Participants: Pr. John Carter
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001518A
|
00:04 The Carter Report presents Plain Talk with John Carter.
00:16 Hello, friend. I'm John Carter. 00:19 Welcome today to Plain Talk with the Carter Report. 00:24 People around the world send us their questions. 00:27 They come from Africa, United States of America, 00:31 Australia, Great Britain, even Saudi Arabia. 00:35 And people are saying to us, we want some plain answers 00:39 and we want some plain talk. 00:42 Welcome today to the Carter Report. 00:47 Hi, I'm John Carter. 00:49 My wife Beverly and I 00:51 were watching television the other night 00:52 watching the news, American News. 00:55 They told us that the church in North America 00:57 is actually shrinking. 00:59 They said that atheism is the fastest growing 01:01 religious movement today in North America. 01:04 And people are saying 01:06 what on earth can we do to save the Church. 01:08 Well, of course, Christ died for the church, 01:10 He saved the church. 01:12 But what they mean is how can we keep the church 01:14 as a vibrant force in the world today, 01:17 in Australia, in America and in Europe 01:19 and in rest of the world. 01:20 Let me tell you a little story. 01:22 John Wesley was one of the greatest preachers 01:24 of the English speaking world has ever heard. 01:27 John Wesley came upon the scene of the church in England 01:31 a few hundred years ago, when the church was dying. 01:34 Like the church today, it was a shrinking church. 01:38 But the people in the church were in a state of denial. 01:40 They refused to accept the reality 01:43 that the church was dying. 01:45 John Wesley did something 01:46 that other people said couldn't be done. 01:48 He revived the church through public evangelism. 01:52 Did you hear that? 01:53 He started to preach Christ, he preached the Bible 01:56 and he preached out of doors and indoors. 01:59 And the church was saved. 02:01 Not only did he save a lot of souls, 02:04 the souls of sinners, 02:05 he saved the souls of the saints. 02:10 Please join me, my friend, in evangelism. 02:15 It's what Jesus did. 02:17 Write to me, John Carter, Post office Box 1900, 02:21 Thousand Oaks, California. 02:22 In Australia, write to me at the address on the screen 02:26 at Terrigal, in New South Wales. 02:29 Join me, my friend, in preaching Christ. 02:33 Join me in public evangelism around the world. 02:39 Thank you. In Jesus' name. 02:48 What is the difference between 02:50 Protestantism and Roman Catholicism? 02:53 Good question. 02:55 Most people would say, 02:57 "I don't know and I don't care." 03:00 Because as long as you believe in God 03:02 and we all love each other, 03:03 and we're going to have one big super church soon, 03:06 and it's just going to be wonderful. 03:11 I really don't believe that stuff. 03:14 I believe that truth matters. 03:17 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." 03:21 Jesus said, "You will know the truth. 03:24 The truth will make you free." 03:26 So truth matters. Now I love Roman Catholics. 03:33 My dear old dad was a Roman Catholic 03:35 for most of his life, until he became 03:38 baptized into Christ, as an adult towards 03:41 the end of his life. 03:44 Many of my relatives, 03:46 most of my relatives are Roman Catholics. 03:49 So of course, I love Roman Catholics. 03:52 But I'm not a Roman Catholic. 03:55 And there must be some reason. 03:57 Except for some would call fate, 04:01 I could have been a Roman Catholic priest. 04:07 But I'm a Protestant because of my convictions. 04:12 I do not belong to the church of my father's. 04:16 I belong to the church, 04:18 pardon my saying it, of the Bible. 04:23 Why? 04:24 What is the difference between 04:26 Roman Catholicism and the Protestants? 04:29 What is the difference? 04:32 God has got His people in all religions. 04:34 Did you know that? 04:36 Man looks on the outward appearance 04:38 but God looks on the heart. 04:40 God can see the hearts of people. 