Ask Me Anything

my name is Jesse Carrillo I'm the communications director here at arcade I've been here since March and I love it and that's what Craig paid me to say thank you know for those of you that don't know what I do if you've ever looked at the website or seen anything from social media even to the bulletin sitting in your hand right now I have my hand in that and it's it's been an incredible journey since March so thank you for the opportunity to work here guys as Sally mentioned we really love for you guys to start sitting in your text messages it is completely anonymous Craig has not seen a single question at this point right not one so we would love for you guys to send those questions in if it's a question on a scripture passage that you might have all the way down to something that may be holding you up in your faith we'd love for you to be able to send those questions in and creates gonna try and respond to that so anything else babe no let's let's get after it all right yeah I actually like to start with asking you a question that's something that we talk about in our creative meetings okay pretty often yeah why is it that we are doing the things we do what's the purpose we want to know why so why is it important for us to have a Sunday like today and asked me anything Sunday I don't know well I mean obviously this is something that we're trying and and to be honest with you I'm not excited about today I'm very nervous about today I have this very strong aversion to looking stupid in front of the crowd and I don't even like looking stupid in private let alone in front of publicly and plus my old boss my first boss in ministry back in the early 80s is sitting right here so he's gonna be taking notes you can't text anything Jim so so don't don't even think about it so I but here's the thing a corrugation our size we have questions I have questions we have questions about the church we have questions about the church big C little c RK church we have questions about the Bible about all kinds of things and there really is no Avenue to ask kinds of questions because a lot of times my experience even when we do the the question response time at the end the second service which we're going to do again today is that people have they automatically think that their question is probably a stupid question and it's not if you have a question of something about the church or about the Bible or Christianity that's not a stupid question odds are fifty other people have that same question in this room and so we're thinking maybe that we can be able to do that on a Sunday like this in the first and second service and and just respond and I hope that you know I have no problem saying I don't know and they're no doubt will be people and in the audience that will know the answer that question and either I freeze up in front of you or I just don't know the answer I have no problem saying that but it's just a chance for us to be able to ask questions and get things out on the table because we want we want our faith to be examined is so if you're not a Christian we really want you to become one but we also recognize it's on us to to convey to you the truth of Scripture and we want to do that accurately and then also I hope I hope that I hope that you know that I don't consider myself to be the Bible answer man I've told you countless times there are people in this service who have forgotten more about theology in the Bible than I will ever know and I'm alright with that and so I don't it's just that my position is to be on the platform and to teach on a regular basis from God's Word and that's why I'm here it's not because I know more than anybody else because quite frankly I don't and so there will be some questions this morning no doubt I hope that I don't have a clue and I'll tell you without taking ten minutes to tell you you know so let's try it so Craig yeah no let's not play stump the so that's great I really appreciate you answering that I think it's important to set that foundation as as we move forward today so let's jump in and for those of you when you send a text message in I'm actually getting them to my iPad and like I said I'm completely anonymous so don't worry about that you're not gonna name names or call out numbers first question ready ready what is the del Norte ministry what is the del Norte ministry the del Norte fitness center is a fitness center that we purchased about 10 or 11 years ago it's a block away just down Becerra I encourage you to head down there after the service and they'll give you a tour you can just walk through it we purchased that about 11 years ago because the opportunity was there but we really didn't have a vision for it we didn't know okay now we have it what do we do with it and wheat we tried church events over there when we first moved and it just was inappropriate it was it's not our space even though we own it is the space of the members and we want to keep them coming to that I think I think Frank has told us there's 3,500 members they're counting children and things but 3,500 members go to that fitness center most of which are most of whom are non-believers and so we want to have a presence there we employ people from arcade not always and not all of them are Christians but we go down there very very often to either workout or just to be a presence there so that people get a chance to meet us and know us with the intent not with the old terior motive but with the ultimate motive of presenting Christ to them so that that's the downloading ministry we're gonna have that sucker paid off in about two years and I'm really excited really excited yeah and I love playing pickleball that's yes the best oh hey pickleball have you guys started pickleball I know that this is pick up lights blast yeah join the club and play pickleball anyway yes that's great all right let's move on to the next question when losing a loved one do our loved ones go directly to heaven or are we all raised together at the end when we're losing a loved one do our loved ones go directly to heaven I'm assuming that the loved one is a believer in Jesus Christ if they were believer in Jesus Christ I probably wouldn't say it's heaven it's paradise take that from for example when Jesus is talking to the thief on the cross at the crucifixion he tells the thief today you will be with me in paradise and so our souls are with Christ and Christ right now is is is at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf I have no idea what that looks or sounds like but we know that when a believer in Jesus Christ dies physically their body goes into the ground and it decays but their soul goes to heaven waiting for our physical resurrection we know that there will be a physical resurrection and the reason why we know that is because jesus is alive physically and we're in him and so I'm not sure I'm answering or are we all raised together at the end yeah but we are raised physically together at the end yes good all right third question here how were people saved in the Old Testament before Christ's death burial and resurrection both Jew and Gentile can you give us a specific description oh you're asking for scripture wow that's it that's a killer well I mean III go to Genesis 12 when God calls Abraham out of the land that where he was from and he calls him to this promised land and Abram is trusting in this God that's leading him and God credited to it there's this phrase in in Genesis 12 God credited to him righteousness and so the short answer to the first part of the question is the Old Testament people are saved the same way you and I are tested or saved through faith we're trusting in God the reality is we have the advantage of knowing who Jesus is and we have a chance to look back on the crucifixion the resurrection to trust our Lord the Old Testament Saints they were looking forward not really knowing what was going to happen in fact there's a place in romans chapter 4 where paul is saying where he considered the the the righteous acts that were done beforehand like believing god as being paid for