Search The Scriptures Daily

Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call. Here is this week’s question: “Dear Dave and Tom:What is your view on tithing? Our pastor tells us each Sunday to bring our tithes and offerings to the Lord, meaning give 10% or more of your income to the church. I thought tithing belongs to the Old Testament and is not applicable for New Testament Christians. Am I wrong?”

This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are in the Book of Acts Chapter 17. Dave, last week we did read Acts 17, Verse 26, but let’s give our listeners a little background. Paul is in Athens, he’s actually at Mars Hill, and he has an opportunity to speak to everyone. They said, Who is this guy?He’s got something new to say, let’s hear him.

We are in the Book of Acts chapter 27, and we’re going to pick up with verse 10:“And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with much hurt and damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.”

We are concluding our discussions of Dave Hunt’s book, When Will Jesus Come? subtitled, Compelling Evidence for the Soon Return of Christ.The title of the last Chapter is:How Close Are We? And the answer, as we discussed last week, Dave, depends upon which coming of Jesus a person is considering, His return for true believers in Him in an event called, The Rapture, or His return to the earth to rescue Israel from annilation at Armageddon? So Dave, how close are we to either event?

Dave, we’ve got a few verses left, I’ll read 32 through 34.“And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.”Well, he stopped them short when he began to—it seems like he had a rapt audience until Dave, he mentions the resurrection of the dead.

Dave, what we hope to do in this program—yes, we are going to deal with issues that are controversial, issues that the church is facing. We want to be able to take a look at what is going on in the world. We are going to see the world in the church, the church in the world. But what we want to do is as best we can, help people in their understanding of the scriptures. So in this segment we are going to take a look a particular doctrine, a major doctrine of the church and then try and explain it as best we can from the scriptures. I think the most important thing, the greatest thing that we have is the gospel. The gospel of salvation. So let’s take a look at that. What is the gospel? Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation.” What does that mean?

Our topic for this segment Understanding the Scriptures is the gospel of salvation. And Dave, you know I think this is wonderful. We are going to be dealing with this, not just this week, but for the weeks to come because it is such an awesome doctrine. All the aspects of it are just so wonderful, because it’s what Christ has done for us. Last week we talked about the gospel, where it came from, some say today well, this was just an idea, a teaching that the people made up who followed Jesus and it’s basically man made,man produced. But we know from scripture that’s not true. 1 Peter 1:20-21 tells us he, that is Jesus, indeed “…was foreordained before the foundation of the world.”

“Dear Dave and T.A., I seem to remember reading in one of Dave’s books a chapter titled, ‘Forget Good Friday,’ but I can’t remember the reasons why. The subject came up in a conversation not too long ago, and the only thing I could remember was a Friday crucifixion would not allow the days necessary for Christ to be in the grave until His resurrection on Sunday morning. What other points are critical?”

We are in the Book of Acts Chapter 18. Dave, we are going to pick up with Verse 9, although we went a little farther than that last week, but it’s a good place to come back to. Acts 18:9, “Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace:” Now Dave, that’s an interesting verse, based on what we were talking about earlier in our News Alert section. It doesn’t say anything about, Let your life be first and foremost, before these things. It doesn’t say that we are to avoid certain things, but we are to be not afraid but speak and hold not thy peace.

You’re listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a program in which we encourage everyone who desires to know God’s truth to look to God’s Word for all that is essential for salvation and living one’s life in a way that is pleasing to Him. For the last few weeks Dave and I have been discussing issues related to psychology in the church in this first segment of our program, and it’s a subject, as we’ve said, that is not without controversy among Christians. Well, Dave, controversy aside, it’s a very critical topic that needs to be addressed, and people would say, "Well, why is that?" Well, first and foremost, the basic methods and concepts of psychological counseling are completely at odds with what the Bible teaches. Secondly, the problem is exacerbated because the evangelical church has become one of the primary sources of referrals for counseling services of clinical psychologists. Thirdly, it’s a statement by evangelical churches to their own congregations, as well as to the world, that the Word of God is

I like a lot of what was read here.We certainly are to love people, to respect the others, to learn about culture and history that one is going to minister to, and then be teachable, don’t be Mr. and Mrs. Know Everything.But I would think that this young man, from the International Fellowship of Evangelical students, would be a little bit more concerned, thoughtful about what he says.He says that when Christians preached that Jesus died on the cross, where about the Triune God to the Muslim world, he says that’s being insensitive.Wait a minute, that’s not being insensitive, that’s a matter of declaring the gospel.I mean, now else are they going to be saved unless they understand THE truth?