04:42 And there are many wonderful Christian people 04:46 in the great Roman Catholic Church 04:48 that I respect. 04:50 Even though I don't believe in obeying that church, 04:54 I believe in respecting that church. 04:57 And let me tell you the difference 04:59 or the differences. 05:01 Number one, Sola Scriptura. 05:06 That's what Martin Luther taught. 05:08 That's the Latin for only the Bible, 05:11 only the word of God. 05:13 Martin Luther said, 05:14 "My conscience is captive to the word of God." 05:19 Now Roman Catholics, 05:21 and we love them, believe in Scripture 05:25 but also the voice of the church, 05:28 the voice of the church fathers'. 05:30 I know some Protestants who are pretty much the same. 05:34 They believe in the Bible, 05:36 plus tradition and the voice of their church. 05:40 I don't. 05:41 I believe in the Protestant principle 05:43 of Sola Scriptura. 05:46 What we can't get out of the Bible, 05:48 I will not believe. 05:52 I believe in Sola Christus, only Christ. 05:56 I don't believe that I'm saved by the saints 05:58 or the Blessed Virgin Mary. 06:00 I don't pray to the saints. 06:02 Because I believe that Jesus is sufficient. 06:06 Only Christ, not Christ plus, only Christ. 06:12 I disagree with my Catholic friends 06:14 on their understanding of the gospel 06:17 and justification. 06:19 The Church of Rome teaches that justification 06:22 makes a person righteous. 06:25 That's what they said in the Council of Trent. 06:27 I don't believe that. 06:29 I believe in Sola Gratia, Sola Fida, 06:34 only grace, only faith. 06:36 I believe that justification is a declaration that the sinner, 06:41 because of the merits of Christ Jesus 06:44 is declared righteous. 06:46 The Church of Rome doesn't believe that. 06:49 I don't believe in purgatory. 06:51 I don't believe in an eternally burning hell. 06:55 I do not believe 06:57 in the priesthood on this earth. 06:59 I do not believe in the pope as the number one priest. 07:05 I believe the number one priest is Jesus Christ, my Lord. 07:10 I read about this in the book on the sanctuary, 07:13 the Book of Hebrews. 07:15 I don't believe in confessing my sins to a priest. 07:19 I believe in confessing my sins to Christ. 07:23 He is my High Priest. 07:26 I don't believe in religious relics. 07:28 I don't believe in penance. I don't believe in fiestas. 07:35 I don't believe in the holy days of the church. 07:38 I believe in the Commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 07:45 So there are differences. 07:47 And those differences are significant. 07:51 And by the grace of God, I want you to follow Christ. 07:54 Don't follow me. Don't follow me. 07:57 Don't follow the church. 07:59 I say to you, follow Christ and follow the Bible. 08:04 Are Mary and the apostles in heaven? 08:08 The angel said, "From henceforth, 08:10 everybody is going to call you blessed." 08:12 So it's right to talk about the Blessed Virgin Mary. 08:17 Because at that time, when she had our Lord, 08:21 she was the Blessed Virgin Mary. 08:26 And the apostles, Peter, James, John, Paul, all of them. 08:31 Mighty people, people of God. 08:34 Mary Magdalene, 08:36 one of the great saints of the church, 08:37 well, the great saints of God. 08:40 But they're not in heaven. 08:42 "What?" 08:44 "What heresy is this that you're saying?" 08:46 Well, I'm telling you what the Bible says. 08:49 Can I share, maybe one text with you? 08:53 Let me see if I can find it. 08:56 Let's hope this Bible is gonna help me today 08:58 turn to the text, okay. 09:01 John Chapter 11 talks about 09:02 what happens when a good person dies. 09:07 "After He said this, He said, 09:10 'Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep. 09:12 But I'm going there to wake him up.' 09:16 Then He says, 'Lazarus is dead.' 09:19 'Lazarus is sleeping.' 'Lazarus is Dead.'" 09:23 When a person dies, 09:25 he sleeps in the grave until the resurrection. 09:30 So how can a sleeping saint, awaiting the resurrection, 09:35 hear your prayers? 09:37 He cannot. 