April 20, 2025 • 25 mins
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Really, the real ar Bernard is on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Did you say that real Rabernard is on Instagram to
be six, get Airbernardista in Instagram. You mean every other
Thursday at three pm Eastern time. We can catch the
real ar Bernard live on Instagram.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Yes, Join ar Bernard on Instagram live every other Thursday
at three pm Eastern bar.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
One of the things, even whether it's systematic theology or
biblical theology, is a tension that exists between the presence
of God and the omni presence of God.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
Welcome to a ar Bernard Ministries. You were about to
hear from aar Bernard, one of today's most influential voices
in ministry, a best selling author and charismatic teacher of
spirit led truth. Today's thought provoking message and captivating word
will empower you spiritually, inform you intellectually, and motivates you
with renewed strength to stand boldly in your purpose and
(01:09):
live out your faith in today's ever changing culture. Tune
in and join us now for ar Bernard.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Today. Joining doctor Bernard is his son, Pastor Jamal Bernard.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Good morning, Yes, heod morning morning, Good morning, jump right
in here. Good morning, Praise the Lord, good to have
you with us. So we're getting close. It's a kind
of a countdown because it's been a year.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
Yes, it's been a year since we've been in person services.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Yeah, it's been a year since we've been doing services
in this format and a year since I was in
the hospital with COVID. March twenty eighth, we'll make a
year that I went into the hospital. So we're going
to experience that weekend again. Not in the hospital though, No.
And then we're gonna be in our Eastern service on
(02:02):
on April fourth, So I'm looking forward to that.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
And it will be here in.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Long Island, in Long Island along Long Island campus will
be open for service, and our Brooklyn campus will be
open for service and it's by reservation, and of course
our online campus. We won't be doing service in gathering, uh,
in person gathering in Florida.
Speaker 6 (02:24):
No, we're gonna we're still working on some of the
details of what we can do to create a community
gathering style.
Speaker 5 (02:32):
But not have a formal gathering church in Florida. Uh.
Speaker 6 (02:35):
But you know, we're still developing a Florida campus. I
got a great team, show them and it's a Sharon
Cyrus Forney, We got Roger Fouche, the Kevin pill Yes,
and they just you know, out there on the ground,
you know, making relationships, developing that campus.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
And you have during COVID Deacon Joe Brown, Yes, uh,
he and his wife Joan have relocated down there. So
we have some of our members who have relocated as
a result of COVID.
Speaker 6 (03:05):
We had a lot of our members relocated to Orlandos
because of COVIDA, a couple of icy b brothers. It's
just well, not because of COVID, just happened that COVID retirement.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Yeah, had come around the same time. Yes, and also
we're going to be online, so all of you that
joined us from around the world as far as Asia,
Singapore as well as Africa as well and Europe and
South America. Now you know, let me just say this
that a dear friend and brother, Luis Palau, who was
(03:38):
the founder and head of the Palau Organization evangelistic organization,
he passed. He went to be with the Lord, an amazing,
amazing man of God. So you know, our prayers, our
thoughts of course go out to the family. But look,
he left the legacy, he left the mark I had
the opportunity and privilege to chair his last crusade here
(04:02):
in New York City, big New York City crusade that
we did at Central Park and well attended. But just
an amazing man of God hails from Argentina, all right,
and he.
Speaker 7 (04:15):
Was just who he was.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
You know, It's funny because there's a generation of leaders
that have left an indelible mark on the body of Christ,
the Kingdom of God and the world at large, who
are now kind of moving on. So, you know, generations move,
generations of leadership, generals.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Move from level to level.
Speaker 6 (04:35):
And yeah, I'm nervous because the mark that your generation
jurors before you have left were some significant marks when
it came to the global message of the Gospel. And
looking at you know, to my generation generation behind me,
questions what mark are gonna leave? You know, then you
got the generation between your offsets and Christianity in America
(05:00):
does not resemble Christianity globally.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
Yeah, that's true, absolutely.
Speaker 6 (05:05):
True, And the Christianity in America is one that needs
to be corrected, needs to be you know, I dealt.
Speaker 7 (05:13):
With wait wait, wait, the Americans got it wrong.
Speaker 6 (05:16):
Or what well, I and my child was in my
conversation with people, you know, across the Atlantic, and they
they said, they don't want the American American you.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Know, it's unfortunate, but yeah, Western civilization, western culture has
had a lot to do with the kind of Christianity
that's experienced here in America. And I was looking, I'm
continuing to look back at the last hundred years and
how things developed politically, socially, spiritually, morally and uh and
(05:46):
culturally here in this country. And unfortunately too often in
the last hundred years especially, I mean before that as well,
but in the last hundred years of America, instead of
the church informing the culture, culture has been shaping and
informing the church.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
That is bad.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Yeah, we have to adjust and adapt to culture in
how we deliver the message.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
But I think that we.
Speaker 7 (06:10):
Have gone so far, yes, that you know, the lines
have been blurred.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
The distinction between the church and the culture is no
longer a clear distinction.
