Hour 1: Bible and Coffee Time

​An email from Tara says, "Today was my first time listening. I thoroughly enjoyed your wisdom and knowledge of the Scriptures. I drank my coffee and took notes with my Bible open. What a great way to spend my Saturday morning." This Saturday, grab your Bible and cup of coffee and join Dr. Michael Rydelnik on Open Line as we study God's Word together.

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Episode Transcript

S1 (00:09):
How long should we keep on telling people about the Messiah? Jesus?
Stay with me and we'll talk about that in just
a moment. Hello, friends. Welcome to Open Line, Moody Radio's
Bible study across America. My name is Michael Ray. I'm
I guess I am no longer academic. Dean. I was
about to say I'm the academic dean at Moody Bible Institute,

(00:30):
but now I am a professor emeritus of Jewish studies
and Bible at Moody Bible Institute. So glad to be
with you today. So grateful to join you. Around the
radio kitchen table. We're talking about your questions about the Bible,
God and the spiritual life. If you have a question
and you'd like to call the phone number, here is [phone].

(00:58):
Let me give you that again. It's [phone]. Tricia McMillan
is in the producer's chair. Omar Mendoza is holding, is
handling everything technically, and Rihanna is answering the phones. Again,
let me give you the phone number. Now is the
time to call. Always. At the beginning of the program,

(01:19):
we're going to be talking about all sorts of questions
about the Bible, God, and the spiritual life. And if
you thought, hmm, I don't know if I can get through.
Now is the time. Beginning of the hour is always
the best time to call. There's a whole bunch of
lines open. The number [phone]. So I was reading Matthew

(01:42):
ten this week and wondering what the point was. And
there's one verse in it, verse 23, that has all
sorts of issues in it. And I've really kind of
worked with it. And I think the answer is clear.
And so here's what we want to talk about is

(02:03):
Matthew ten is the summoning of the 12 disciples by
the Lord Jesus. They are given authority and sent out
to preach by the Lord Jesus. And he tells them
to go, preach, and to serve him this way, to
be obedient and faithfully proclaiming him. And then he tells
them only to go to the lost sheep of the
house of Israel. Verse six. And so this is directly

(02:27):
given to the 12 disciples. They are told at this
point only to go to other Jewish people, the lost
sheep of the house of Israel. And he tells them
how long they should stay, that that they should obediently
keep telling others about the Lord Jesus. He says, we
need to keep telling people about Jesus, even if people

(02:49):
don't listen. He says that in verse 14, if anyone
will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake
the dust off your feet when you leave that house
or town, and he goes on to the next town
and keep speaking. And then he says, we need to, uh,
keep telling people about Jesus, even if our family rejects us.

(03:11):
That's what he said to the disciples in verse 21.
He says, brother will betray brother to death a father,
his child. Children will even rise up against their parents
and have them put to death. You will be hated
because of this. And so even if a family rejects us,
we have to stay faithful and keep telling people about
the Lord Jesus. Verse 22 says that even people from

(03:34):
all over the place persecute us. You'll be hated by
everyone because of my name. And then he tells us
to endure to the end. So keep on proclaiming Jesus
to others, telling others about Jesus. Even if people get
mad at us. And then we come to verse 23,
and this is the problem verse that people struggle with.
He says, when they persecute you in one town, escape

(03:57):
to another. For I assure you, you will not have
covered the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
And people have actually called open line with questions about
this verse. What is it talking about there when it
says you're going to all the towns of Israel, you
won't have reached all the towns of Israel until the
Son of Man occurs. Well, some people say that this

(04:19):
is referring to the ascension of the Lord Jesus, that
the Son of Man comes before the father. I think
that's kind of pulled out of context and not really
what this is about. Some people think it's talking about
the Second coming, that Israel will never be reached. All
the towns of Israel will never be reached before the

(04:41):
Second Coming. That seems, uh, a little difficult because this
is really directed to the the 12 disciples, and it
doesn't seem like this is something Thing that that that
makes sense to think it's the second coming. And then, uh,
other people say, well, this is the Lord saying that

(05:02):
you won't reach the all the towns of Israel until
the Lord Jesus returns in judgment. That's the idea that
he will return in judgment in A.D. 70. That seems
a little far fetched as well. And, uh. I, I

(05:22):
would be reluctant to say that. And then, uh, uh, finally,
I have a different idea. I believe what this is
saying is you will not have covered. He tells the
12 disciples that they will not have covered the towns
of Israel before the Son of Man comes at the

(05:44):
triumphal entry. That's when he presents himself to Israel as
the Messiah. That's what the purpose of that Palm Sunday was.
That's why they're saying save now. It's the presentation of
the Messiah Jesus to Israel. And what is the Lord
Jesus saying to the 12? He's saying you won't have
completed the task even before I present myself to Israel.