09:39 Therefore, we do not pray to the dead for the dead. 09:46 What advice do you give to people 09:48 who want a life transformation? 09:51 If you want a life transformation, 09:56 the Bible says that the word of God 09:58 is mighty and powerful. 10:01 This is not an ordinary book. 10:03 This is the living word of the living God. 10:08 If it gets inside you, you will have a transformation. 10:13 Whether you're a drug addict, an adulterer, 10:15 a murderer, a cheat, I don't care. 10:18 But you've got to do a bit of discipline. 10:20 You've got to start to read it. 10:22 The reason most people don't read the Bible 10:24 is either because they're too busy, 10:26 or they're too lazy, or are they're too indifferent. 10:30 And I don't care. I want to tell you something. 10:35 If you will take the time to read the four gospels, 10:39 Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John 10:41 for 30 minutes every day, 10:43 a miracle will happen in your life. 10:46 But it's not going to happen until you do something, 10:49 so that God can help you. 10:51 But if you will read the four gospels, 10:53 starting today, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, 10:55 read them slowly, prayerfully, thoughtfully. 10:58 If you read the gospels half an hour a day, 11:02 you will be transformed. 11:03 A miracle will happen in your life. 11:09 Dear Pastor Carter, thank you for your excellent teachings. 11:12 I would like to get your thoughts 11:14 on Matthew 27:53-57. 11:18 This event in my mind is unimaginable. 11:21 And as far as I know, 11:22 it is never mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. 11:26 It says this, starting verse 53. 11:31 Verse 52, "The tombs broke open. 11:34 The bodies of many holy people 11:36 who had died were raised to life. 11:40 They came out of the tombs and after Jesus' resurrection, 11:43 they went into the holy city and appeared to many people." 11:47 I think this is the question. 11:49 We're told that when Jesus died, 11:53 the tombs were broken up 11:55 and the bodies of many of the saints 11:57 walked out of those tombs. 12:00 And at the time of the resurrection 12:01 or after the resurrection, 12:03 they went into the city of Jerusalem. 12:06 And they appeared to many people. 12:08 Now my question, it says 12:11 this is almost too hard to believe. 12:13 Well, this is a book where God intervenes. 12:16 And here God intervened in human history. 12:20 God put His finger into time and into place. 12:25 And when Jesus died on the cross, 12:27 and that's when He made an atoning sacrifice 12:29 for your sins and my sins 12:31 so you and I could be saved. 12:34 The Bible says, when there was that mighty earthquake, 12:38 there was a partial resurrection. 12:41 People say it's too hard to believe. 12:43 Well, God can do a few things 12:45 that you and I can't understand. 12:48 And these people, the bodies of the saints, 12:50 and a saint is anybody who trusts in Jesus 12:52 and believes His word, they walked out of those tombs. 12:56 And later on, they went into the cities, 12:59 a city of Jerusalem I should say. 13:01 And were told in the Book of the Ephesians 13:04 that they were taken home to glory 13:07 and they're now in heaven. 13:10 And you'll be in heaven too my friend, 13:13 if you put your trust and your faith in Jesus, 13:18 because Jesus is the Lord and Jesus saves. 13:27 God has His time and His place for everything. 13:32 And the time and the place now is Latin America, 13:37 including Cuba. 13:39 Time Magazine talks about 13:41 the Second Protestant Reformation 13:44 and describes how hundreds of thousands, 13:48 even millions of Latinos are coming 13:51 to the gospel of Christ. 13:54 I'm not an arm chair theologian. 13:57 I'm speaking according to experience. 14:00 I've seen it with my own eyes. 14:03 Recently, we went down to El Salvador. 14:07 There I spoke in the largest football stadium 14:11 in Central America with the biggest crowd 14:14 that that football stadium had ever, ever seen. 14:17 They came not to see a football match, 14:21 but to hear about the blood of Christ. 