Speaker 6 (06:21):
Ye, Diamond Clerk has said, very good. Uh, and and
I'll expand on it even further.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (06:27):
Where he said that, because this is going towards the
passes of la the passes of Atlanta passes here and
there he said, transparency is good until the competes of
the gospel. Right, So, so uh, you know, trying to
engage the culture, trying to be you know, relevant is
good until the competes of the gospel.
Speaker 7 (06:48):
I relevant.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
I think the church is relevant when it it addresses
contemporary issues from the scripture.
Speaker 6 (06:57):
Yeah, and that that's a great definition because the relevant
definition that's out there is we gotta look like them,
we gotta talk like them.
Speaker 5 (07:03):
We got to you know.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
You know, I've got a problem because the West tends
to be consumer driven. And look, I love Western culture.
I appreciate it, but it tends to be consumer driven.
So not only do we have a consumer culture, but
we have a consumer Christianity.
Speaker 5 (07:22):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
I was talking to one of our members this past
week about that consumerism and James talks about consuming praying
and not getting answers because we're praying out of our
lust to consume, you know. And remember it's you know,
our value as human beings doesn't come from what we consume.
(07:42):
It comes from what we contribute. Yes, so it's about
giving back, it's about contributing. But for the most part,
the church is now like I just want to get
a word in other words, their relationship with the church
is based on what they can get, and even if
they give, it's still based upon what they can get,
and that is not yeah, and that takes us to
(08:03):
you know, what we get into today in our continuation
of prayer. You know, one of the themes that runs
through scripture, and for me, is a centerpiece of scripture.
In fact, I would say that it is the central theme.
There are many themes redemption, salvation, the Kingdom of God.
But what is the central theme of scripture is the
(08:28):
relational presence of God. Yes, that is the central theme,
and all of these other themes tie into that central theme.
And that relational presence of God is the storyline that
runs from Genesis to Revelation. It begins with God's presence
in the garden and it ends with God's presence in
(08:48):
a garden in the Book of Revelation in.
Speaker 7 (08:50):
The New Jerusalem.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
So God's relational presence is for me the central theme
to which all of the of the themes tie into,
not directly, not all directly, some indirectly, some parallel, but
for the most part it's some way it ties in.
And that's the storyline because you know they were when
(09:12):
Adam and Eve sinned, they were removed from his presence, right,
and the presence of God was the issue he brought, uh,
you know, the judgment upon the earth Noah, and then
he then engages Noah to begin again, and then he
works forwards Abraham ultimately to to Moses and then the
building of the Temple. And what's the big deal. The
(09:34):
presence of the God of God now comes back.
Speaker 6 (09:37):
And not even with the Tabernacle though, right he put
his presence in there, and just so he can be
with the people as they navigated through you know, different
terrains and countries and landscapes, you know, So he wanted
to be with us.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, And so from the Tabernacle, right, I missed that,
from the Tabernacle to the Temple, and then from the
Temple to Jesus, and then from Jesus to us, we
become the temple of Living God. The Holy Spirit dwells
in us, and that's important with prayer. And that's why,
you know, New School for Biblical Theology we have another cohort.
So if you want to register and get into the cohort,
(10:12):
I think you've got a few minutes left. But you know,
it's called a new school for biblical theology. And you
know this biblical theology versus systematic theology. You know what
systematic theology is.
Speaker 6 (10:23):
Yes, it's a systematic study of the doctrine of faith,
right right, So the systematic study of doctrine of faith,
which you know tells I think you know that the
theologian words of.
Speaker 7 (10:36):
Words like.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Theology, pathology, ecology, all theologies guys. Uh, But biblical theology
really is exegetical study of scripture that leads to a
cohesive storyline throughout and it takes the genre and the
(11:00):
context of scripture and allows it to speak for itself.
So the ancient world view and the life that was
lived there, and what is the key storyline that runs
through and ultimately for me and for us, it's the
presence of God. So the new group of biblical theology
uses biblical theology as the foundation for systematic theology. Yes,
so systematic theology, you can take it apart, study, salvation, redemption,
(11:24):
you know, the Church, all of those things. But I
like the narrative that moves us along because it helps
us make sense of all of the other things that
come along the way, and it allows.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
Us to land.
Speaker 6 (11:36):
You know, because when you look at going to a
theology school and you know, doing the studies, you know
there's a percentage of individuals that come out in theology
school not wanting to be Christians. You got a percentage
of them not knowing where to land. You got a
percentage of them still you know, with the tension stuff
like that. And the New school of biblic theology has
a place where you can land. And if you look
at it from that storyline, do you can understand it
(12:00):
or it changes how.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
You land with your view on God?
Speaker 6 (12:06):
Right, you got individuals who still he's misogynistic, He is massacre, massoclism, right,
not God and all these other things because you know
he's killing off a whole group of individuals or the kids,
the mother that live song, but they don't understand why.
If you read it sometimes systematically, both are good, yes,
and both are necessary.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
But for us it's the narrative, and that appeals to
this generation especially You're going to say.
Speaker 6 (12:30):
Something, sorry, but the narrative, your biblical uh theology has
the component of systematic theology in it.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
But it's not taking it out.