by the blood of christ so even the blood of christ is paying for their sins as he pays for ours the advantages we have a chance to look back on Jesus and they were looking forward to whatever God was going to do but they're trusting in God they were having faith in God and so that the answer to the first part is that we're saved the same way it is through faith in Jesus Christ it's just that they didn't know who Jesus was they just knew that there was this promise of God waiting for them and they place her faith in that any specific scriptures well Genesis 12 Romans 4 would be would be specific ones that I would I would go to great and Genesis 15 as well when the covenant is made with Abraham so Genesis 12 15 and Romans 4 there are other places but definitely those places cool all right in what specific ways does Arcade give back to the local area through local missionaries well I think right out of the gate one of the focus groups that we focus in on is crew International that is by the dianna cheese I don't know if they're in the audience this morning or not I think they come the second service but you know incredible people and they've got a very very strong gospel ministry through a crew with the international students at Sac State and UC Davis are they on the junior college of campus as well Dan 12 campuses that around our area and so they're very strong in that local area through local missionaries well I think of sac Food Bank we don't know that the missionaries are you with the SAC Food Bank one Thursday a month they come on our campus on the Becerra parking lot and and the staff and many volunteers come and we hand out groceries produce to our neighbors who are in desperate need also on that's on Thursdays as well we've got the APC mobile van that you saw last Sunday well they're on our campus right there as well by the SAC Food Bank every Thursday for them and they're on our campus doing those and we look at del norte as a mission field every time you'd go and work out there you are you are being a gospel presence on that on that place and so we at Del Norte as definitely a mission field and then your neighborhood that's God has called you for that neighborhood you know so what's that Dan Arabic ministry we've got an Arabic fellowship that meets here on campus during the second service in the choir room but then also the Arab Center that's on Fulton Street many of you are active in on a weekly basis just helping refugees with insurance issues there's a language barrier there's a cultural barrier and many Arcadians go there on a weekly basis to help them decipher through the American rigmarole of being in this country and so there's a continual presence with that we also do food sorting through the sac food bankers yeah I don't thing that we do thanks for three or four times a year yeah and that helps I think with the distribution of food throughout the community which is something yeah the SAC Food Bank is is really a powerful thing that was really with the vision of one of our elders Victor Bruce Pastor Dan the day before they come on our campus he takes a team and they hand out thousands of flyers to the apartment complexes every Wednesday before the Thursday to sack food make Andrew Northcutt is kind of the staff whipped cracker and he makes sure that that we are representative out there as well so a lot of a lot of hands are in that ministry and a big one I forgot is run to feed the hungry yeah thank you yes two thousand plus water bottles two thousand plus one we had I don't know fifty or sixty Arcadians involved on that day and and and we're just trying to have a gospel presence I mean anywhere we can yeah yeah it's awesome this next one is about your preaching oh so just be prepared yeah how do you choose what to preach on what is what's your process well my process for about thirty years of ministry was it's Debbie me and so I come home and ask what do you think and and you know because we were we were in small country churches and it was just her and me a lot times in ministry and there was a very small scale down staff and so collaboration was was Debbie and I really talking about things that that were in concerns and her own soul or things that we wanted to know about Scripture and so we would do that here it's a little different I still involve my wife a lot and at home just asking her questions and running things by her but we have a creative team of which you're one of those Jesse but the pastoral staff and John Cassidy and his community groups team speaks heavily into the sermon series this ax series was their idea the Romans series before that was their idea this fall we're gonna do a series through the Minor Prophets and just take one Sunday going through the Minor Prophets and that's that's kind of my idea began and I'll tell you the reason why cuz I don't know that I don't know as much about the Minor Prophets as I should and so the way I learned is by preparing sermons and teaching you and and so we'll be doing that the Gospel according to series in the summer time which is something I want to start can I have some some congruence throughout the summer months and we started seven years ago with Genesis and this year we're gonna be going the Gospel according to first Samuel and and so much of that is is with that but the team speaks into a lot like Christmas Easter the post Easter series where we're starting to talk about pastor Brian last Tuesday we start talking about Christmas 2018 none of us wanted to we did but but but he's right we got to start talking about those things we're trying to plan ahead how do you as a follow-up question to that how do you think about and work yourself into a position where you're gonna preach on something that's cultural cultural in nature that you connect to the gospel it's not necessarily a book of the Bible that you're studying yeah how do you choose that really I try I try to have an ear on the culture on the media social media the questions I get asked via email I'm hoping that there will be some sermon series that come out of this today is that we're finding out that you know what people aren't asking this question they're asking this question and and so I'm hoping that for a future sermon series some of those are born out of the questions today that's great yeah all right how do I know I'm serving the Lord and fulfilling the will he has for my life yeah how do I know I'm serving the Lord and fulfilling the will he has for my life do you love him do you love him do is what you are doing whatever it is is what you are doing is it born out of love and adoration for God then whatever that is is the will of God he loves you so much that he will not permit you to go down a trail that is outside of his will that's how powerful he is you might remember two or three years ago I had to do a little draw circle and and and I had you close your eyes or look at me and just draw within that circle that circle embodies the will of God and and our God is so powerful the Bible teaches us that God is so powerful and so mighty and so loving for his children that everything that happens in our life is according to his purpose and if that's the case I guess the question for me is is there ever a time when you were out of his will and now that doesn't mean you're always making right decisions he is so good and so powerful that even the wrong decisions even the sinful decisions that you and I make are in accordance with his will because he is making us like Christ so I guess the the way the question is worded how do I know well is what you are doing born out of love for Jesus and even if it's not I think you need to ask the question why not because that you can change you may not be able to change your circumstances but you can change the object of your love and so I would encourage you to do that that's good all right how come evil and tragic things happen to followers of Christ how could a good God allow these bad things to happen I think it's probably affected all of us in some way shape or form and he's texting these questions grief okay how come evil