(06:07):
You still it just will go on and on. And
the point of this is that, uh uh, he is
saying that they are to keep being faithful even after
they think their task is complete. They they haven't reached

(06:28):
all the cities of Israel. The Lord Jesus now presents
himself at the triumphal entry as the Messiah. Okay. We're done.
We can stop. No. We can't. And I believe that
there's two lessons right here. One, we have to keep
proclaiming Jesus to everyone, even though it seems like, well,
we've done the job. People know about this. Uh, no.

(06:52):
He's going to return. And till then we keep preaching. Uh,
but also, this is saying that they won't have reached
all the the cities of Israel and and the villages
and all the places where Jewish people are that they
were reaching out to even after the triumphal entry, they
won't have completed their task. And that tells me that

(07:14):
we still need to tell Jewish people about Jesus. We
need to keep proclaiming him, uh, until we see the Lord,
until he either we die and go to be with him,
or he returns at the rapture. That is what the
promise here is. The the premise here is keep on

(07:34):
telling people about Jesus. So opening question was how long
should we keep on telling people about Jesus? We have
to be faithful to the very end to keep on
telling everyone everywhere we go about the Messiah, Jesus. Well,

(08:02):
we are going to go to the phones before we
talk to anyone. I did want to tell you about
our new resource. Everyone is a teacher. Whether we are
teaching a Sunday school class or a home group, or
maybe our children, or in our homes, our our family,

(08:23):
or maybe one on one meetings with someone, every one
of us is called to teach God's truth to someone else,
to teach God's Word. And that's where our current resource
comes in. It's called Teaching to Change Lives. It was
written by master teacher Howard Hendricks. Prof. Hendricks was my
teacher at Dallas Seminary, and in this book, Teaching to

(08:44):
Change Lives, he relates seven practical laws that will transform
our approach to teaching. You'll discover how to teach heart
to heart instead of head to head. It describes how
to understand that maximum learning is the result of maximum involvement.
It's so helpful. It's a book that really helped change
my whole teaching approach when I became a teacher, and

(09:07):
I think you're going to love it when you give
a gift of any size. I'd like to send you
a copy of Teaching to Change Lives, just to say
thank you. If you'd like to give, call [phone] or
go to Open Line Radio. Org and remember when you
give ask for Teaching to Change Lives by Howard Hendricks.

(09:31):
And we're going to speak right now with Aretha and
David together I guess in Florida listening on R&B. Welcome
to Open Line Aretha. How can I help you today?

S2 (09:43):
Thank you so much, sir. My question is, um. When
we die and go to heaven. Will I get to
see my mom who's dead again? And I'll be able
to just recognize her. Trish. Trish can generalize my question
better than me.

S1 (10:00):
Yeah. Uh, will we recognize our loved ones by sight
when we get to heaven? Is that what you're saying? Yeah.
Your mom. Your mom, uh, knew the Lord and went
to be with the Lord already?

S2 (10:13):
Yes, sir.

S1 (10:15):
Okay. Well, you know, there isn't a, uh, simple verse
saying we'll recognize each other. There's some evidence that we
have in Scripture that we will. For example, now this
is here's the evidence in the story of Lazarus and
the rich man. Right. You know that story, uh, Lazarus

(10:38):
goes to be and is comforted by Father Abraham. And
the rich man recognizes him. So they're both dead now.
They're not in the same place. Lazarus is being comforted
by Father Abraham. He's in his at Abraham's bosom. They're
being comforted, but they recognize each other. They see each other.

(10:59):
And then we have. And I know it's only a parable,
but parables are based on real life settings, so we
don't have to worry about that. Then, uh, the other
evidence is at the rapture. It says that there's going
to be a great reunion in first Thessalonians four, and
it appears that we will recognize each other there. So

(11:23):
I think that pardon me, Aretha.

S2 (11:27):
Oh, about to cry. That brings so much joy to
my heart.