Speaker 6 (12:38):
It's just now we're looking at it from you know,
here to hear systematically, right.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
So, and and your generation, no millennial generation, you get nod, Yeah,
generation I.
Speaker 5 (12:50):
Am for them.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
It's about a story. They want to know the story.
The narrative is so important to them, so it has appeal.
So one of the things, even whether it's sematic theology
or biblical theology, is a tension that exists between the
presence of God and the omni presence of God.
Speaker 6 (13:12):
And that's so good because this is where you see
the expansion of so many religions.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Right.
Speaker 6 (13:20):
So when we look at from the study of apologetics,
looking at and bringing down different religions, the biggest thing
is that presence of God. That tends to be the
turmoil point, right, because you even look at Darwin, Darwin
steep in the church originally, right, And as certain things
happen in his life, he went from a theistic all
living God to a pantheistic you know, God does exist,
(13:44):
but he's not involved in humanity, to a place of
atheistic where he doesn't believe in God. And most of
that happened from the issues, the evils that he faced
in his life that he couldn't reconcile and say, hey,
God present, you know, so that has to be the
biggest tension that.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
So now you've got atheism, You've got Islam. Right.
Speaker 6 (14:07):
Islam's view of God is God is too holy and
too high that he will not even enter into this
in order to engage us. Right, So he says, far
and I got to I gotta do the work to
become clean in order to access him, and then I
can go on through all that.
Speaker 7 (14:23):
It's exciting.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
So when you think about it, because in prayer, and
we will relate it to prayer. But this tension between
the presence of God and the omnipresence of God. So
God is present, but God is also everywhere presence. So
he's everywhere present, but he is present in a special
way with me personally. Yes, the scripture says in him
(14:47):
we live and move and have our being.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
Right.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
So God is present everywhere, but he's also present in
a very unique and special way in the life of
the believer. Yes, because we become the temple of His presence.
The Holy Spirit essentially is the presence of God. So
when you're born again, right and and and the Spirit
of God comes inside of you. Because remember that that
whole theme of of of the relational presence, and it's
(15:13):
a relational presence. He's not just presence, but he's present
in relationship. See so so you have Uh, he's present
in a very special way with me. But he's also
all present, all over everywhere at the same time.
Speaker 7 (15:28):
And that's that's baffling.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Sometimes he's he's everywhere present, but he's present with me,
especially in a unique way right here and right now.
His his his his eminence right versus his transcendence. So
God is transcendent, he is. It speaks of his otherness.
That's what holiness is about God's otherness. It's that he's beyond.
(15:51):
As a wonderful passage in Isaiah, I Love this Isaiah
fifty five, beginning at verse.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Eight, even pantheasick views.
Speaker 6 (16:00):
Right as we find the text, the panthem sick view says, yes,
God created, but he is not accessible. He's up, you know,
and if you if you do the globe and you
put God out here, and that's why they think it.
There's different ways to get to this God. You know,
he does exist right outside of humanity. He's not evolved
in humanity and the ability to reconcile. He uses these
(16:22):
other access points, right, So we have these other deities
and these other guys that that that gives me access
to him. Right, So there's that middleman concept in order
to get access to this God who created. Because even
I believe it was Albert Eisary who wrestled with this
as well. Right, Mathematically speaking, here he tried to come
(16:42):
in with equations that spoke to the ability to access
to God. Yeah, you know, and it was this is
so deep and profound. Oh yeah, and we want to
bring that back to No, I know, but you know
this is where my mind went.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
I know.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So Isaiah fifty five eight says, for my thoughts are
not your thoughts. I'm in the NIV nineteen eighty four version.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your
ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
(17:17):
your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. So it
speaks here the prophet is speaking of the transcendence of God,
and God is other. He is so far beyond his creation.
Yet although his thoughts are higher and his ways are
higher than ours, he still interacts with our thoughts. He
interacts with our ways. So there is a relationship, a
(17:44):
relational presence that we experience with God. So he's outside
of his creation, absolutely, He's transcendent and beyond his creation,
and yet he is in his creation. He is present
in that creation. And that's the powerful thing.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
You know.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
So when well, I'll get to that part first, I mean,
let we get here, all right. So the transcendence of
God is his otherness. He's far beyond us, all right.
And his imminence, of course, is his related to He's
related to his creation, especially his people within creation. So
it's not just his creation materially, but personally with human
(18:24):
beings that are the crowning glory of this creation. He's
everywhere present, you know. So this is God's relational presence.
God is transcendent. In Isaiah, chapter forty, verse eleven, Isaiah
describes with these words. He describes God with these words.
He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the
(18:45):
lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.
I want to say, I want to read this again.