and tragic thing well the first part of the question how come evil and tragic things happen period is because this is a broken world it's as broke everything's broken about it that nature is broken humanity is broken and when you put nature and humanity together it makes for a broken world now how come evil and tragic things happen to followers of Christ because we're part of this world until Jesus comes until this new heaven and new earth occurred that we see in Revelation 21 and 22 until that happens we are going to be part of the brokenness we're going to be contributors of that brokenness and we're going to be recipients of the brokenness all right and so we are saved from the presence of sin but we're not saved from the power of sin we're not saved from sinful people doing bad things to us Jesus who is the most loving most kind individual on the planet had the worst things ever done to a human being done to him and he was part he was recipient of that brokenness he is the only person who ever walked this planet who lived life never once contributing to the brokenness and so the reason why evil and tragic things happen to followers of Christ it's because we're part of that Brooke how could a good God allow these bad things to happen I don't know iiiiii I don't think that that's what you mean but that's almost accusing God how dare you God and I know I just choose not to believe that that was the gist of the question I I don't know I do know I do know what it's not it's not because you sinned and gods sticking it to you I know that I know that whatever loss you're experiencing whatever you're going through it is I don't know why except this do this real quick I'm sorry Jessie but go for it draw I'm just thinking out I've mentioned a circle the last questions on diamond circles draw a circle somewhere just draw a circle and put all of the things that go on in your life on the outside of that including Satan and suffering good and right you know all the commands that you want from the New Testament everything just go and do that and draw all the things on the outside of the circle and then smack dab in the middle of the circle is Right glory and joy and everything that's on the outside of that circle including Satan and suffering points to God's glory and your joy so whatever you're going through whatever that is the ultimate culmination of that Scripture teaches us is God's glory and your joy that's the end of the story God will be glorified and you will be so like John Piper says satisfied in him that you will take joy in him I think Paul tell teaches us that in Philippians he teaches us that this I I've learned that no matter all the crud that happens to me all the suffering that's happened to me it is it's nothing in fact it's rubbish he uses a slang for dung there a slang that your mama and my mama didn't teach me to say all right and so he's doing that but I dunno why does it happen well it doesn't happen because God is punishing you because the punishment that you deserved went to Christ on the cross God is not a such a bad parent that he's gonna punish twice for the same crime all right that may not be the response that you want but that's huge because I grew up in a church that you know it told me that it's like oh if you've done something wrong or sinned it's God punishing you yeah I think it was just a way of controlling me yeah and so I think it's liberating to hear that n2j and that's a good point that you bring up because there is a we all as parents we all know the difference between punishment and discipline right God discipline Hebrews 12 God those he loves and so many times the things that the unintended consequences from our sin or the sins of others on us is simply for Discipline purposes to bring about a corrective behavior because he is sanctifying us he's making us more like Jesus so I think that's important good good point yeah yeah all right what is your biblical position on women ministers in the church well I mean the reason why I'm pausing is because that's an excellent question and it's one that we're trying to answer not just here it's an excellent question he my pause is biblical oh my goodness biblical is is killer for me whenever I get asked questions like this I always go back to the garden I go back to Genesis so I had a professor tell me one time if you understand Genesis 1 through 11 you'll understand the Bible I didn't believe him then but I do now I really believe that and so my biblical position on women ministers in the church well first of all we're not a church without them we really are not we're not and so there is so much of gospel ministry that would not happen if it were not for the women of our church women in ministry are vital to the life of the church I think that's one of the reasons I've tried every time it came up but during the acts series whenever Paul would go into a community Luke would record that people came to Christ and he would say and not a few women like four or five times in the book of Acts well why does he mention that because he's signaling to us that women for the for the propagation of the gospel to go out are going to be vital all right and so that is absolutely vital also when you talk about potentially I'm gonna go over the river and through the woods on this one let's do it when you when you talk about a potentially dispute 'full is that a word dispute when you when you talk about disputation in the church okay when you talk about disputation in the church we must begin with the gospel we don't we don't go to the disabuse a disputation because that's how churches split that's how brothers and sisters split that's how hatred and bitterness and argumentation and dispute ation turns into argumentation we must land on the gospel that's why Paul in Philippians 3 told the audience in Turkey he didn't say you girls get along he said rejoice in the Lord make that your unifying quality who the sisters I he wasn't taking sides he was saying you to rejoice in the Lord and as you rejoice in the Lord that will bring you together and he doesn't he does like a big parent and again I say rejoice the Lord says it twice so we must land there secondly the Bible teaches that when it comes to men and women in God's sight both are equally valued all right when you go back to the garden Adam was creating the image of God so as Eve and there is no inclination there whatsoever that Adam had more of the image of God than Eve there were both equal image bearers of God that's where it starts but then when you move to the New Testament in in places like first Corinthians 11 and first Timothy 2 there are limitations for roles that happen within male and female and I believe it and ended here here's the interesting thing the Bible gives us wiggle room so why the Bible gives us wiggle room and so would for here I believe that by conviction the Bible prohibits women elders to hold the office of elders after that I think it's wide open for women but keep in mind the Bible prohibits eldership for a lot of men too when you look at the when you look at in Timothy 3 the the the the litany of things that an elder must be that eliminates a lot of people men and women but I think the line is drawn for a church with elder after that that wood doesn't bother me a twin or the platform it doesn't bother me that a woman would give a Bible study or give a sermon of some type that I don't think that's violating a scripture because it seems that the prohibition in first Timothy 3:2 is not on teaching I can I could apply that to a cultural issue but the prohibition is on Authority within the church not in this society I would have no problem if one came along that I was for I would have no problem voting for a female candidate for any office but that's within the church that starts with the husband and wife by the way it's modeled for us by the husband and wife we can talk that that requires a lot more conversations this one yeah we have some amazing women leaders here we do at arcade so it's and in a lot of those women have gifts Jesse that have been suppressed because I what I