S1 (11:31):
Okay. It says that, uh, in first Thessalonians four, where
it talks about those who have fallen asleep, it says
the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout,
with the archangel's voice, with the trumpet of God, the
dead in the Messiah. The dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are still alive will be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord

(11:53):
in the air. And so we will always be together.
We'll always be with the Lord. It appears that there's
going to be this at the resurrection. At the rapture
we will be together. And so there's a reunion there.
It seems to me that even though our our disembodied,
immaterial portion, our spirits, when we go to be with

(12:15):
the Lord until the rapture, it appears that we'll recognize
each other. It's it's a hint. And I know you're
going to see your mom again. I feel confident of that.
Someone once said to me, how will we recognize David?
How will we recognize Abraham? How did how did anyone
recognize anyone there? And the the answer, I said, I
don't know, but maybe we get name tags. I don't know,

(12:37):
but we will recognize. I think for sure we'll recognize
our loved ones, people that we know already. So I
hope that's a comfort to you, Aretha.

S2 (12:46):
It is sir. And my last name is Moody, and
I know that coming from you off of Moody Radio
is the name you can trust. So I'm good. I'm.
I'm really.

S1 (12:56):
Okay. Great. Well, thanks for your question. And and I'm
grateful that that's a comfort to you. It's a comfort
to me, too, that I'll see my mom again. So. Well,
we're going to take a quick break here. And when
we come back, we'll talk more about your questions about
the Bible, God and the spiritual life. There's a few
lines open still here at the beginning of the program.

(13:18):
So give me a call. The phone number [phone]. We
want to talk with together about what the Scripture says.
Stay with us. This is Michael Dolnick right here on
Moody Radio on Open Line. Welcome back to Open Line.

(13:45):
I wanted to say thank you. There are so many
people who recently decided to become kitchen table partners. What?
The whole thing with this kitchen table, I wonder? Some
people call it. I mean, I've heard so many notes,
people are sending me notes saying their breakfast table partners
and their open table partners. The reason we picked Kitchen

(14:07):
table Partners for this name is that when I became
a leader of a congregation and began to disciple people,
we didn't have a meeting place. We well, we met place.
We rented a place to meet, but we didn't have offices.
And so when I would do Bible studies or discipleship

(14:29):
or things like that, people would come to my house
and even I would sit with people around the, the
regular kitchen table, and we would sit there and have
a cup of coffee and study the Bible together. We
hold Bible studies and groups, and I did elder training
that way. And all this stuff that we did was
around the kitchen table. And as a result of that,

(14:51):
I actually have people that write me and they say, uh,
I remember learning the word if they find me on
Facebook or something like that, remember learning the word around
your kitchen table? So when we started with Open Line,
and I'd say we're sitting around the kitchen table because
it reminded me of doing Bible study back in the
day when I did it for all those years in

(15:13):
our congregation in New York. And then when we began
the program with people becoming partners with the program, we
called them Kitchen Table Partners, people who listen regularly, they're
part of the program. And also then there are people
who give monthly and they're part of the team, and
we appreciate them so much. Uh, they give monthly so
we can be on the air every week teaching God's Word.

(15:35):
And if you're interested in becoming a kitchen table partner.
I so appreciate it. Appreciate all those who decided to
do that. You know, what we do is we send
out a Bible study moment every other week. It's a
Bible study that's prepared exclusively for our kitchen table partners.
It's it's an audio Bible study. You click on your

(15:57):
your email, you get to listen to it. And it's
short about 8 to 10 minutes about that. And we
study the scriptures. We've been going through the book of
Ephesians lately. And as we do that, hopefully it's encouraging
you in the word. Uh, there are other things, you know,
there's people who become kitchen table partners. They get a
Tumblr that says Open Line. I think that's pretty cool.

(16:21):
And then also, if you decide to become a kitchen
table partner for $30 a month or more, you get
this great benefit of 50% off everything in the Moody
Publishers catalog, which is a great deal even including the
Moody Bible Commentary. So anyway, if you'd like to become
a kitchen table partner, boy, would we appreciate it. The

(16:43):
phone number to call is [phone]. Or you can just
go to open Line radio.org and sign up over there.
Look for the link that talks about becoming a kitchen
table partner. Now we're going to go right to the phones.
Talk to Beth in Homerville Ohio listening on CRF. Welcome

(17:07):
to Open Line Beth. How can I help you today?

S3 (17:10):
Well, we were having Bible study. We were talking about
the sin of pride. And someone said Lucifer fell from
heaven because of the sin of pride. And then we
started saying, some of us, we've never seen the name
Lucifer in the Bible. And so we all started hunting.

(17:33):
We couldn't find even those who had seen it when
they were kids. Finally, someone found it in King James.

S1 (17:44):
Where did they find it? In King James?

S3 (17:47):
I think I think as Isaiah 1412, I think.