This is Isaiah's description of God. He tends his flock
like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart. So the question
(19:06):
is that metaphor or is that the way God really is.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
It's a combination of both. Ah, it's ation of both.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
It can be seen as metaphor, but based upon his
relational presence that he is demonstrated throughout scripture, that's the
way God really is. So when Jesus comes to the earth,
God is saying, this is how I am. I'm expressing
myself in human forms so that you can understand, not
(19:36):
only understand how I am, but how you can relate
to me. So when we see Jesus and his prayers
and his miracles and just his interaction with people, God
is saying, you're observing me, you're watching me, but you're
also watching a model of what your relationship with me
(19:58):
should be like.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
Yes, yes, on the sound of thing.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
This is so so important because we put Jesus up here,
we put God up there, and we're down here struggling
to make it. No, God is everywhere present, but he
is present with me in a special way. Do you
hear that, believer, he is present with you in a
special way. The whole theme of scripture, central theme of
(20:22):
scripture is the relational presence of God. So Jesus comes
the incarnation God. Remember em Manuel, God with us.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
Our voice is going up because I'm getting.
Speaker 7 (20:34):
God with us.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
Right.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
God is present, and he's present in relationship with humanity.
He heals, right, he feeds, all right, he does all
of these things. He exercises power over nature. Everything that
he does is showing his transcendent. At the same time,
he's showing that he's present and he's relational. So when
(20:56):
we read the scripture about Jesus, we're looking at God
in relationship with humanity. Yes, and we learn from that,
and we also most very important, not most important, but
very important, we also begin to understand our relationship with God.
So so Isaiah forty eleven about him tending his flock
like a shepherd.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
All right.
Speaker 7 (21:15):
Yeah, it's a beautiful metaphor for God.
Speaker 5 (21:17):
But at the same.
Speaker 7 (21:18):
Time, that's how God really is. That's how he.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Wants to know when he says, I am the good
Shepherd through Jesus. Right, that's what Jesus said, you seen me,
You've seen the Father, all right. So through Jesus we
are witnessing the Father. We are witnessing God in relationship
with humanity.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
Yes, And that's so powerful.
Speaker 6 (21:38):
It's so powerful to grasp that concept, you know, because
then you look at Jesus totally different, You look at
the access point totally different.
Speaker 7 (21:48):
Right, that's okay, that's okay, it's you know, this is
not scripted.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
Yeah, you know it because it starts.
Speaker 6 (21:54):
So it takes me back to Genesis. And and once
that relationship was severed based on sin. H Now you
can see throughout the rest of the text how difficult
we were we.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
Were in managing relationships.
Speaker 6 (22:09):
Yeah, so the greatest example of how relationship should look
like was changed because of sin.
Speaker 5 (22:16):
And now if you look at the text, even to
this day, we.
Speaker 6 (22:19):
Have a hard time and inability to properly have relationships
with one another.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
God, we can manage our money, yes, better than we
can manage And I will tell you every time, you know,
I've been in situations where I'm talking about different things
theologically with an audience, no matter what the context started,
as it becomes a conversation about relationships.
Speaker 6 (22:42):
The number one discussion you put when you ask what
do you want to discuss?
Speaker 3 (22:45):
Relationship? And that people struggle with relationships. So when sin
entered in death by way of sin, it altered not
only our relationship with God, but our relationship with each.
Speaker 8 (22:58):
Other and appreciation. We'd like to offer you the special
opportunity to receive aar Bernard's best selling book, Or Things
Women Want from a Man. This practical guide is organized
in a four part system from men and women who
genuinely seek to improve their lives and relationships. The book
is the result of the personal wisdom learned from aar
Bernard's forty five years of marriage and thirty eight years
(23:19):
of counseling, and is our gift to you for any
donation of twenty five dollars or more. You won't want
to miss the life changing insights shared in aar Bernard's
best selling book.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
Aar Bernard is the founder and pastor of the Christian
Cultural Center, one of the fastest growing churches in America.
Thanks to your prayers and financial support, spiritual leader aar
Bernard educates, empowers and inspires millions of people worldwide via
his radio, TV and online ministries. Visit our website at
aarbernard dot com.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Extra Extra read all about it. The anointed teachings of
Pastor ar Bernard, among them audacious power and basic training,
teaching us to navigate the intersection of faith in culture.
CDs are just seven dollars, DVDs ten dollars, and downloads
as little as four ninety nine. Order them now at
(24:09):
Arbernard dot com or go to cccinfo dot org. The
Anointed Teachings of Pastor Arbernard Get yours today, Today, Today, Today.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Listen up. Available are the must have teachings of Arbernard,
teaching us to navigate the intersection of faith and culture
with messages such as pain must have a purpose, reset
your mindset, and strategies for spiritual responsibility. Don't delay. Get
your blessing today. Go to Arbernard dot com or cccinfo
(24:44):
dot org. CDs seven dollars, DVDs ten dollars and downloads
just four ninety nine. Again to order, go to Aarbernard
dot com or cccinfo dot org.
Really, the real ar Bernard is on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Did you say that real Rabernard is on Instagram to
be six, get Airbernardista in Instagram. You mean every other
Thursday at three pm Eastern time. We can catch the
real ar Bernard live on Instagram.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
Yes, Join ar Bernard on Instagram live every other Thursday
at three pm Eastern bar.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
One of the things, even whether it's systematic theology or
biblical theology, is a tension that exists between the presence
of God and the omni presence of God.