believe a faulty practice of a right interpretation agreed all right how does grace make the gospel of Jesus different from all the merit-based religions philosophies and ethical systems of the world I think I think the answer that question is in the question grace is the thing that makes it different grace is is grace is what differentiates Christianity from any other belief system there are a couple things like the person of Christ Christ doesn't say if you want to be saved follow me he says if you want to say be saved trust me then follow me most merit-based religions say it followed this prophet followed that seer followed that leader follow the teachings of that the call of Christianity is follow Christ by believing in him trusting in him the grace masae more salvation by grace is that God does all the work Jesus Christ on the cross took all the pain we get the benefit Jesus Christ has kicked out of the family we get brought into the family Jesus Christ was taken out of the city and crucified we'd get to be brought into the city all the privileges that Jesus had a right to have and demand he laid aside so that you and I could be able to have the right to be called children of God and that's a gift even the faith I believe by conviction that even the faith that you have is a gift of God and if he did not give you that gift you would not believe in him what is the real role of the church in politics today I think this is a great question it is a great question it's great well I mean 30,000 foot view 30,000 foot view there are laws in this land for nonprofits to talk about politics all right and so and we abide by those laws and so up here we don't promote specific candidates over another much to the chagrin of many members in this room right now we are not well I'll tell you this here's here's my opinion I can't give you chapter and verse but I can give you opinion politics is a power play that's all politics is politics is one side trying to get power over another side when Christians get involved in that we lose our mission and we get lazy the moral majority of the 80s how many of you were live in the 80s you probably still you probably still have the tattoo from the moral majority that ruined the church you want to know why because we got power we got the power and we abused it and and it made it made the church fall asleep from what the real mission was the real mission was not to bring God back in America the real mission was not to win over the immoral or in moral people the real mission is to go into all the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ the moment we got political power is the moment we fell asleep as a church and I think whatever whatever's happened now is a result of that so what I tell my seminary students when I teach church history is whoever whoever has the power we'll abuse the power that's rule number one rule number two everybody wants the power everybody when the church has political power the church stops being a church and so my role and the elders role and the pastoral staff role and our role is to ensure that the main thing is the main thing and the main thing is not to make America great again and that's not discouraging towards our president at all the main thing is the gospel of Jesus Christ that is what we are to be about not just in a services but in the world and so that means that when we are involved in it we are we're a good hunk we're a capital city of California and so yes be involved politically absolutely but keep in mind that it's a mission of Christ that drives that political endeavor not you want to get power again because what our role as a church is not to get power it's to give it away we that's what Jesus did right in John 13 John 13 John makes this observation Jesus understood who he was he understood his authority he understood his power he understood his might he under and then what did he do with that mic what did he do with that authority took off his outer garment and he knelt and he wash the disciples feet that is our role in this community it is to give away power and so if you vote from a conservative standpoint vote go ahead knock yourself out vote all you want if you vote from a liberal standpoint you may have gospel reasons for voting from a liberal standpoint just as people have a gospel reason for voting from a conservative standpoint but don't think for one moment that if the Evangelic will block gets the power that we're gonna make America great again we will not and if we do the church will fall asleep and I'm committed to not making that happen here I hope you are too I said a bunch there but anyway well to follow up with that I mean what advice would you give to folks that are trying to maybe be in the political realm but at the same time they want to look through things look at things through the lens of the gospel how would they do that yeah I preached on Isaiah 40 at Christmastime and and if you've ever read Isaiah it can be it can be heavy but if you've ever read Isaiah Isaiah is criticizing the Israelites for a ton of stuff right I'm he's just back in the truck up and just criticizing the Israelites for a ton of stuff what's funny a funny sad is that God is criticizing the Israelites for the same things that Democrats criticized Republicans for and and on the same list he's criticizing Republicans for the same reason the Democrats criticize him for so all of these issues I don't I don't know how we can be a two-party system in our country and vote from a gospel perspective because there are gospel issues on both sides there really are there are gospel issues on both sides and so I don't know how we do that and so what I would say is if you're gonna vote a certain way I would say lock it down with the gospel may make it a gospel reason why you're voting that way whatever way that is from my wife and I we we vote a certain way based upon one issue by the way everybody's the one issue person everybody and and so we we are one issue voters and so the way that we vote is based upon one issue that's but that problem wasn't a very good be aware is answer your question Jessie yeah just be aware and and know what the issues are don't go on social media yeah read your Bible read your Bible more than social media alright this might be a question that more relates to my generation but why do we choose to go to church and not just stay home to praise Him well I think if Hebrews 10 were the writer of Hebrews the the the book of Hebrews is really interesting because the writer of Hebrews is very concerned about one thing that believers Jewish believers are turning their back on Jesus so all the whole the whole letter or book I'm not sure it's a letter but the whole book is written with with the fear with the worry that believers are turning away from Jesus turning away from the gospel and so in Hebrews 10 he you know he just says don't give up meeting together as in as some are in the habit of doing and it is because there is great benefit in that I think that's when we when we see the world out there and we look at the 24/7 news cycle and we see all the crap going on in the world there has to be an oasis there has to be a place where we can drink from the fountain of the River of Life so to speak and metaphorically and enjoy one another where L look around you where else in our community will old people and young people Russians and Americans of African Americans Hispanics and every other other form of ethnicity can gather together and sing one voice where else can we do that except maybe a Niners game and and boy howdy people are worshiping there and they're unified until their fourth beer then they're not but but but but here this is the time when we have to be able to gather together with Jesus in mind and then scatter with Jesus in view so we want to gather we need this not because I'm a pastor but because I need you I need to know I'm not alone I need to know that there are people who love Jesus as much as I love them so I would say to your generation you are robbing yourself of a lot of pain because it's big it's a hassle