  • Compiled volumes of his speeches and essays preserve his wit and wisdom. 

Having known and scrutinized this remarkable man, the contributors to this volume help us to understand the growing interest in Lewis and his work. His stepson, Douglas Gresham, his posthumous editor Walter hooper, foremost Lewies archivist and lecturer Christopher Mitchell, and Dabney Hart share their memories and insights into the Lewis legend. They recall, for example, that Lewis’ friend J.R.R. Tolkien took him to task for writing theological books. “I wish I didn’t have to,” Lewis replied, “but until the theologians and the ordained clergy begin to communicate with ordinary people in the vernacular, in a way that they can understand, then I’m going to have to do it.” This book can help us understand how a once outspoken atheist was so successful in achieving that goal. 

A Life Observed - C.S. Lewis is one of the most influential Christian writers of our time. But while it was clear from the start that he would be a writer, it was not always clear he would become a Christian. A Life Observed tells the inspiring story of Lewis’s spiritual journey from cynical atheist to joyous Christian. Drawing on Lewis’s autobiographical works, books by those who knew him personally, and his apologetic and fictional writing, this spiritual biography brings the beloved author’s story to life while shedding light on his best-known works.

What Are Satan's Angels, And Should I Worry About Them?

You can listen to Ask The Pastor every weekday at 9:00am MST on 97.1FM Hope Radio KCMI! You can also listen and subscribe to Ask The Pastor in your favorite podcast feed. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music and most other podcast services.

This edition of Ask the Pastor features Pastors Gary Hashley and Brad Kilthau.

Gary Hashley
We are looking at another question today, helping clarify things in people's minds. And here's what came, "Christians and others often talk about good and bad, and that there is a spiritual war going on between God's angels and Satan's angels. I get God having angels, but not sure about Satan having angels. Are these what are called demons, and do I have to be worried about them?" So, to start with, we need to be reminded that Lucifer, who we came to know as Satan, the devil, the serpent, the dragon. He's called all of those in scripture. He started out as an angel. We read about this in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel chapter 28. That's easy to remember: 14x2 = 28. But in Isaiah 14:12, "how are you fallen from heaven, oh day star, son of dawn? How are you cut down to the ground? You who laid the nation's low. And here's the answer you set in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven above the stars of God. I'll set my throne on high. I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the far reaches of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will make myself like the most high.' But you are brought down to sheel, to the far reaches of the pit." We find that Lucifer was originally an angel himself, because God didn't create Satan as Satan. He didn't create demons as demons, but He did create angels as well as on earth creating humans. But He created angels, an enumerable company of angels, and they were there serving Him. And yet this Lucifer, who it would appear, was maybe the highest ranking angel in God's host of angels. According to Isaiah, he started to become proud. He started to think that, "why should I serve this God? Why can't I be God?" And he declares that he wants to be God, and God cast him from heaven. And he took with him other angels who had followed his thoughts, who had decided they wanted to follow him instead of following God. And they were cast from heaven and Lucifer, we know now as Satan, we know him as the devil. John in Revelation talks of him as the dragon, talks of him as the serpent. And that's where he came from. So he was an angel, and those who fell with him had been angels. In Revelation 12, starting at verse seven says, "now war arose in heaven: Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent who is called," listen to this, "the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, he was thrown down to earth and his angels were thrown down with him." So when you hear of demons or Satan's angels, it appears from scripture. We're talking about the same group and there are angels who followed Lucifer and his rebellion. Angels who decided that Lucifer must have, they thought had a chance to dethrone God and then found out you can't dethrone God. A created being cannot dethrone their creator. And they were cast from heaven. Earlier in chapter 12 of Revelation, it talks about the dragon with his tale drug out a third of the stars. And the understanding that I've heard all my years is that third of the stars implies that one third of all of the angels God had created went with Lucifer in his rebellion. We read in the Old Testament in the days of Moses, of a rebellion that started with Korah Dathan and Abiram. And Korah decided Moses was getting too big for his britches, and that Korah ought to be in the same place Moses was in. Many people listened to Korah and decided Korah was right, and they were going to dethrone Moses. God stepped in and said, "no, don't dethrone the person I've put in charge!" And so Moses stayed in charge. And Korah, of course, that says the Earth opened up and swallowed him and his stuff. But yes, there are two types of angels now, but there was only one type of angel at creation. But there are two types of angels now. And so the question then comes about the spiritual warfare that happens between these two entities. In our last time we did this, Brad alluded to the time in Daniel, when Daniel prays and Gabriel is sent to deliver a message as God's angel, taking a message to God's man, God's prophet Daniel. And it says that Satan and his angels got in the way and there was a battle taking place until Michael shows up and leads the charge against Satan. And Gabriel then is able to go on 21 days later, earth days later, and take the message to Daniel. We read about the armor of God. It says, "we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and the rulers of the darkness of this world." It says, "so put on the armor: the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. Take the sword of the spirit." You know, "the shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, the belt of truth around our waist." The word of God, the sort of the spirit, the shield of faith, because there are battles going on that we never see. You know, when Elisha was surrounded by the enemy and his servant was all upset Elijah said, you know, prayed, "God open his eyes so he can see." And the hills were filled with fiery chariots and God's army was out there fighting against the armies of Satan that we never see. So yes, there are evil forces who started out as angels, but we know them now as demons led by the chief of the demons, Lucifer, who we also know as Satan, the dragon, the serpent, the wicked one. So Pastor Brad, should we be worried about these demons?