Speaker 4 (00:48):
Welcome to a ar Bernard Ministries. You were about to
hear from aar Bernard, one of today's most influential voices
in ministry, a best selling author and charismatic teacher of
spirit led truth. Today's thought provoking message and captivating word
will empower you spiritually, inform you intellectually, and motivates you
with renewed strength to stand boldly in your purpose and
(01:09):
live out your faith in today's ever changing culture. Tune
in and join us now for ar Bernard.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Today. Joining doctor Bernard is his son, Pastor Jamal Bernard.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
Good morning, Yes, heod morning morning, Good morning, jump right
in here. Good morning, Praise the Lord, good to have
you with us. So we're getting close. It's a kind
of a countdown because it's been a year.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
Yes, it's been a year since we've been in person services.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
Yeah, it's been a year since we've been doing services
in this format and a year since I was in
the hospital with COVID. March twenty eighth, we'll make a
year that I went into the hospital. So we're going
to experience that weekend again. Not in the hospital though, No.
And then we're gonna be in our Eastern service on
(02:02):
on April fourth, So I'm looking forward to that.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
And it will be here in.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
Long Island, in Long Island along Long Island campus will
be open for service, and our Brooklyn campus will be
open for service and it's by reservation, and of course
our online campus. We won't be doing service in gathering, uh,
in person gathering in Florida.
Speaker 6 (02:24):
No, we're gonna we're still working on some of the
details of what we can do to create a community
gathering style.
Speaker 5 (02:32):
But not have a formal gathering church in Florida. Uh.
Speaker 6 (02:35):
But you know, we're still developing a Florida campus. I
got a great team, show them and it's a Sharon
Cyrus Forney, We got Roger Fouche, the Kevin pill Yes,
and they just you know, out there on the ground,
you know, making relationships, developing that campus.
Speaker 5 (02:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:54):
And you have during COVID Deacon Joe Brown, Yes, uh,
he and his wife Joan have relocated down there. So
we have some of our members who have relocated as
a result of COVID.
Speaker 6 (03:05):
We had a lot of our members relocated to Orlandos
because of COVIDA, a couple of icy b brothers. It's
just well, not because of COVID, just happened that COVID retirement.
Speaker 3 (03:16):
Yeah, had come around the same time. Yes, and also
we're going to be online, so all of you that
joined us from around the world as far as Asia,
Singapore as well as Africa as well and Europe and
South America. Now you know, let me just say this
that a dear friend and brother, Luis Palau, who was
(03:38):
the founder and head of the Palau Organization evangelistic organization,
he passed. He went to be with the Lord, an amazing,
amazing man of God. So you know, our prayers, our
thoughts of course go out to the family. But look,
he left the legacy, he left the mark I had
the opportunity and privilege to chair his last crusade here
(04:02):
in New York City, big New York City crusade that
we did at Central Park and well attended. But just
an amazing man of God hails from Argentina, all right,
and he.
Speaker 7 (04:15):
Was just who he was.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
You know, It's funny because there's a generation of leaders
that have left an indelible mark on the body of Christ,
the Kingdom of God and the world at large, who
are now kind of moving on. So, you know, generations move,
generations of leadership, generals.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
Move from level to level.
Speaker 6 (04:35):
And yeah, I'm nervous because the mark that your generation
jurors before you have left were some significant marks when
it came to the global message of the Gospel. And
looking at you know, to my generation generation behind me,
questions what mark are gonna leave? You know, then you
got the generation between your offsets and Christianity in America
(05:00):
does not resemble Christianity globally.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
Yeah, that's true, absolutely.
Speaker 6 (05:05):
True, And the Christianity in America is one that needs
to be corrected, needs to be you know, I dealt.
Speaker 7 (05:13):
With wait wait, wait, the Americans got it wrong.
Speaker 6 (05:16):
Or what well, I and my child was in my
conversation with people, you know, across the Atlantic, and they
they said, they don't want the American American you.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Know, it's unfortunate, but yeah, Western civilization, western culture has
had a lot to do with the kind of Christianity
that's experienced here in America. And I was looking, I'm
continuing to look back at the last hundred years and
how things developed politically, socially, spiritually, morally and uh and
(05:46):
culturally here in this country. And unfortunately too often in
the last hundred years especially, I mean before that as well,
but in the last hundred years of America, instead of
the church informing the culture, culture has been shaping and
informing the church.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
That is bad.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Yeah, we have to adjust and adapt to culture in
how we deliver the message.
Speaker 5 (06:09):
But I think that we.
Speaker 7 (06:10):
Have gone so far, yes, that you know, the lines
have been blurred.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
The distinction between the church and the culture is no
longer a clear distinction.
Speaker 6 (06:21):
Ye, Diamond Clerk has said, very good. Uh, and and
I'll expand on it even further.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
Uh.
Speaker 6 (06:27):
Where he said that, because this is going towards the
passes of la the passes of Atlanta passes here and
there he said, transparency is good until the competes of
the gospel. Right, So, so uh, you know, trying to
engage the culture, trying to be you know, relevant is
good until the competes of the gospel.
Speaker 7 (06:48):
I relevant.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
I think the church is relevant when it it addresses
contemporary issues from the scripture.