Now, Religion in the News, a report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.This week’s item is from Worldnetdaily.com August 30, 2006, with a headline:Evangelist Drowns Trying to Walk on Water, the following are excerpts:An evangelist who tried replicating Jesus’ miracle of walking on water has reportedly drowned off the Western coast of Africa.Pastor Frank Cavelli, 35, told his congregation he could repeat the biblical miracle, and he attempted it from a beach in Gabon’s capitol of Libreville.He told church goers he’d had a revelation that if he had enough faith he could walk on water like Jesus, and eye witness told The Glasgow Record.He took his congregation to the beach, saying he would walk across the Como Estuary, which takes 20 minutes by boat.He walked into the water, which soon passed over his head and he never came back.The New Testament records the story of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee as He approached His disciples in a boat.

You’re listening to Search the Scriptures Daily, a program in which we encourage everyone who desires to know God’s truth to look to God’s Word for all that is essential for salvation and living one’s life in a way that is pleasing to Him.In this first segment of our program Dave and I are discussing the topic of Psychology and the Church, a subject we have written about rather extensively we’ve also produced an hour-long DVD titled, Psychology and the Church, Critical Questions, Crucial Answers. Furthermore, we’re in the process of putting together a book that will be a collection of the many articles we’ve written dealing with psychology.The Lord willing, it will be off the press late this spring.Dave, I’d like to pick up where we left off last week and for those who didn’t have a chance to see or hear our program, we’re talking in general about psychology and we identified that as psychological counseling or psychotherapy.Basically, the mode of psychotherapy is conversation.People talk, people listen, and

Tom: This is our Understanding the Scriptures segment, we are in the Book of Acts Chapter 18, and we will pick right up with verse 1. “After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome) and came unto them.And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought:(for by their occupation they were tentmakers.)And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.” Up to you, Dave. Dave: Well, Tom, it’s very interesting, we get some insights into Paul . He didn’t come flying in, in his own Jet, like some of the televangelists today. He trudged along, or rode on a donkey or something, it wasn’t even a prancing horse, you know.

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.Here’s this week’s question:Dear Dave and TA:I have been going through the apostle John’s epistles, and I am confused.Is he addressing believers only, or both true believers and those who profess to be believers but are not truly born again?Also, what he says in some places implies that one’s salvation depends on one’s performance in living the Christian life.For example, 1 John 3, verses 6 through 9, seems to indicate that if we sin we are not of God.I don’t know any Christians who do not sin, myself especially, so does that mean we are not truly Christians?

In this regular feature, Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call. Here’s this week’s question: Dear Dave and TA: I have both of you state that Jesus did not pay the full penalty for our sins through His physical death on the cross. Given all the references in the Scriptures to the shedding of blood from the Old Testament Passover when the blood was applied to the door post to Hebrews 9:22, where we are told almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without shedding of blood is no remission. How can you say the penalty for our sins involves more than physical death?

The new 10.5 million dollar ad campaign of the United Church of Canada features ads that portray Jesus alternatively as Santa Claus and as a bobble head doll, is winning accolades across the ad industry while church leaders reacted with cautious approval.Ad agencies executives say the campaign should be effective at positioning the church as tolerant and relevant.

But we have not only pictures of the godheads like in a gold or silver stone engraved by art men’s device. Tom, in the Old Testament, Exodus Chapter 20, God absolutely forbids cutting stones to make His altar, going up by steps to His altar, because man’s efforts has nothing to do with salvation. It cannot contribute to it, it doesn’t impress God, He doesn’t need anything. As Paul just said earlier, He doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands.He’s not worshipped with men’s hands...

...they want to be space cadets, and I think we mentioned it even last week.We talked to people who were New Agers.For example:Oh, yeah, I’m spiritual, but I’m not religious.And by that they mean, I don’t want any rules, I want to be able to flit around out there in the astroplane and do my own thing and get my spiritual feelings, I’m becoming very spiritual.So that seems to be what’s going on here.