to be together isn't it it's just a hassle but it's also an incredible blessing you you can't you cannot do Church at home you can be a member of a church at home I suppose but you can't do Church at home it's insinuates community and insinuates there's a reason why Paulin in in first corinthians 12 13 and 14 is talking about the image of the church being a body and what we're trying to do here is just be a body together what do you think the purpose of musical worship for the church is for the church how do i its videos staging fit into the mission of our k church okay i didn't get the last part it's oh oh how do lights video staging fit in that okay what do i think is the promise of the musical worship for the church well I mean first of all I think there is several layers to that probably I would say first layer is music is something that people of all ethnicities and all economic backgrounds enjoy rich people and poor people love music they love beauty and the church the church is made up of drastically diverse people at least we're supposed to be we're not all supposed to look the same think the same tap our foot the same we are to be different but yet when we when Pastor Brian for example when he finds some songs that articulate our love and adoration to Jesus Christ then that that is one of the only times in our spiritual life where we are unified we're not all singing a different tune and this is America we're used to singing our own tune we're used to marching to our own beat but on those those I don't know Brian I don't know if he's in here but those 25 or 30 minutes that that he has planned for us musically speaking I see that as a time when we display actively to the skeptics in the room wow look at how these people love God and look at how they love each other and how they articulate and singing these songs together that's kind of what I look for we sing music because it's beautiful and it does thinks to our soul lyrically melodically that is very powerful how do lights video staging fit in because we are people of senses we have five senses and somewhere along the way the Protestant church reacted against the Roman Catholic Church and we got rid of all the incense all the candles all the things all the quote trappings of worship to our demise and what we have tried to do is bring back those senses for example with lights the reason why we do fancy lights and stuff is because we have a gifted person who can do that and if we didn't have that we wouldn't do it but we have gifted people in place that are able to do those lights and so why would I want to handcuff their gift by saying oh we don't do lights here I mean I I appreciate what he does I love it no one does a great job and Dave Rubert video do you think I mean like YouTube or that video I think they're referring to the screen up okay the reason why we do that is we want to shrink the room there is something about especially musically when there's something for me as a worship follower when the camera zooms in on one of our worship leaders vocalists instrumentalists and they are into doing what they do musically and and they're not just doing it the music they're worshiping God through their gift that does something for me now I sit in the front row typically but if I'm sit in the balcony or towards the back I don't see that so the purpose of the we in the trade call it the I'm AG you're welcome okay the reason for the I'm AG is to make the room smaller so that we can be able to see things we've also had historically people who are hearing impaired and they read lips and so we use the I mag for that as well and then that goes on YouTube yes by the way in Russian that goes out to about 2,000 people weekly globally all over the world tooth in Russian 2,000 people download whatever is happening on arcade Church and it goes out globally in Russian I speak Russian Wow I don't speak Russian Oh yet yet all right well that was a great question I think this next one's gonna be a little more intense here we go I believe God is merciful for even allowing believers into heaven but why eternal damnation for everyone else he knew everyone's fate before time began so why does a good God still give life to an unbeliever knowing this outcome wouldn't it be better for their sake if they had not existed at all where to start it's a good it's a good question well the eternal damnation for everyone else it my boy Jesse there's all kinds of different angles that we can go at this and this is the problem with this format is I'm not sure the context of the questions so I might miss read the context of the question a why eternal damnation for everyone else well I I'm reading an assumption into that part of the question and I could be wrong about the Assumption by reading the assumption that these people are innocent and they're are destined for damnation that's just not what the Bible teaches the Bible teaches that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Paul takes the first three chapters of Romans to validate that to show every people group every every tribe every race every ethnicity is is guilty before God and so the inside and so the the reason why people are damned is because we have basically woken up every morning of our life and given God the finger were born that way nobody's born Christian no one is born a worshipper for Jesus we are all every one of us born natural rebels hostile to God if we had the chance we would kill God we don't want him in our lives right that met that's that's a paraphrase of a lot of scriptures Romans 3 in Romans 2 and and and one is well wrong nine that next part so does God still give life to an unbeliever knowing this outcome I don't know I don't know why God does that I really don't accept that God is a creating God he said that he set creation I'm hearing myself think as I'm going along he's set creation in a trajectory and the trajectory was he that what was the first okay well what was the first Great Commission the first Great Commission to Adam and Eve before the fall before sin was what be fruitful and multiply and and so that Commission wasn't suspended because we sinned that Commission is still in place younger married couples be fruitful multiply and and and that it that is the Great Commission of God is that we have babies and and and so III think that why why does he allow that I I don't know I I really don't know would it be better for their sake if they had not existed at all I don't know if I can say that towards anybody I don't know if I can say that with a clear conscience that anybody regardless of how they've suffered that they shouldn't have been born at all I know that Paul talks about that he talks about I wish I'd never been born if that would have happened Moses makes the same reference I think so I the the middle question is the one that has befuddled me and I'll have the answer on my way home driving but right now I I truly don't know yeah I'm you're you're asking me to jump inside the mind of God and I don't think there's any place in scripture where it talks where God has revealed that thinking to us yeah all right that's all I got sorry who nice what is arcades position on women teaching and preaching in the church what is arcades position on women teaching and preaching in the church well I'll tell you this topic has never come up since I've been pastor here it's never been a point of contention in and the pastors and elders have just chosen to make it a point of contention not contention nothing right a point to discuss how's that conversation yeah and so on before I answer a question that is that has some disputation to it where godly people on both ends of this agree and disagree I always no matter what the content the question is I said we have to begin at the gospel that is what unifies us if you if you are waiting to see if I'm gonna say the right thing about this and then if you disagree you're gonna find a church someplace that does agree well you've missed the point and so of I'd that the point of agreement is always the point of unification for a gospel centered church