Speaker 6 (06:57):
Yeah, and that that's a great definition because the relevant
definition that's out there is we gotta look like them,
we gotta talk like them.
Speaker 5 (07:03):
We got to you know.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
You know, I've got a problem because the West tends
to be consumer driven. And look, I love Western culture.
I appreciate it, but it tends to be consumer driven.
So not only do we have a consumer culture, but
we have a consumer Christianity.
Speaker 5 (07:22):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
I was talking to one of our members this past
week about that consumerism and James talks about consuming praying
and not getting answers because we're praying out of our
lust to consume, you know. And remember it's you know,
our value as human beings doesn't come from what we consume.
(07:42):
It comes from what we contribute. Yes, so it's about
giving back, it's about contributing. But for the most part,
the church is now like I just want to get
a word in other words, their relationship with the church
is based on what they can get, and even if
they give, it's still based upon what they can get,
and that is not yeah, and that takes us to
(08:03):
you know, what we get into today in our continuation
of prayer. You know, one of the themes that runs
through scripture, and for me, is a centerpiece of scripture.
In fact, I would say that it is the central theme.
There are many themes redemption, salvation, the Kingdom of God.
But what is the central theme of scripture is the
(08:28):
relational presence of God. Yes, that is the central theme,
and all of these other themes tie into that central theme.
And that relational presence of God is the storyline that
runs from Genesis to Revelation. It begins with God's presence
in the garden and it ends with God's presence in
(08:48):
a garden in the Book of Revelation in.
Speaker 7 (08:50):
The New Jerusalem.
Speaker 3 (08:52):
So God's relational presence is for me the central theme
to which all of the of the themes tie into,
not directly, not all directly, some indirectly, some parallel, but
for the most part it's some way it ties in.
And that's the storyline because you know they were when
(09:12):
Adam and Eve sinned, they were removed from his presence, right,
and the presence of God was the issue he brought, uh,
you know, the judgment upon the earth Noah, and then
he then engages Noah to begin again, and then he
works forwards Abraham ultimately to to Moses and then the
building of the Temple. And what's the big deal. The
(09:34):
presence of the God of God now comes back.
Speaker 6 (09:37):
And not even with the Tabernacle though, right he put
his presence in there, and just so he can be
with the people as they navigated through you know, different
terrains and countries and landscapes, you know, So he wanted
to be with us.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Yeah, And so from the Tabernacle, right, I missed that,
from the Tabernacle to the Temple, and then from the
Temple to Jesus, and then from Jesus to us, we
become the temple of Living God. The Holy Spirit dwells
in us, and that's important with prayer. And that's why,
you know, New School for Biblical Theology we have another cohort.
So if you want to register and get into the cohort,
(10:12):
I think you've got a few minutes left. But you know,
it's called a new school for biblical theology. And you
know this biblical theology versus systematic theology. You know what
systematic theology is.
Speaker 6 (10:23):
Yes, it's a systematic study of the doctrine of faith,
right right, So the systematic study of doctrine of faith,
which you know tells I think you know that the
theologian words of.
Speaker 7 (10:36):
Words like.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Theology, pathology, ecology, all theologies guys. Uh, But biblical theology
really is exegetical study of scripture that leads to a
cohesive storyline throughout and it takes the genre and the
(11:00):
context of scripture and allows it to speak for itself.
So the ancient world view and the life that was
lived there, and what is the key storyline that runs
through and ultimately for me and for us, it's the
presence of God. So the new group of biblical theology
uses biblical theology as the foundation for systematic theology. Yes,
so systematic theology, you can take it apart, study, salvation, redemption,
(11:24):
you know, the Church, all of those things. But I
like the narrative that moves us along because it helps
us make sense of all of the other things that
come along the way, and it allows.
Speaker 5 (11:36):
Us to land.
Speaker 6 (11:36):
You know, because when you look at going to a
theology school and you know, doing the studies, you know
there's a percentage of individuals that come out in theology
school not wanting to be Christians. You got a percentage
of them not knowing where to land. You got a
percentage of them still you know, with the tension stuff
like that. And the New school of biblic theology has
a place where you can land. And if you look
at it from that storyline, do you can understand it
(12:00):
or it changes how.
Speaker 5 (12:03):
You land with your view on God?
Speaker 6 (12:06):
Right, you got individuals who still he's misogynistic, He is massacre, massoclism, right,
not God and all these other things because you know
he's killing off a whole group of individuals or the kids,
the mother that live song, but they don't understand why.
If you read it sometimes systematically, both are good, yes,
and both are necessary.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
But for us it's the narrative, and that appeals to
this generation especially You're going to say.
Speaker 6 (12:30):
Something, sorry, but the narrative, your biblical uh theology has
the component of systematic theology in it.
Speaker 5 (12:37):
But it's not taking it out.
Speaker 6 (12:38):
It's just now we're looking at it from you know,
here to hear systematically, right.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
So, and and your generation, no millennial generation, you get nod, Yeah,
generation I.
Speaker 5 (12:50):
Am for them.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
It's about a story. They want to know the story.
The narrative is so important to them, so it has appeal.