S1 (17:52):
Exactly that's where it is exactly.

S3 (17:56):
So when did it got who put it in the
King James Bible, and when did it get removed and why?

S1 (18:05):
Well, it's it's a Latin word. And in the King
James Bible they just use the Latin word Lucifer for Morningstar.
And so in in 1412 they translated shining Morningstar. How
you have fallen from the heavens in the King James
they called it Lucifer. How you have fallen from the heavens.

(18:28):
They used they instead of, uh, using the The translation
into English. They used a Latin proper name, which means
morning star.

S3 (18:42):
Which means what?

S1 (18:43):
Morning star.

S3 (18:44):
Morning star.

S1 (18:46):
And so.

S3 (18:47):
Okay.

S1 (18:48):
So it's just a translation. They didn't translate it. They
just used a Latin word for the same word.

S3 (18:55):
Oh, thanks a lot.

S1 (18:57):
Yeah.

S3 (18:57):
Okay, now I can report back. I've been telling.

S1 (19:00):
You.

S3 (19:00):
For a couple of weeks. Several weeks. Report back.

S1 (19:04):
Yeah, but when you read Morning Star, that's what Lucifer means. Uh,
Isaiah 1412. Okay.

S3 (19:10):
Okay. Thank you.

S1 (19:11):
Sure. Okay. Thanks for the call. We're going to talk
to Dewey in Ohio, listening on Wwtn. Welcome to Open Line, Dewey.
How can I help you today?

S4 (19:20):
Good morning. Michael. This is one of these things we
don't really need to know, but it's interesting. I was
interested in your thoughts, uh, at the final or great resurrection. Uh,
will the physical bodies of those who have never accepted
God be resurrected or just cast out?

S1 (19:45):
Uh, it says that everyone will be resurrected, whether we're
believers or not, in revelation at the Great White Throne judgment.
Revelation 20 it says, I saw a great white throne,
and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from

(20:06):
his presence, and no place was found for them. And
I saw the dead, the great and the small standing
before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened,
which is the book of life, and the dead were
judged according to their works by what was written in
their books. And the sea gave up its dead, and
death and Hades gave up their dead, and all were
judged according to their works. Death and Hades were thrown

(20:28):
into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
The lake of fire, and anyone not found written in
the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
So it appears that the, uh, even the lost will
be resurrected for the Great White Throne judgment. And, uh,

(20:49):
that's when they face, sadly eternal separation from God. Okay.

S4 (20:56):
That can't be a better answer than God's scripture. Thank you.

S1 (20:59):
Yeah, great. Glad glad that we talked. Uh, hey, let
me just say I want to encourage you. That's not
something just to take passively. When we read that, C.S.
Lewis talked about how we're never talking to a mere mortal.
We're talking to immortal beings, people who will live forever, uh,
whether eternal glory or eternal horror. And that's why we

(21:24):
need to remember that. And it's why I think we
have to be. So, uh, we want to be tactful,
but but also tactfully but bold about letting people know
about the Lord Jesus doing our best to represent him
well and to communicate the great truth that we can
have a forever forgiven relationship with God. Uh, and be

(21:45):
in his presence forever. So let's not lose sight of that. Uh,
that that we're facing people who will live forever, either
in God's presence or separated from him forever. And so
let's keep proclaiming the good news. Uh, we're going to
talk to Randall in Indianapolis right now. Uh, and, uh, uh,

(22:13):
listening on WGN are welcome to open line. Randall, how
can I help you today?

S4 (22:17):
Thank you. Michael.

S5 (22:18):
Thank you for taking my call. Um, my curiosity is,
since God is omniscient, uh, why did he create mankind
and give him free will. If he would know in
advance that he was doomed for failure, and that we
would need Jesus Christ to save us.

S1 (22:36):
Wait. This is a curiosity to you? Or do you
think you know an answer on this?

S5 (22:42):
I don't know the answer.

S1 (22:45):
Okay. What if he. Let me just ask this question.
What if he didn't create us with the ability to
to choose obedience versus disobedience? If that's how he created
Adam and Eve with that ability. What if he didn't?

S5 (23:01):
Yeah, I don't know. It seems like we would almost
be robots.