Brad Kilthau
Well, there's a lot of thought with that. And in some cases, well, we need to know where they are. When we look at the Bible, we understand that some of those demons that were cast out, that followed Satan outta heaven, were cast out and came down to this earth. We know that some of them we don't have to worry about because they're permanently bound right now. We read about that in Genesis of where these angels came and had sexual relations with daughters and men, with women, human beings. And of course, there was the offspring, and this was totally against God's will. God saw it as such a heinous, immoral sin that he bound them forever, and they are in the lowest abyss. And they will be there until the Lord decides to dump that into the lake of fire at the end of time, and so they don't get another chance. And so we don't have to worry about those angels, those fallen angels that is. But there are also the fallen angels that we think about in Revelation 9 that come out. We could call them the locust demons that are in the bottom of the Euphrates River as they obviously sinned against God in a very heinous way here on this earth. And they are cast into this abyss, but they will be released during the tribulation period as part of the fifth trumpet judgment to carry out some very hurtful things against those who are on the face of the earth. If we're believers, I'm just saying, we don't have to worry about those angels either because it will come out during the tribulation period. And as we are raptured before the tribulation, we won't be here to be seeing them. But there are still demons that are active, thriving, doing the work of Satan right now all around us. And just as you said, Gary, if we could pull back that veil, we would see that spiritual warfare. We're not fighting against flesh and blood, we're fighting against a spiritual enemy in our life. It's something I think we always have to be reminded of. What can these demons be doing to us right now? I think a lot of people think about the demon possessed people as we see in the gospel accounts of where they were cast out and and so forth. When Jesus cast the demons outta that one man, a host of demons, and they went into the swine and then they went out into the sea of Galilee and drowned there. You know, and I think a lot of people have this misconception that, well, we don't have to think about those demons anymore.

Brad Kilthau
They're not active today like they were then. I truly believe they're more active today than they've ever been because they know their time is getting shorter and shorter before their judgment comes. So how can they hurt us? Well they can cause, as we know in the Bible, certain physical and emotional and mental disorders in people. We can see that in Matthew 12 and Luke 13. They can also cause among people what we would call self mutilation. Some of the things we've looked at in the past, one of the things that's very popular was, those who were cutting themselves. And some of that's still going on today. Sometimes we wonder, where does that come from? Why would a person do that to themselves? Well, I think we've labeled everything as a psychological problem, but we need to know there's also a spiritual problem going on. And sometimes I think we're mislabeling some of that. And it is the work of demons. They're very active today in teaching false doctrine, and I think that's one of their main things. In fact, the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 4, he says, "Now, the spirit of God expressly says in the latter times, some will depart from the faith giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons." And when we start looking at what's being taught in some of our church buildings across our country today, and we start to wonder, where could that come from? How could ministers of God, claiming to be that, standing front of his congregation and telling his people that Jesus was not born of a virgin. To stand in front of his people and say, "well, Jesus resurrected from the grave, but it wasn't physical. It was only spiritual." And we gotta think, where could you get such a thought? How could you stand in front of people and share that? Well, the only way you could do that, is if you are being misled by, I think, a demonic presence. That there has to be an influence of a demonic spirit that's misguiding and teaching false doctrine through people as a mouthpiece for them. They can hinder spiritual activity. I know that those of us who've sought to lead people to Christ, it invariably happens. And I know, Gary, you could attest to this too. You know, when you're preaching a message and you're getting down to the heart of the message, you're ready to drive the point home that people need to recognize Christ as Savior and Lord of their life. And you're bringing it right to that point, and all of a sudden hymnals start to drop on the floor, or it seems like somebody pinches a baby about that time. And the whole place goes to confusion and immediately as a servant in the ministry, we recognize what that is. That's a spiritual attack. It's trying to hinder the sharing of the gospel that happens over and over. We gotta also remember that demons can do miracles. They're limited in their ability to do that, but they can do some very deceiving miracles. One of the things that I thought of a while back is what we call the apparitions of Mary. And there's a rise on this right now in the world of where many people are truly believing that they are seeing Mary, the mother of our Lord. As we think about in the Bible, they're seeing Mary appear before them, and then she starts to share some things. She says, "I'm speaking for God to you." Most often, what she is saying to these people is, "you need to pray to me. You need to confess your sin to me. You need to come to me. I'm gonna be the intern between you and God." And we know that's false. We know that's not true. It is only Jesus who is the intercessor between us and the Father. How can that be? Well, demonic beings can actually present themselves in a physical form to look like a human being and be used to share false things. And people will believe this because, again, they've been deceived. And then sometimes, yeah, they can invade and possess certain humans. And that still happens today. And I know we like to label everything as a physical or a mental issue, but we need to look sometimes further. There could also be demonic possession of people today. Some people have asked me in the past, they've said, "So, Pastor Brad, have you ever seen a demon possessed person in your years in ministry?" And I've gotta say, "yes, I have." And when that person looked at me and spoke to me, I immediately recognized that it was a demonic presence. And of course, how do you defend against that? It comes back to what you said again Gary, Ephesians 6, it is through prayer and through the word. Through prayer and through the word. The word is our offensive weapon against a demonic presence in our lives.