So one of the things, even whether it's sematic theology
or biblical theology, is a tension that exists between the
presence of God and the omni presence of God.
Speaker 6 (13:12):
And that's so good because this is where you see
the expansion of so many religions.
Speaker 5 (13:20):
Right.
Speaker 6 (13:20):
So when we look at from the study of apologetics,
looking at and bringing down different religions, the biggest thing
is that presence of God. That tends to be the
turmoil point, right, because you even look at Darwin, Darwin
steep in the church originally, right, And as certain things
happen in his life, he went from a theistic all
living God to a pantheistic you know, God does exist,
(13:44):
but he's not involved in humanity, to a place of
atheistic where he doesn't believe in God. And most of
that happened from the issues, the evils that he faced
in his life that he couldn't reconcile and say, hey,
God present, you know, so that has to be the
biggest tension that.
Speaker 5 (14:04):
So now you've got atheism, You've got Islam. Right.
Speaker 6 (14:07):
Islam's view of God is God is too holy and
too high that he will not even enter into this
in order to engage us. Right, So he says, far
and I got to I gotta do the work to
become clean in order to access him, and then I
can go on through all that.
Speaker 7 (14:23):
It's exciting.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
So when you think about it, because in prayer, and
we will relate it to prayer. But this tension between
the presence of God and the omnipresence of God. So
God is present, but God is also everywhere presence. So
he's everywhere present, but he is present in a special
way with me personally. Yes, the scripture says in him
(14:47):
we live and move and have our being.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
Right.
Speaker 3 (14:49):
So God is present everywhere, but he's also present in
a very unique and special way in the life of
the believer. Yes, because we become the temple of His presence.
The Holy Spirit essentially is the presence of God. So
when you're born again, right and and and the Spirit
of God comes inside of you. Because remember that that
whole theme of of of the relational presence, and it's
(15:13):
a relational presence. He's not just presence, but he's present
in relationship. See so so you have Uh, he's present
in a very special way with me. But he's also
all present, all over everywhere at the same time.
Speaker 7 (15:28):
And that's that's baffling.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Sometimes he's he's everywhere present, but he's present with me,
especially in a unique way right here and right now.
His his his his eminence right versus his transcendence. So
God is transcendent, he is. It speaks of his otherness.
That's what holiness is about God's otherness. It's that he's beyond.
(15:51):
As a wonderful passage in Isaiah, I Love this Isaiah
fifty five, beginning at verse.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
Eight, even pantheasick views.
Speaker 6 (16:00):
Right as we find the text, the panthem sick view says, yes,
God created, but he is not accessible. He's up, you know,
and if you if you do the globe and you
put God out here, and that's why they think it.
There's different ways to get to this God. You know,
he does exist right outside of humanity. He's not evolved
in humanity and the ability to reconcile. He uses these
(16:22):
other access points, right, So we have these other deities
and these other guys that that that gives me access
to him. Right, So there's that middleman concept in order
to get access to this God who created. Because even
I believe it was Albert Eisary who wrestled with this
as well. Right, Mathematically speaking, here he tried to come
(16:42):
in with equations that spoke to the ability to access
to God. Yeah, you know, and it was this is
so deep and profound. Oh yeah, and we want to
bring that back to No, I know, but you know
this is where my mind went.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
I know.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So Isaiah fifty five eight says, for my thoughts are
not your thoughts. I'm in the NIV nineteen eighty four version.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts. Neither are your
ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
(17:17):
your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. So it
speaks here the prophet is speaking of the transcendence of God,
and God is other. He is so far beyond his creation.
Yet although his thoughts are higher and his ways are
higher than ours, he still interacts with our thoughts. He
interacts with our ways. So there is a relationship, a
(17:44):
relational presence that we experience with God. So he's outside
of his creation, absolutely, He's transcendent and beyond his creation,
and yet he is in his creation. He is present
in that creation. And that's the powerful thing.
Speaker 5 (18:00):
You know.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
So when well, I'll get to that part first, I mean,
let we get here, all right. So the transcendence of
God is his otherness. He's far beyond us, all right.
And his imminence, of course, is his related to He's
related to his creation, especially his people within creation. So
it's not just his creation materially, but personally with human
(18:24):
beings that are the crowning glory of this creation. He's
everywhere present, you know. So this is God's relational presence.
God is transcendent. In Isaiah, chapter forty, verse eleven, Isaiah
describes with these words. He describes God with these words.
He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the
(18:45):
lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart.
I want to say, I want to read this again.
This is Isaiah's description of God. He tends his flock
like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart. So the question
(19:06):
is that metaphor or is that the way God really is.
Speaker 5 (19:13):
It's a combination of both. Ah, it's ation of both.
Speaker 3 (19:16):
It can be seen as metaphor, but based upon his
relational presence that he is demonstrated throughout scripture, that's the
way God really is. So when Jesus comes to the earth,
God is saying, this is how I am. I'm expressing
myself in human forms so that you can understand, not
(19:36):
only understand how I am, but how you can relate
to me. So when we see Jesus and his prayers
and his miracles and just his interaction with people, God
is saying, you're observing me, you're watching me, but you're
also watching a model of what your relationship with me
(19:58):
should be like.