14:24 Millions are coming to have knowledge of God 14:27 in Latin America. 14:30 Doors are opening in Cuba. 14:33 Who knows, we may be going to Cuba soon. 14:37 As the doors open by the grace of God, 14:40 we are going to step through those doors. 14:43 And we want you to step through those doors with us 14:48 and be part of our team for such as time as this. 14:52 Please write to me, friend. Don't put it off. 14:55 Write to me, John Carter, Post office Box 1900, 14:59 Thousand Oaks, California, 91358. 15:03 In Australia, write to me at Terrigal, New South Wales. 15:09 Be part of the Second Reformation. 15:12 Join us and see the miracles of God. 15:17 Amen. 15:28 Hello Pastor Carter, 15:29 I'm a new Christian and would like to know 15:31 what Bible translation I should be reading. 15:34 Does it really matter what version we read? 15:37 I always wondered who gave us 15:38 our first translation in the English language. 15:41 And thank you for addressing my question? 15:43 Well, let's start at the last part first, 15:47 so I don't forget it. 15:50 The King James Version goes back to 1611. 15:56 One of the greatest monuments to the grace of God, 16:00 a monumental classic, the KJV. 16:03 Around the same time, a bit before, 16:07 you had the Geneva Bible and you had the Bishops' Bible. 16:12 These were English translations. 16:15 And during those days, of course, 16:16 there was a great deal of persecution. 16:19 And that's why the Geneva Bible was translated because 16:22 the Church of Rome was burning the Bibles 16:25 and putting to death the Protestant Reformers. 16:29 And so they went over to Geneva. 16:31 And they had a little haven there. 16:33 And that's when they translated the Holy Scriptures. 16:37 Now you're saying what Bible should I use today. 16:41 Well, I'm not too concerned about what Bible, 16:43 but I'm concerned about 16:45 your reading the Scriptures, and getting some discipline, 16:49 and spending 30 minutes a day reading the Holy Scriptures, 16:53 particularly, the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 16:57 Now I use the King James Version 17:00 on occasions because I love it. 17:03 I've used this Bible ever since 17:05 I ran the meetings in the Sydney Opera House, 17:08 before most of you were born. 17:11 In 1982, I've used it 17:14 and I've worn out a few of these Bibles. 17:17 I also have used the New King James Version, 17:22 though it's not as good as the old KJV, 17:24 but it's more up-to-date 17:26 and it's possibly more accurate. 17:30 And then I also recommend 17:33 The New American Standard Version, 17:37 The New American Standard Bible. 17:40 New American Standard Bible. 17:43 It's possibly the most accurate 17:45 of all the, of all the translations. 17:50 Then you have other Bible such as, The Message. 17:55 That's not truly a real Bible. That's a paraphrase. 18:00 It's good to read because it gives you the heart 18:03 and the spirit of what the Bible is saying. 18:07 But I would recommend, and this is from my viewpoint, 18:11 I would recommend New International Version 18:15 or the New American Standard Bible. 18:19 But the most important thing you can do, 18:22 is to start to read it. 18:26 Hi, Pastor Carter. 18:27 Do you think that we'll ever find 18:29 the Ark of the Covenant? 18:30 The internet is for stories on this subject. 18:33 Yeah, the internet is full of stories on every subject. 18:38 There's so much information today 18:40 but there's not a great deal of wisdom. 18:42 You know, there's a difference between 18:45 information and wisdom. 18:47 If you read the Bible, 18:49 the Bible will give you information and the wisdom. 18:52 But a lot of the stuff you get on the internet today is just, 18:56 pardon my saying, is rubbish. 18:59 Do I think they're going to find 19:00 the Ark of the Covenant? 19:02 Well, I don't know. 19:05 Do I think they're going to find the Ark of Noah? 19:08 Well, there was all sorts of talk 19:10 that they had found Noah's Ark. 19:12 But it was all fallacious. It wasn't true. 19:15 It was just, just made up stories. 