like us is the gospel itself second second thing I would say is this is that going all the way back to the garden both the male and the female are equal image bearers of God the man because he was created first is not more of an image bearer than the woman but rather they are equal in their image bearing Paul states that again spiritually speaking in Galatians chapter 3 when he says there's no slave or Greek male or female he goes through a list of different people groups that we tend to separate and under the gospel there is no such thing as a separation all people groups all genders are for the gospel alright now that said there are different roles for example if you go back to the garden in Genesis chapter 1 in chapter 2 we see very distinct roles that God has for male and female the male is called ish the female is called yah each means the hard one yah means the soft one those are differences those are differences identity then you jump ahead into the New Testament first Timothy chapter 2 first Corinthians chapter 11 those roles seem to be played out within the church and that role differentiation in my mind is at the elder role and that is all I for whatever reason there seems to be a prohibition for certain men and women to become elders in a church after that everything else I think is open everything else I think can be interpreted through a cultural landscape that is very very important but when Paul talks about for example in first Timothy 2 about women being silent in the church and and submissive and they don't allow a woman to speak and all those kinds of things is that and and and that there's this role differentiation that the authority is to be a male and and the submissive one to be the female is that anything but is that cultural well I think part of it could be but most of these going back all the way pre culture to the garden when male and female were created and I know that that's not what a lot of people hear but I think that Paul writes all of those things to the church and Ephesus because he is distinguishing between the roles that men and women have within the church not in society for me I would have no trouble whatsoever if a female candidate came out I would vote for her in a minute that would not bother me it wouldn't bother me if I've worked in the corporate world to have a female boss but there seems to be a role differentiation when those roles are played out they are very very complementary they complement each other and and obviously there's more that can be said about this but I you know that's kind of where I'm at and so when you ask what's arcades position I don't think that we have a formal position I'm not sure anything's written nothing's been written down since I've been your pastor on women teaching and preaching in the church I believe that that teaching and preaching within the church that is a cultural interpretation that Paul gives to the Church of Ephesus specifically because there are accounts where the Chim Chim the women are not silent in the church in the New Testament you think about Lydia in Acts chapter 16 she was one of the principal planters of the Church of Philippi I'm thinking she wasn't there just to make casseroles or teach children she was a woman of influence a woman of power from a worldly standpoint who comes to Christ I don't think that all of a sudden well since I'm a woman now I can't be authoritative or I can't lead I that's hard that's a hard leap for me to take I think of priscilla and aquila priscilla it there that and priscilla knock while there mention I know I'm going too long but Priscilla Aquila are mentioned like seven or eight times in Scripture Priscilla's mentioned first half of those times a koala her husband is mentioned second that that's on purpose I don't know what the purpose of that is except that my guess is having worked with a lot of Priscilla Priscilla Annapolis is that Priscilla was the one that was vocal was the one that was was out there that issues and appala was the supportive godly male husband who was not threatened by that but when they corrected Apollo's and his theology it insinuates that Priscilla was just as in fact evinces a koala and so I see that in the book of Acts again and I tried to point this out the last time were together but whenever Paul would go into a city people would convert be converted to Christianity and Luke would always always mention and some women now why is that well because they needed children's Sunday School is that why no I think that was Luke's way of saying to us these women were women of influence within the church and I mean more and more can be said about this and so there's a lot of y Abbot's that we can address in conversations sometimes but as far as women and preaching and teaching in in exercising authority in in the church today is drastically different than it was back then back then during the time that Paul wrote to Timothy and Ephesus Authority was the person standing on the platform because nobody had their Bibles very few people had any of the epistles very few people at any of the Gospels and so when a person stood it was in a position of authority the position I have now behind the pulpit or any other preacher male or female behind this pulpit is not my authority that I have as a man or even as a pastor I'm a person of influence by virtue of my office but that's it but when it comes to roles there is a difference when it comes to men and women I know I'm ramming a little bit that's great it's a good question it is and it needs to have more conversations but you know what if we split over this stuff we've lost the gospel we just lost it and by the way those of us who raised in conservative circles like myself I think you are too Jesse is many times men have interpreted this as oppressing the women keeping them down got to keep those women down you give them an inch they'll take a mile no no our role our role as leaders if we are to be leaders we are to lead we are leaned into sacrificial service and if we're not doing that we too are violating the scripture and so if we are to be leaders the persona of our leadership is to be sacrificial service not lordship lowering down keeping people press but rather coming underneath them and lifting them up that's the posture of a church leader we need to be that male or female we have some really great female leaders all we do here at our yes you and I think you've done a great job of giving them a platform to speak and share the gospel in different ways and so thank you for that and what would you say this is a follow-up question what would you say if there are some some women leaders that are like leaning towards me and I wish I had more of an outlet to share the gospel from a more public stage what is our kid doing how would you encourage them well I guess the short answer on that one Jesse would be Titus to is that is you know Paul is saying women should be teaching the older women should be teaching the younger women that needs to happen and that we probably need to systematize that to program that to to ensure that the older women are teaching the young women that the older women are prepared to teach and the younger women are prepared to learn I think that's very very important I've got some things to learn from from female leadership I think for example with here see follow goals all those kinds of things I think women need to be involved in the vision casting the decision-making for all those things those are those are vital things and you know I didn't I work with women until I came here I had a secretary but she kind of did her own thing I did my own thing we didn't really work together and here arcade I work everyday with women and I see that I have missed out the last three decades of ministry simply because there is a different perspective a different flavour that a woman brings into decision-making into leadership certainly into the gospel that I miss and I need that and so we need to we need to find more platforms for women to be able to exercise their gifts that go beyond the ones that traditionally