Speaker 5 (19:59):
Yes, yes, on the sound of thing.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
This is so so important because we put Jesus up here,
we put God up there, and we're down here struggling
to make it. No, God is everywhere present, but he
is present with me in a special way. Do you
hear that, believer, he is present with you in a
special way. The whole theme of scripture, central theme of
(20:22):
scripture is the relational presence of God. So Jesus comes
the incarnation God. Remember em Manuel, God with us.
Speaker 5 (20:31):
Our voice is going up because I'm getting.
Speaker 7 (20:34):
God with us.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
Right.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
God is present, and he's present in relationship with humanity.
He heals, right, he feeds, all right, he does all
of these things. He exercises power over nature. Everything that
he does is showing his transcendent. At the same time,
he's showing that he's present and he's relational. So when
(20:56):
we read the scripture about Jesus, we're looking at God
in relationship with humanity. Yes, and we learn from that,
and we also most very important, not most important, but
very important, we also begin to understand our relationship with God.
So so Isaiah forty eleven about him tending his flock
like a shepherd.
Speaker 5 (21:15):
All right.
Speaker 7 (21:15):
Yeah, it's a beautiful metaphor for God.
Speaker 5 (21:17):
But at the same.
Speaker 7 (21:18):
Time, that's how God really is. That's how he.
Speaker 3 (21:21):
Wants to know when he says, I am the good
Shepherd through Jesus. Right, that's what Jesus said, you seen me,
You've seen the Father, all right. So through Jesus we
are witnessing the Father. We are witnessing God in relationship
with humanity.
Speaker 5 (21:36):
Yes, And that's so powerful.
Speaker 6 (21:38):
It's so powerful to grasp that concept, you know, because
then you look at Jesus totally different, You look at
the access point totally different.
Speaker 7 (21:48):
Right, that's okay, that's okay, it's you know, this is
not scripted.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
Yeah, you know it because it starts.
Speaker 6 (21:54):
So it takes me back to Genesis. And and once
that relationship was severed based on sin. H Now you
can see throughout the rest of the text how difficult
we were we.
Speaker 5 (22:07):
Were in managing relationships.
Speaker 6 (22:09):
Yeah, so the greatest example of how relationship should look
like was changed because of sin.
Speaker 5 (22:16):
And now if you look at the text, even to
this day, we.
Speaker 6 (22:19):
Have a hard time and inability to properly have relationships
with one another.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
God, we can manage our money, yes, better than we
can manage And I will tell you every time, you know,
I've been in situations where I'm talking about different things
theologically with an audience, no matter what the context started,
as it becomes a conversation about relationships.
Speaker 6 (22:42):
The number one discussion you put when you ask what
do you want to discuss?
Speaker 3 (22:45):
Relationship? And that people struggle with relationships. So when sin
entered in death by way of sin, it altered not
only our relationship with God, but our relationship with each.
Speaker 8 (22:58):
Other and appreciation. We'd like to offer you the special
opportunity to receive aar Bernard's best selling book, Or Things
Women Want from a Man. This practical guide is organized
in a four part system from men and women who
genuinely seek to improve their lives and relationships. The book
is the result of the personal wisdom learned from aar
Bernard's forty five years of marriage and thirty eight years
(23:19):
of counseling, and is our gift to you for any
donation of twenty five dollars or more. You won't want
to miss the life changing insights shared in aar Bernard's
best selling book.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
Aar Bernard is the founder and pastor of the Christian
Cultural Center, one of the fastest growing churches in America.
Thanks to your prayers and financial support, spiritual leader aar
Bernard educates, empowers and inspires millions of people worldwide via
his radio, TV and online ministries. Visit our website at
aarbernard dot com.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
Extra Extra read all about it. The anointed teachings of
Pastor ar Bernard, among them audacious power and basic training,
teaching us to navigate the intersection of faith in culture.
CDs are just seven dollars, DVDs ten dollars, and downloads
as little as four ninety nine. Order them now at
(24:09):
Arbernard dot com or go to cccinfo dot org. The
Anointed Teachings of Pastor Arbernard Get yours today, Today, Today, Today.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Listen up. Available are the must have teachings of Arbernard,
teaching us to navigate the intersection of faith and culture
with messages such as pain must have a purpose, reset
your mindset, and strategies for spiritual responsibility. Don't delay. Get
your blessing today. Go to Arbernard dot com or cccinfo
(24:44):
dot org. CDs seven dollars, DVDs ten dollars and downloads
just four ninety nine. Again to order, go to Aarbernard
dot com or cccinfo dot org.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Intentionally Disturbing
Join me on this podcast as I navigate the murky waters of human behavior, current events, and personal anecdotes through in-depth interviews with incredible people—all served with a generous helping of sarcasm and satire. After years as a forensic and clinical psychologist, I offer a unique interview style and a low tolerance for bullshit, quickly steering conversations toward depth and darkness. I honor the seriousness while also appreciating wit. I’m your guide through the twisted labyrinth of the human psyche, armed with dark humor and biting wit.