19:18 I believe. 19:20 We do know that 19:21 the Ark of the Covenant existed. 19:23 And we do know that it was hidden 19:27 because of invading armies. 19:30 It is possible, the Ark of the Covenant 19:33 was hidden in the same area 19:35 where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. 19:38 Who would have believed they would have found 19:41 such old manuscripts from the Old Testament? 19:45 I've been to those places 19:46 where they found the Dead Sea Scrolls. 19:49 I guess it is possible that they could find 19:52 the Ark of the Covenant. 19:54 But it doesn't make a lot of difference, 19:56 because in the Ark of the Covenant, 19:58 you have the Ten Commandments. 20:00 Do you think finding the Ark of the Covenant 20:02 would get people to read the Ten Commandments 20:04 and obey the Ten Commandments? 20:06 I don't think so. 20:08 It would be a seven day wonder and a novelty. 20:12 If you want to find out about the Ark of the Covenant, 20:16 then go to the Bible. 20:18 But most importantly, look inside the Ark 20:22 and there you will see the Holy Law of God, 20:26 The Ten Commandments. 20:28 And I believe that 20:29 if we all obey the Ten Commandments, 20:31 we would be blessed and so much happier. 20:35 Don't you think? 20:38 I was recently at a local Christian bookstore 20:40 and was looking for a good Bible commentary 20:43 or a concordance to supplement my studies. 20:45 Pastor Carter, are there any that you could recommend? 20:49 You are really putting me on the spot here, aren't you? 20:53 A good concordance, 20:55 well, you have a number of concordances. 20:57 I have them all and some of you would too. 20:59 You have Strong's concordance 21:02 and somebody has quite facetiously said 21:06 that's for strong Christians. 21:08 Then you have Young's concordance. 21:10 They say that's for young Christians. 21:12 And you have Cruden's concordance. 21:14 Which is for crude Christians. 21:18 Now I have the three. 21:21 If you want to find out 21:23 what the ancient languages are saying, 21:27 it's better for you to get a Strong's concordance 21:29 or a Young's Analytical concordance. 21:33 But that is pretty hard work. 21:36 But I'm all for hard work 21:38 and it's good for you Bible study. 21:41 As for commentaries, 21:43 well, there are so many, many different commentaries. 21:46 I have many commentaries. 21:50 How many I would recommend? I don't know. 21:54 Adventists have a very fine commentary. 21:57 The Adventist commentary, particularly, 22:00 the portion of the Adventists commentary 22:04 written by Dr Siegfried Horn. 22:07 That's the dictionary. 22:09 The dictionary is second to none. 22:12 I would certainly get the dictionary 22:16 in the Adventist commentary. 22:18 I think it's the best part of the commentary 22:20 in my humble opinion. 22:22 And also, the introductory, 22:25 introductory articles to the Gospels. 22:30 And also, to the Old Testament. 22:33 But the most important thing you can do, 22:36 is to read your Bible. 22:39 Dear Pastor Carter, 22:40 thank you for your ministry and for your teachings. 22:43 I'm trying to learn about the Sabbath. 22:45 A pastor at our church told me that 22:47 we have no way of knowing what the seventh day is, 22:50 as the days of the week have been lost 22:52 due to changes in the world's time calendar. 22:55 Is that an accurate statement? 22:56 No. it's not. Your pastor is totally wrong. 23:00 Who agrees with me? 23:02 Anybody you who is a scholar. 23:05 Now let me tell you very plainly. 23:07 In Leviticus, Exodus, Exodus 16, 23:13 you have the story of the manna. 23:17 The manna fell on the first day, 23:18 the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, 23:21 double portion on the sixth day, 23:23 none on the seventh day. 23:24 Do you think they would have worked out 23:26 which was the seventh day? 23:28 After this miraculous event 23:32 took place for about 40 years, 40 years. 23:38 One, two, three, four, five, six, manna, 23:41 seventh day, no manna. 