S1 (23:04):
Exactly. We'd be nothing more than a a programmed computer.
You cannot enter. I may use my computer, but I
don't have a relationship with my computer. Although sometimes I
do want to scream at it. But the the point
of it is that we would be mere robots and
God wanted beings who would enter into relationship with him,

(23:26):
and it's a love relationship that comes with lovingly. Being obedient.
And that's how we express our love. If you love me,
you'll keep my commandments. Jesus taught. So, uh, it seems
to me that that's a simple answer. That God knew
everything but that he's going to redeem the earth. He's

(23:50):
going to create a world in which evil has been overcome,
and it will be a world in which people have
been redeemed and have entered into that love relationship with
him forever. So I believe that's why God did that. Uh, now,
you know, why did that's that's his best. I can

(24:11):
answer it because he wanted to have an actual relationship
with humanity and not just program computers. Does that help?

S5 (24:21):
I completely agree with that. I guess my only question
is being omniscient. He knew that we were going to
continue to fail over and over again.

S1 (24:32):
Well, yeah, but that's why he sent the Messiah to
redeem us. That's why the Messiah, Jesus, I mean, it
talks about in Scripture that Jesus is the lamb slain
before the foundation of the world. It's not like when
Adam and Eve sinned that God said, oh no, what
am I going to do now? Part of the eternal
plan was to redeem humanity through the Messiah Jesus. Uh,

(24:54):
God didn't say, oh, wow, I made a big mistake.
I got to figure out some plan B to make
it work. No, no, he knew all along how he
was going to do that. And so he's that. That
to me is part of the great plan of God,
eternal redemption. So I think that makes better sense to,
you know, I think what a greater evidence of God's

(25:16):
love not to only love us if we are perfectly obedient,
but to love us so much that even though we
fail and fail and fail and fail. He still redeems us, uh,
through the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah. If
you're feeling kind of like Randall, boy, we fail a lot.
Now's the time to put your trust in Jesus and say,

(25:36):
I can be forgiven from all those failures because Jesus
died for me and rose again. We're going to be
right back with the mailbag in just a moment. Trish
is dragging it in right now. Stay with us. The
Febc mailbag coming up straight ahead. Welcome back to Open Line.

(26:07):
I'm Michael Renick and joining me right now for the
Far Eastern Broadcasting Company mailbag. The Febc mailbag is Tricia McMillan.
Far Eastern Broadcasting Company partners with Open Line to bring
you the weekly Febc BBC mailbag. Febc is a wonderful organisation.
They bring the good news to people via media and

(26:28):
personal engagement. You should check out their podcast. It's called
Until All Have Heard. You can find it on your
podcast finder that you use on your smartphone or just
go to. Org that's febc. And here is Tricia McMillan
with the Febc mailbag. Right now she's running around. It's

(26:52):
so heavy. She's having a hard time getting into the studio.
There we go. Sorry. It's really been piling up. The
summer is carrying a lot of a lot of these.
We're going to have to do a mailbag program pretty soon.

S6 (27:03):
Yes we will.

S1 (27:05):
Yeah, I see that. We have a new team member
here with us here on the open line team. And, uh,
let's see. Who is that with you there? Tricia?

S6 (27:15):
This is my daughter, Maisy. She is eight, and, uh. Yeah. So, Maisie,
can you say hi? Hi.

S1 (27:24):
Now she's your middle child.

S6 (27:26):
She's my youngest.

S1 (27:27):
She's the youngest. Oh, this is the one I. I
actually remember when you were on maternity leave. Yes, for
a while from the program.

S6 (27:37):
Yes. This is the one that I was pregnant with
when I was producing. Yes.

S1 (27:41):
Yeah. Ah, there we go. Well. Hey, Maisie, how are you?

S6 (27:45):
Good.

S1 (27:46):
Good. So you came to work with your mom today,
or did you come because you had a question?

S7 (27:52):
Um, I wanted to come with my mom because it's
really fun when I come with her to Moody.

S1 (27:59):
Yeah. That's fun. But you also have a question, too, right?

S7 (28:03):
Yeah.

S1 (28:03):
What's your question, sweetie?

S7 (28:06):
Um, I read I read my Bible every day, and
I memorized a lot of verses. But how do I
study the Bible when I'm eight?

S1 (28:16):
When you're an eight year old, how do you study
the Bible? Well, first of all, I just want to say,
sounds to me like you really like to read. Do you?

S7 (28:24):
Yeah.

S1 (28:25):
Is that your favorite subject at school?

S7 (28:28):
Um, no. I like art and gym.

S8 (28:30):
You like art?

S1 (28:32):
Wow. What? What kind of art do you like the best?

S7 (28:35):
Um, maybe coloring or painting.