have happened over the years all right okay if someone claims to be a Christian and ends their life well they go to heaven if someone claims to be a Christian and ends their life will they go to heaven now this has been asked since I've been a kid I remember this question yeah yeah I guess I would word that differently claiming to be a Christian doesn't make one a Christian is that maybe I'm being too nit picky here if the person is a believer in Jesus Christ if they have placed their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and they end their life do they go to heaven forgiven of their sins absolutely absolutely and shame on us for pumping any other kind of truth for that because it's not true is Jesus Christ and his death on the cross sufficient for sin yes or no yes and so I I don't I don't want to think that oh my goodness if I'm driving down Marconi and I get into it and I'm thinking evil thoughts or I'm lusting after a woman or I'm thinking hateful thoughts or someone and then all of a sudden I die if I'm dying in that sin am I gonna go to hell no Jesus covered that and so I yeah I know suicide does not like that's not the unforgivable sin unbelief is the unforgivable sin okay it's great all right have you ever had a crisis of faith what advice could you give to someone who's experiencing a dry season in their walk with God oh well I mean real quick bullet points join a community group there are things that you should do by the way you don't just sit there and just you know get the lotus position and Hum but Larry you jointly join a community group because when you're going through the dark night of the soul which the old Puritans used to call that when you're going through the darkness so the knee-jerk reaction is to isolate is to withdraw to withdraw from people to withdraw from the saints it's just it's just part of our sin nature probably that still sometimes takes control so I say join a community group do not miss a Sunday I would encourage you to be in the word I would encourage you to read I there are all kinds of really great Christian biographies out there of people who are experiencing exactly what you are you know I'd find one of those and read that music is huge I would listen to music good music not country-western good music but good music that that draws your heart and mind God word I would listen to that I would do that but I think the biggest temptation for people that are going through a crisis of faith is is that and by the way when when you come out of that you will see that as a gift you will see that as a blessing you will see that God shines even brighter in your life that doesn't mean that the times are going to go away but you will see that God is richer far more beautiful when you experience that have you ever been asleep and you have this really real nightmare it's real to the point that when you wake up it's not real your head that you might be only one that I have oh I mean you wake up and you're on make in a great mood because oh my goodness this is gonna be a great day cuz that didn't happen and I think that's what happens for us many times this crisis of faith often is a spiritual nightmare and by God's grace and by his power and his compassion and his truth he will bring you through that valley of the shadow of death Psalm 23 and you will find out that he will be all you need and he will be far more beautiful than you ever knew going into that time that's great this next question is somebody who I will relate with a 10 year old asked what is the biblical position on the existence of dinosaurs and when during creation would they have actually existed thank you whoever asked that well I'll tell you what I think yeah and it's not founded on any scientific mumbo-jumbo kind of thing I think the dinosaurs were alive I think they were created beings just like everything else you know there are places in job where it talks about leviathans and and all of these kinds of animals that were around I think that they were around I think that many of them probably became extinct at the flood I think that the ark was big enough to carry those things you know I mean we at least when we think of dinosaur we think of Jurassic world and why not how cool is that right but you know most of the dinosaurs were far smaller than that I don't think it's a stretch to believe that they were around and they became extinct as the world drained as glaciers began to recede or two to go that that is not a stretch for me to believe that you know now the geologists are paleontologists out there would probably thinking what am i smoking but I just I don't think that that's a problem selfish follow-up would you go to Jurassic Park if it was real yeah oh absolutely absolutely me too yeah I'd go armed but I'd go that smart idea okay next question how do you come up with ideas to preach about well I mean you know we we have a we're very collaborative oriented here at arcade Church and so we've got a very very vocal very strong theologically robust creative team that Pastor Brian actually heads up and and they really inform a lot Debbi my wife is huge she speaks definitely into what people are experiencing to be honest what I'm hoping that these questions birth some sermon series it's always nice to know what questions really draw your attention there probably won't be a sermon series on dinosaurs but you never know you know so we there's a very strong collaborative team that speaks into that John city who is our pastor for adult ministries he speaks in with his team for community groups for example the Romans series a couple of years ago the axe series that we're going to be finishing up starting next Sunday we're ideas of that team this fall we're going to talk about we're gonna take from September through to the holidays and go over the Minor Prophets and that's coming from me only because if there's a section in the Bible that I know least about it would be the Minor Prophets and I believe that all of Scripture is beneficial for us today and so we're gonna go through the Minor Prophets next fall to do that so it's very collaborative give-and-take kind of thing how far out do you typically plan for as a follow-up well we do we try to plan way out in advance right now all of 2018 is mapped out but we do we do want league wiggle room for things that come up in real time we we don't want to just tell god hey this is what we're doing next Sunday see if you can bless it but but rather you know we we plan out the whole the whole year of 2018 the summers are always planned out because of the gospel according to series that we started about seven years ago with gospel according to Genesis and we've taken an Old Testament book every single summer and so this summer will be the Gospel according to first Samuel that we'll cover with that should all Christians give money to the local church is it a sin not to give if so how much should we give good timing question yeah should all Krishna's give money to the local church I think all Christians should give money to the church they attend I I don't think you ought to give to TV ministries unless they're gonna call you when you're hurting they're gonna call you when you're hurting then go ahead and give it to them but I think it's the church that in real time the church the flesh-and-blood church that you attend I yeah I think you should give if it you you give sacrificially you give out of your wealth you give out of your poverty it is a spiritual discipline to practice that I is it a sin not to give I think it's a sin not to be generous I think the gospel is a generous message and and so I think it's a sin to not be generous I think it's a sin to hoard for your own pleasure for your own benefit knowing that there are other needs out there and you're a-peein you have the capability of meeting those needs whether its financial or other form of material I think it's a sin to not be generous if so how much should we give well I mean to be crankypants here I think you ought to give it all I mean if it wasn't let me explain that people just choked on their coffee