Classic Christianity – Call-In Bob George P404 (1-11-19)
Welcome to Classic Christianity with Bob George. Today we are pleased to present a special radio show, featuring call in listeners from Bob’s original People to People daily radio program that was on the air for over 30 years, offering real answers for real life problems, as he addresses common questions as well as the tough issues of today, directing callers to the centrality of Christ in you, your only hope of glory.
We want to remind our listeners that Bob George Ministries needs your financial support to continue to have Classic Christianity radio on the air. Please visit “BobGeorge.net” to find out how you can support us financially. Let us listen to Bob as he offers practical biblical insights as he helps us grow in faith, hope and love in Jesus Christ.
Bob answered questions by two people today. Glenn asked a simple question but really opened up to expose a more serious problem in his belief system that led him into many years enslaved in fear and depression over guilt over past sin of fornication. Bob graciously helped guide him to truth so he could walk in new freedom and no longer be enslaved to law but walk in the grace of God. The second caller asked a serious question on how to deal with a granddaughter who chose to live in lesbian perverse behavior. Bob shared what she should not say but also provided guidance through the scriptures. In dealing with such blatantly proud behavior, do indeed tell her you love her but also call sin what God calls sin and do not allow such behavior to be flaunted in your home. Do not say. “We are Christians and we will not tolerate that lifestyle”. The problem is irrelevant to whether you are a Christian or not. People know stealing and adultery and all kinds of sin are wrong , and that without being a believer. Even a non-saved person have their disciplinary measures for or against undesired behavior, such as simply instructing a young child to share or to return an item that was stolen. Bob also explains how these sorts of deviant behavior can take root in a heart of a young person by recruitment. Parents need to be wise and alert to confront such influences before they take root and to guide their mature child to truth, but ultimately the choice to hold onto truth or reject it is your child.
Glenn from Colorado Springs CO
Glenn asked a question in regards to 1 Timothy 5:12 in regards to widows. If you go get married then you incur condemnation because you set aside a previous pledge?
Glenn particularly focused on the words “pledge” and “condemnation”.
Bob read the full context of the scripture and explained what he knew from simple reading of the scripture.
1 Timothy 5:3-15
3 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. 5 The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. 6 But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. 7 Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. 8 Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
9 No widow may be put on the list of widows unless she is over sixty, has been faithful to her husband, 10 and is well known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the Lord’s people, helping those in trouble and devoting herself to all kinds of good deeds.
11 As for younger widows, do not put them on such a list. For when their sensual desires overcome their dedication to Christ, they want to marry. 12 Thus they bring judgment on themselves, because they have broken their first pledge. 13 Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also busybodies who talk nonsense, saying things they ought not to. 14 So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander. 15 Some have in fact already turned away to follow Satan.
In summary, Bob said that Paul is providing practical advice to Timothy in leading the people of God under his care. In their day, widows were in need and since a church has limited funds a list was made to prioritize the need. Widows over 60 of good character were those identified to be helped by the church and younger widows who are able-bodied and able to work should do so. Also if widows have family who can help then the family should do so first so as to not to burden the church when the person’s own relatives are able. Young widows are also vulnerable to give into sensual desires and overcome their dedication to remain unmarried and therefore would no longer be a widow in need.
Bob also referenced the scriptures concerning Paul’s advice on marital matters, the choice of a person to marry or not, in 1 Corinthians 7.
1 Corinthians 7:8-10
8 Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. 9 But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.
10 To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. 11 But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
His first question essentially was: “What is the pledge?”
Bob basically answered by saying that scripture does not really provide enough information as to what that is.
Glenn then asked the question: “Why then the condemnation if such a person should set aside the pledge?”
Bob answered by saying that the condemnation would be from other people, not from God. Paul is basically setting up safe-guards or practical wisdom so as to prevent a person from incurring abuse on themselves. Here a young widow, possibly immature in the Lord, could be boasting about her devotion to God but then decides to become married, and after having received income while a widow, both her and the church could incur condemnation. That just creates an embarrassing situation for her and the church who gave to help her. Even today, people are so quick to condemn a person for divorce and even condemn that person for life as if it is unpardonable sin. That should never be.
Glenn then opened up the real issues bothering him, his own condemning of himself for past sin of fornication before he became married to this other woman he now has as his wife. He has fears of God’s condemnation because of what he perceives as a pledge he broke to be potentially married to a person he was involved in sexual fornication with, justifying his behavior that they were going to be married. So 17 years later, he has turned to anti-depressants to deal with his guilt. Essentially he is not living under grace but has placed himself under law, whether he realizes it or not. He does not fully comprehend what God has done for him.
Bob answered him this way. False teaching has got you off base.
“You are living in disobedience to the Lord all these years by not believing what He said when He said ‘I went to the cross to take away all your sins. You are placing a lot of emphasis on your words rather than His words. Your sins are never seen again in the eyes of God. You are beating yourself up over 17 years of committing fornication with a girl you were hopefully planning on marriage but never worked out. In religion, you say: ‘I sinned and what do I do’. In Christ, Christ says: ‘You sinned and I already took care of that sin in the eyes of God. When I cried out from the cross, it is finished, that is what I meant.”