S1 (28:39):
That's great. Wow. Well, your mom is kind of arty.
She's artsy, so it makes sense that you like art
as well. Um, but how do you. First of all,
I just want to commend you for reading. Reading the Bible,
memorizing verses. Really important. Uh, I'd say that for you,

(29:03):
as you read, you're going to get better at understanding
as you read. But as an eight year old, the
first thing you want to say is, as you read
it is. Do I understand what this story is saying.
Do I understand the details of the story? Do I?

(29:25):
Or if it's not a story, then try. And the
first thing I would do is try. And maybe if
you're reading a paragraph, let's say in the book of Ephesians,
one of the epistles or something like that, or even
if you're reading a story, take the paragraph and see
if you can write a paraphrase of it, or a
simple explanation of what it is saying. Uh, just one sentence.

(29:51):
This is what it's about. And then say, after you
do that, this is what it's about. Then what you
can do is say, what does God want me to
learn from this? Is this teaching about avoiding sin? Is
this teaching that God has a promise that I can claim? Uh,

(30:12):
is this teaching me an example? Like when you read
about Daniel refusing to to worship a false god. Uh,
that instead he he risks everything. Uh, well, uh, is
that a good example for me to follow? God at
all costs? Uh, and then so is there a sin

(30:36):
I should avoid? Is there a promise I should claim?
Is there an example here I should follow? Is there
a command that God is giving me here? Is there
something that I should believe about, about the truth of
God's Word? So there's five things you're asking yourself after
you write that little synopsis, a little one sentence, what
is this paragraph about? And then say, is there something

(30:59):
I should avoid? A sin to avoid a promise, I
can claim an example to follow, a command to obey,
or something to believe that that's, uh, what you should
do when you read it. Then That's so number one,
write a summary. Number two, find how it fits in

(31:19):
your life. And number three, talk to your mom. It's
always helpful when you're learning how to read the Bible,
to talk to your mom and say, this is what
I think it's saying. This is what I think I
should do about it. And then, mom, what do you think?
And see if she'll help you with that. Okay.

S7 (31:39):
Okay. Thank you.

S1 (31:41):
Yeah, I think you're doing that already. I'm pretty. Pretty
proud of you for doing all that reading. And keep memorizing, okay?
It's going to be a. It's like. That's like putting
money in the bank. You'll, as you memorize those verses,
will be there for you for your whole life. That's great. So. Okay. Okay.
Do we have any other questions here?

S6 (32:00):
Oh, we got lots. Lots. Always lots of questions. So
our next question is from Jill in Ohio, listens to CRF.
She works for two different Jewish families whom she loves,
and they love her. She care takes for the mothers
of those families who are in their 90s. She wants
to know how to be the most effective witness to them.

S1 (32:22):
Well, Romans 1111 gives us the most basic truth about
how to be a good testimony in to Jewish people.
It says there that salvation has come to the Gentiles
to make Jewish people jealous. That's what it actually says.
To make them jealous. And so what we need to

(32:44):
do is practice up. See the reason the gospel has
come to the Gentiles to make Jewish people jealous is
God took what was originally designed for the Jewish people,
the good news of the Jewish Messiah. And when it
was rejected, it was spread to the Gentiles. So Jewish
people would want it back. And so what we have
to do is represent the Lord really well. We have

(33:05):
to be loving of Jewish people. Uh, I think expressing
our love and concern for Jewish People is a is essential.
That's where it starts. Obviously you're doing that already. Show
an interest in what Jewish people have to say. Ask
them about their holidays. Ask them. Ask Jewish people about
what they're doing. Uh, right now, uh, in terms of, of, uh,

(33:28):
their faith and how what they believe now. So be
not just expressing your love, but express interest and then also, uh,
live a life that they say, wow, this person has
a real vital relationship with God. I always believe that
the best way to talk to anyone, Jew or Gentile,

(33:48):
is to love people until they ask you why. And
so what I would say is be so loving, but
raise a flag from time to time what I mean
by raising a flag. You might say if you love someone,
you're friends with them. You might say something about how
God answered a prayer in your life or, uh, something
that God provided for you, or some sort of way

(34:10):
that God has worked in a great way in your
personal walk with him. And as a result of that,
when you raise that flag and you tell them, they're
going to say so, you really believe God answers your prayers.
You believe that God has a vital relationship with you
as you raise that flag. Jewish people will respond, and
then you should be prepared to be able to explain

(34:30):
why you believe Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. You might
even want to say, I'm believing in in what God
promised you. Uh, the Jewish Messiah. And so that's what
I would do in terms of dealing with your Jewish
friends there, these people that you work with. Okay.