Gary Hashley
Well, I hope that helps answer that question about Satan's angels and demons. Are we talking about the same thing? And I believe the answer is, "yes," we are. And there's much to learn and there's much to grow in our faith, because greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.

What's in the Cross Reference Library? Unexpected Answers to Unexpected Questions

A Window to the World - Megan Diamond, an introverted seven-year-old, has decided that being “invisible” is all she can ever hope to be. That is, until Jen Lovett walks into her life. Her new, uninhibited friend brings Megan out of her shell and into a new—and sometimes dangerous—way of viewing the world. Soon, Megan’s shyness is replaced with self-confidence. When sudden tragedy strikes, the world is turned upside down for both Jen’s and Megan’s families, and as the years pass, the effects of that one horrible day continue to cause heartache. And then an unexpected phone call changes everything and becomes an invitation to have restored what has been lost. But with the invitation comes the painful reopening of old wounds. Megan must ask herself what part a troubled past plays in shaping who we become, how we view the world, and—more importantly—how we view the God who is in control of our destiny. Is the risk of staying in the bud worth the pain, or were roses—and people—made to blossom?


Miracle At The Higher Grounds Cafe - Chelsea Chambers is on her own. After a public split from her NFL superstar husband, Chelsea takes a bold step out of the limelight and behind the counter of the Higher Grounds Cafe, an old-fashioned coffee shop in dire need of reinvention. But when her courage, expert planning, and out-of-this-world cupcakes fail to pay the bills, this newly single mom finds herself desperate for help. Better yet, a miracle. Then a curious stranger lands at Chelsea’s door, and with him, an even more curious string of events. Soon, customers are flocking to the Higher Grounds Cafe, and not just for the cupcakes and cappuccino. They’ve come for the internet connection to the divine. Now the cafe has become the go-to place for people in search of answers to life’s biggest questions. When a catastrophe strikes and her ex comes calling, Chelsea begins to wonder if the whole universe is conspiring against her quest to make it on her own. After a shocking discovery opens her eyes to the unseen world around her, Chelsea finds the courage to ask God a question of her own. Heaven answers in a most unexpected way.

Life is full of unexpected circumstances that help us grow. Just like us in our everyday lives, the main characters in the two novels that I chose to tell you about this week, discover that for themselves. At the beginning of A Window to the World we are shown the origin of a very special friendship. First we are introduced to a young Megan Diamond who is struggling as a shy 1st grader. In her young age, Megan had a lot of trouble making friends. But that was about to change when the new girl in her class, Jennifer Lovett, starts treating Megan like she is visible. On that first day of school alone, Megan and Jen become instant friends. You know, a very similar thing happened to me, but instead of the first grade, I met one of my best friends in the eighth grade. For most of my school years, I was really bad at making friends and I always felt invisible like Megan did in this novel. But then everything changed for me that fall of 2016 when I met my very own Jennifer Lovett. I actually thought it was kinda crazy when I started reading chapter one, cause the personalities of the two girls as of the first two pages reminded me of me and my friend Aubrey right away. The two of us couldn’t have been more different. I’m an extreme Introvert, while she’s an active Extrovert. Nevertheless, we made sure to lift each other up everyday as junior high and high school tried its hardest to bring us down. The other interesting thing that I seem to have in common with Megan, is how her newfound friend seemed to gradually bring her out of her shell. But unfortunately, that is where our similarities diverge. My friendship with Aubrey had blessed me in several ways. She’s a part of a great Christian family, which introduced me to the church I go to today. And if she hadn’t encouraged me to step out of my shell a little bit, I wouldn’t be able to do my job that I have today. For Megan though, in A Window to the World, her friend Jen begins to have a bad influence on her as they grow older, and what’s worse is that Jen’s family doesn’t believe in God. As an adult, Megan starts asking hard questions, and as you read this novel by Susan Meissner, you’ll discover the answer she receives. 

As I looked through our library for a novel for this week’s blog post, I found Miracle at the Higher Grounds Cafe by Max Lucado. His main character Chelsea Chambers is also asking questions that she hopes will be answered soon. Her cafe has been in her family for years and has become her passion as well. But income is barely coming in, and Chelsea faces the threat of getting closed down. In Lucado's unique way of storytelling, he brings about a special answer to her prayers. So I guess the point that I wanted to make in today's post was that when your pastor says that the Lord does answer prayer and that He works in mysterious ways, He does. He loves each and every one of us, and wants to help us grow through the trials and confusion. And I loved how these two novels reminded us of that. So come on into the Cross Reference Library and check out what we have in store!