John 19:30
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Christ is who helps you through day. You turned to drugs to alter your mind rather than to Christ to renew your mind. If you are truly born again with the living Christ in you to guide you into all truth, to make the truths of God made known to you and to replace truth with error. You are doing this or you would not be calling to ask these kinds of questions. Just like those who study the dollar bill, study the real thing to recognize the counterfeit. Stay strong in the grace of God as a child of the living God, not because I am a good or bad person but because of the mercy of God. Do not ever negate that mercy. Mercy of God is the most important truth to hold onto. God looked down on our condition and said God forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.
Luke 23:33-34
33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
He said this to those who just beat the daylights out of him. Learn to stand in the grace of God with the full knowledge my sins are taken away from the eyes of God once and for all and forever which Jesus did on the cross. He entered into my spiritual death with me so I can enter into his resurrection with Him. When I came to Him I came to Him for life. The consequences of sin is death and the solution to death is life and the only life available to me is resurrected life of Christ Jesus, born again, forgiven forever, eternally saved person. Truth is what will set you free.
John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Counseling and pills do not set you free. Jesus sets you free. Truth sets you free. A true counselor is going to lead you to one who can set you free.
Romans 8:31-39
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Put aside that guilt behind you and start walking in the grace of God. Take the marriage you know have, praise God for it, and continue on in the new life God has given you. Do not let yourself be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You have been freed from the law. You are now standing in the grace of God.
Galatians 5:1
5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Patsy
Patsy and her husband sent their granddaughter overseas back to their parents because their granddaughter chose to live a lesbian lifestyle. They gave her the ultimatum to not live in that lifestyle. She went home to her mother and stepfather and they too are having a difficult time to know what to do with her.
Bob answered by first sharing what Patsy already knew but also for the benefit of the radio listeners. Homosexuality is a choice and not something a person is born with. By her choice, she is making life difficult for everyone. According to scripture, woe to those people who call what is good evil and what is evil good.
Isaiah 5:20
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
We have to acknowledge what God calls sin as sin. You do not have to be a Christian to know that homosexuality is a sin. I did not change my mind about stealing when I became a Christian. I knew stealing, lying, fornication, and adultery are sins as a lost person. I knew those things as sin long before I became a Christian. This is just good common sense. God puts it on the heart, into the conscience of men. If there is no such thing as wrong, how would you know what is right? Homosexual behavior is called sin according to God’s word. God’s word explains how such a sin comes about and how it manifests itself into more and more depravity.
Romans 1:18-32
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
God gave them over in their sinful desires in their hearts. This is a by-product, the exchanging truth for a lie and worshiping a created being, another woman, rather than the one who created us. A perverse person says in he heart: “God, “I do not care how you created me. I am a woman inside”. All such talk is nonsense. If you have the equipment for a woman, you are woman. Quit exchanging the truth for a lie.
And receive in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. So not thinking it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, God gave them over to a depraved mind.
Homosexuality is a form of insanity. People may not like to hear that but that doesn’t matter, because it is the truth. Do you love somebody enough to tell them the truth? There is a point of insanity in that. Insanity is doing things you know is destroying you. You have been turned over to a depraved mind, adding every kind of wickedness, greed and depravity with your perversion. And we see that today, where those in perversion also approve of others who practice such perversion.
So the real question Patsy is asking: “What do you do with granddaughter?”
You set a standard and tell her the truth in regards to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ loves you and he was raised to offer you eternal life. He did not create you a depraved pervert. That came from your own choice. But I am not going to have that behavior flaunted in our own home. When you flaunt that behavior in other people then I have to take a stand on that.
1 Corinthians provides an example of how the Apostle Paul addressed sexual sin of a man in the assembly of the Corinthian believers, a sin that does not even occur among the heathen, that a man should have his father’s wife! The believers followed the instruction of the Apostle Paul and he was dismissed from their assembly and turned over to Satan so his soul may be saved. Was that harsh? No. The instruction obeyed was to save the body of Christ. As Paul expressed it: “A little leaven leavens the whole loaf.” We love you but we hate that you have given your mind over to perversion. You do not have a mind to listen to God. If you did then you would not say okay to your perverse behavior for you have not chosen to retain the knowledge of God.
In 2 Corinthians, one reads how the same man in 1 Corinthians came to godly sorrow over his sin and went out of his way to clear himself of the matter. Paul later instructed the believers in Corinth to reaffirm their love for him so he is not overcome by grief lest he should never recover.
Do not say this: “We are Christians so we are not going to tolerate that behavior”. Such a statement plays into the defensive response that Christians are intolerant people. Whether you are Christians or not is irrelevant to the problem. As a non-Christian, you know such sexual behavior is a sin. This is wrong. I am not going to have you flaunt this. What you do in private is between you and God. You are not to flaunt this in our family.
She is in rebellion and anger but she was recruited into this behavior. There are really evil people out there, preying on vulnerable people. Recruited with a friendship and this person knows what she is doing. All part of an agenda. They tenaciously keep at it until the person latches on. When approached by people, you need to ask: “Why is this person so interested in me?” The typical scenario is this. She has gone through two boyfriends, resulting in a breakup. Then this girl shows up, while she is emotionally vulnerable, trying to sort out things towards boys and herself. This other girl then strikes up a relationship, and feeds lies to you until you respond: “She understands me” and “men don’t”. That is the hook into these kinds of perversion to the point they start believing a lie and reject basic truth or common sense. Men do not understand this. This other woman had an agenda and persisted.
Purchase/Download the 01/11/2019 Classic Christianity Radio program today:
[add_to_cart item=”01112019″ quantity=”user:1″ ]
After purchasing, there will be a download link emailed to you. Follow the instructions.