S6 (34:46):
All right. Thank you. Uh, next question is from nada,
who wrote us on Facebook and wants to know if
Messianic Jews should still observe and practice Jewish traditions and celebrations,
which were looking forward to Jesus and became obsolete after
his coming?

S1 (35:08):
Well, You know, it's, uh. It's, I think a mistake
to say should. I think maybe the word should be could.

S6 (35:20):
Okay.

S1 (35:21):
You know, obviously, there's a lot of freedom in, uh,
in the faith that, you know, I don't want to
tell anyone what they should do other than they should
believe in Jesus and obey his words. But when I
read the the book of acts, and I look at
the example of Paul, who is a Jewish believer and

(35:45):
the apostle to the Gentiles, one of the things that
I see is he always identifies as a Jew. And
another thing that I see is that on his, uh,
remember the the situation when they return to Jerusalem and, uh,
they're told Paul goes to the temple with people to, uh,

(36:08):
to offer a sacrifice for their vows. So he's still
keeping a Jewish practice there? Uh, he says also, uh, in, uh,
acts 18, uh, 18. It says he had taken a vow.
He shaved his head at Cenchrea because he had taken

(36:28):
a vow. Apparently, Paul was still using the Nazarite vow,
even though he was a follower of Jesus. Uh, other
places it talks about that. He observed Passover. It says
that we sailed in acts 20. Says we sailed from
Philippi after the days of the unleavened bread. So it
seems that Paul observed Passover and waited till the end

(36:51):
of Passover to continue on. Uh, he said he was
hurrying in Jerusalem in Acts 20, hurrying to be in Jerusalem,
if possible, for the day of Pentecost. He wanted to
celebrate Pentecost, one of the celebrations. Shavuot. It's called in
Hebrew for when Jewish people keep these holidays. Uh. Uh,
it's the feast of weeks. That's what Shavuot is. And

(37:14):
that's what Pentecost refers to. Uh, it even says in
acts 28, uh, or 27, uh, that, uh, Paul, it
says in acts 27, uh, verse nine, since the fast
was already over, Paul gave this advice. And what this

(37:36):
means is that Paul obviously celebrated the fast, which is
another word for Yom Kippur. Now, all this it says
in acts 2817, I believe it is that Paul says
that he calls the leaders of the Jewish community together
in Rome, and he says that he has done nothing

(37:56):
against the, the, the customs of our fathers. So Paul says,
I kept all the Jewish customs, uh, And and I
think that's that's important to remember. Uh, and so here's
the point. Could Jewish believers, like Paul keep Jewish holidays

(38:17):
and Jewish feasts and things like that? Absolutely, yes. Uh,
the other question is, do they keep them exactly the
same way as before? No, I think we have to
do something else. I think we have to have them mechanized.
They have to focus on the Messiah who is the
fulfillment of all these holidays. So, for example, when Paul

(38:38):
kept the fast, uh, Yom Kippur, I'm sure he was
fasting for his Jewish brothers to come to know Jesus,
not for forgiveness of sins. And I would say the
same thing when I keep Yom Kippur, I fast, and
I use my time that day to pray for Jewish
people to come to know the Messiah. Uh, when I
celebrate Passover, I don't just celebrate redemption from Egypt, which

(39:03):
is a great thing to celebrate, but also redemption from
slavery to sin through the Passover Lamb, the Lord Jesus.
So can we celebrate these holidays? Absolutely, yes. Uh, but
they have to be mechanized, I believe, to reflect the
truth that the Messiah has come.

S6 (39:21):
Okay. And it would not be wrong to celebrate these things.

S1 (39:24):
Oh, no.

S6 (39:25):
Okay.

S1 (39:26):
It enhances my faith to do so.

S6 (39:29):
Okay. Okay. Thank you for that question, Narda.

S1 (39:32):
Yeah. Well, we're going to take a break here. And
when we come back, we'll take more of your calls
right here on Open Line. That was Tricia McMillan. I'm
Michael Ray. Stay with us. We'll be right back. And

(40:01):
we're back. I am so glad to be with you today.
Having a great time studying the scriptures. I did want
to tell you about the CPM. Chosen People Ministries is
offering something the CPM offer. Uh, so many of you
call or write with questions like someone just did about
how to talk about the good news with their Jewish friends,

(40:22):
how to talk about the Messiah, Jesus. That was one
of the questions during the Febc mailbag. How do they
how do we share our faith with our Jewish friends?
One of the best ways to do that is to
help our friends understand that marvelous prophecy in the book
of Isaiah, Isaiah 5213 through 5312 and. What that is