they do yeah everything that we have is God's everything and when you go into the Christian life thinking this is mine and this is God's there's gonna be a problem there because what is yours is going to grow and what is God's is going to shrink percentage-wise the percentage-wise the more money you have in this country the less percentage you give and so the more that you have the less you're gonna give the people who really sustain ministries are not the rich folks it's the middle-class folks it's the lower session socio economics those the folks that give more and so I think I think it's important that we have this mentality as we live the Christian life that everything that I have is God's and he's called me whatever my paycheck says I am called to steward that and when I look in second Corinthians chapter eight nine where Paul is talking about the sacrificial Church in Macedonia and they give out of the poverty to the point where Paul has to say stop giving stop giving and they keep pouring it on keep pouring it on I would love to be a part of people like that because when the gospel overtakes your life and we've said this before I know it's repeat but when the gospel overtakes your life money be just comes it just becomes money it doesn't become this or of security it doesn't become the source of pleasure it's just money and so and you express that last Sunday we made one plea one stinking replete and sick over sixteen thousand dollars was raised for a really great ministry and so III think that you need to ask that they answer the question is everything that we have is God's and so therefore how much we give just becomes almost a secondary question but I think we give sacrificially because that is the gospel the gospel of grace is a sacrificial ministry we should give sacrificially it's good I don't feel like I answered that very well but again if you want to write a home in the truck with me I'll get it just right there so maybe as a follow-up to there's a lot of organizations that people care about I know my wife and I do how does tithing work in two organizations that are faith-based that also are maybe asking for money where how do you navigate that yeah Debbie we you know we get we get asked all the time right Christians get asked for money especially if you just give one time all of a sudden you become everybody's best friend and and and so Debbie and I we we give to organizations that we really behind it but for us the primary focus of our giving of our generosity financially is to our K Church and I wouldn't be prepared to give a percentage of that Jessie yeah I think we do that with clear conscience whatever we can do great all right what did Jesus say about fasting and what purpose should believers fast for well Jesus you know we got the the time when Jesus fasted in the Gospels when he fasted for forty days I'm not thinking that he did that and say goes out do likewise but he does talk about when you fast not if you fast but when you fast and I don't know how many of you ver fasted before I think what fasting teaches us it teaches us the proper form of worship the proper form of self-control because when you're for example when you're fasting from food you are consciously aware of how much you need food there are for about 10 years I would fast once a year for a week and so I'd fat and my body just can't do that anymore but I would fast for a week once one time a year and I found it was very revealing to me how much food ministered to me I I found out that what do I do when I'm depressed I eat what do I do when I'm happy I eat what do I do when I'm alone I eat what do I do when I want to celebrate I eat I found that food and my life revolved around food and that was very revealing to me because I realized that that food was an idol to me Paul is talking about that sexually in 1st Corinthians when he's talking about husbands and wives and how often they should come together intimately and he says be careful if you're gonna fast if you're gonna have an intimacy fast make sure it's not too long make sure it's not too long because then temptation comes in but the purpose for fast is to deliberately deprive ourselves of something that we treasure or something that we think we need to really reveal to us what we ultimately needed menís Christ so that would be the purpose of the fast I know that there are people that fast when they are really wanting meaning to make a decision and the purpose is that so they can be able to focus more on this vertical relationship with God as opposed to the horizontal trappings that that many times food or media I know that young people you're starting a media fast I don't know pretty soon you're fasting from social media from secular media and that's just to draw your your mind and your heart God word it's a it's a good purpose yeah alright I think we'll have time for about two more all right if what is the best advice you give for expressing and sharing your testimony don't be a Chatty Cathy no offense of the named Cathy sharing your testimony you know I was raised with the evangelical presentation that that I say this I say this I say this I say this I say this don't confuse me with the questions and it becomes a very programmatic thing I think if you're gonna share your testimony first of all it's over a thousand many conversations and not one big one is shared in the context of relationship it's shared in the give-and-take where yes you want to share your story but you're also more than one to hear their story you're more than willing to to hear their doubts their belief systems if it's alternate than yours it's you are more than willing to to think the way that they think and to understand it from their perspective so I would I would I would say this it's in the context of conversation which is to way in a relationship which is two-way well I feel like I've had those relationships where I've been built up by people not necessarily trying to preach at me yeah right having a conversation yeah it's really open yeah it comes down many times especially if it's a coffee-shop relationship it'd be a different environment but if it's a workmate if you share a cubicle or something like that then it may be at a point where he says you know what I just I want to share with you what I treasure Jesus Christ is precious to me would you mind listening to what he's done in my life it can be that but still it's still a conversation right I think it's just being a decent human being is probably job one yeah that's helpful yeah alright this is the last question and again for those of you who have may sit your questions in but didn't get them answered we'll be here after the service and we'll try to answer as many questions are Craig well I want so stick around if you have anything else that you'd like to add all right so if God knows every need and want of everyone then what is the point of asking God for something well the short answer is because God commands it I should be it God commands that we bring our requests to him he commands that we seek Him he commands that we ask seek and knock he commands those kinds of things because there's this horizontal come there is this horizontal perspective to a vertical relationship and so yes I mean I I think the question is asked intelligently but the answer I think is just as as intelligent in a sense because this creator of the universe who condescended to us and bled and died for us has said ask seek knock and we do that because we want to obey Him that's kind of I wish I was more eloquent than that but I think that's pretty much it or that well thank you guys for joining us yes I hope this has been really helpful Thank You Jesse [Applause] [Music] thanks for listening to the arcade Church podcast visit us at arcade church online com Facebook Twitter or Instagram [Music] you [Music]

Channel: Arcade Church

Views: 283

Rating: 4.4285712 out of 5

Keywords: arcade church, craig hardinger, Sacramento, gospel, church, 1-28-18

Id: E0p7q7V0TXQ

Length: 74min 36sec (4476 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 29 2018