(40:46):
talking about, some people call it just Isaiah 53. Uh,
and so Chosen People Ministries is offering a book called
Isaiah 53 explained. And as you read that booklet, you'll
be able to get a better grasp of what that
prophecy foretold about the Messiah Jesus. And you could use
that as you talk to your Jewish friends, or you
can just pass it on to your Jewish friends. Uh,

(41:08):
just give them that booklet. If you'd like a free
copy of this book called Isaiah 53 explained. Go to
our website. That's Open Line radio.org. Scroll down till you
see the link that says A free gift from Chosen
People Ministries. Click on that. You'll be taken to a
page where you can sign up for your very own
copy of Isaiah 53 explained. And we're going to talk

(41:30):
with Catherine in Grand Rapids, Michigan, listening on NRB. Welcome
to Open Line, Catherine. How can I help you?

S9 (41:38):
Thank you. I need wisdom. Um, I live in a home,
and I talk and I share Christ whenever I can.
And I was talking with one of the employees who is.
I don't know for sure if she is a believer

(42:00):
or not, but she was questioning. I don't know for
sure if she even studies if they even study very thoroughly,
like in revelation. And I have your commentary. You sent
it to me a long time ago and I love it.
And thank you very much. And and she questioned, um, unbelievers,

(42:27):
the degree of punishment. And I see, like in chapter 20,
The Great White Throne. And I didn't have my Bible
with me and I needed it. And so I'm going
to go back with her and talk with her and depth. But, um,
it tells me not to get confused with the Great

(42:48):
White Throne and the Judgment Seat of Christ, where believers
are judged for our service. And it tells, um tells me.

S8 (42:59):
Catherine, do you have a question?

S9 (43:02):
Um, yes. I, I need wisdom to be able to
explain this all to her easily. And I don't know exactly, um,
how you know, to do that if she does not,
you know, even know anything about revelation.

S8 (43:23):
Well, you know what? Here's the thing.

S1 (43:26):
I would start with. If she doesn't know about the
book of revelation and she doesn't know anything about the judgment,
I would start with this. I would start by talking
to her about how to avoid judgment before God one day,
that God doesn't want to, uh, separate from her or
have her separated from him for all eternity, that he

(43:48):
wants her to be forgiven forever. And I would start
by explaining the good news, uh, which is found Right
at the beginning of First Corinthians 15, where it talks
about that Jesus died for our sins and rose again.
That's where I would start with her. And then after

(44:09):
she says, okay, I understand that. Invite her to believe.
And if she believes after that, you can talk to
her about those other judgments. Okay. But I would start
with how to be forgiven. That just sounds to me
more like that would be her level. Okay, Catherine, you

(44:29):
go to the gospel first. Okay.

S9 (44:32):
Okay. Okay. Yeah. And also, um, real quick, I can
throw this in. Um, I have another, um, person that
I that has shared with me that she is, um,
taught that there is no hell, that God is only
of love.

S1 (44:52):
Mhm. Well, she's mistaken. Does she. Does she know the Lord?

S9 (44:59):
I don't know for sure. Or not.

S1 (45:02):
Well, here's the thing. Uh, the Bible is God's word.
And I would just say, well, you may think that,
but the Bible says something differently. The Bible says that
we're all going to stand before God one day and that, uh,
we will either be there forgiven because of what Jesus
did for us taking the punishment we deserved, or we

(45:25):
can stand on our own merit, which doesn't leave us
with any hope at all. So I would just again,
when these people say these things to you, go back
to the gospel. Explain what the Bible says and it's
up to them whether they want to keep, you know,
respond to it, obey it, believe it. But all our
job is to point them back to the gospel. That's

(45:48):
what I would do. Catherine, uh, keep it simple. Talk
to them about the good news. The good news isn't
that there's judgment coming. The good news is that Jesus
died taking the punishment we deserved and rose again. And
by believing in him, we can be exempt from eternal judgment. Instead,

(46:13):
be forgiven forever. So I hope that helps, Catherine. Uh.
And I can't believe it. The first hour is over.
Right here on Open Line. But a second hour is
coming up on most of these stations. So I hope
you'll check that out. If your station doesn't carry it,
you can always listen online. Or you can check out
the podcast. Or you can also get the Moody Radio App.

(46:35):
Bible Study across America will continue in just a moment,
so stay with us. Open line with Doctor Michael Ray
is a production of Moody Radio, a ministry of Moody
Bible Institute. We'll be back soon, so stay with us.