23:43 I think anybody could have worked out 23:45 which, which was the seventh day. 23:48 Then the Jewish people, for another 1500 years, 23:51 religiously continued to observe 23:55 that same seventh day 23:57 that God revealed to them at Mount Sinai. 24:01 And then since the days of Christ, 24:05 the Jews have continued 24:07 to set aside the same seventh day. 24:10 And the Christians have said no, 24:12 many Christians have said we don't keep the seventh day. 24:14 We keep the first day. 24:17 And the Muslims say they keep the sixth day. 24:21 Go to any good commentary. 24:24 Go to any good encyclopedia. 24:27 And they will tell you which is the seventh day. 24:31 Time has not been lost. 24:33 People get lost but time has not been lost 24:36 and the Bible says, 24:38 "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 24:41 The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God." 24:45 I believe we ought to keep the Sabbath that Jesus kept. 24:51 And that's the same Sabbath that the Jews keep today. 24:55 It's plain. 24:58 Dear Pastor Carter, 24:59 why did God in the course of history 25:01 let so many innocent people suffer 25:04 for the fall of Adam and Eve? 25:06 This question haunts me during difficult times in my life. 25:09 I see the suffering in third world countries 25:11 and cannot grasp God's plan for mankind. 25:14 Thank you, Pastor Carter, for this help. 25:17 When Adam and Eve sinned, when Adam sinned, 25:20 he was the representative of the human race. 25:23 It's like if I'm driving a car 25:25 and my family are in the back seat. 25:27 If I take the car off the road, 25:29 my family goes off the road with me 25:31 because they're in the car with me. 25:34 Adam was driving the human race. 25:37 And when Adam went off the road, 25:39 we were in the back seat. 25:41 And we went off with him. 25:44 And since Adam's fall, 25:47 we've all had sinful human natures. 25:52 And because of our sin, 25:54 because we're born in sin, we all die. 25:57 The Bible says. "In Adam all die." 26:01 And sin spread out over the world 26:04 and this world became under the curse of sin. 26:09 And even the animal creation. 26:12 The Bible says, 26:13 "Groans as in travail until this present day." 26:17 But let me tell you something. 26:20 The first Adam blew it. 26:22 The first Adam lost it and we're all lost 26:26 because of the first Adam. 26:27 But the good news is that the second Adam, 26:30 Jesus, redeemed Adam's failure. 26:34 And we are saved in the second Adam. 26:37 Not because of our effort. Not because of our penance. 26:41 Not because of our works. 26:43 Not because of our obedience, but because of Him. 26:48 He won the battle for us. 26:50 He's our Savior. He's our Lord. 26:54 And if you truly believe in Jesus, 26:59 just think about this. 27:01 If you truly trust in Him, 27:04 you are redeemed from Adam's failure. 27:09 And you are saved 27:10 and you will go to heaven with the righteous. 27:13 And one day, God is going to have a new heaven 27:16 and a new earth. 27:18 He's gonna get rid of this whole world of sin. 27:21 He's going to make it new. No more suffering. 27:25 No more pain among the animals. 27:27 No more death, no more parting, no more devil, 27:32 even so come Lord Jesus. 27:34 I pray. My friend, please write to me. 27:38 John Carter, Post office Box 1900, 27:41 Thousand Oaks, California, 91358. 27:44 Send me your questions. 27:46 By the grace of God, we'll have them on 27:48 the next session of Plain Talk. 27:52 We believe in the plain truth that's found in the Bible. 27:56 And I believe in plain talk. 28:00 Write to me at Terrigal, New South Wales, Australia. 28:03 And when you write, send me your question. 28:06 Do something else. 28:08 Send a love offering 28:10 for the preaching of the gospel. 28:12 Write to me today. 28:14 Until next time, this is John Carter saying, 28:17 God bless you and bye for now. 28:25 For a copy of today's program, please contact us 28:28 at P.O. BOX 1900, Thousand Oaks, 28:31 California, 91358. 28:34 Or in Australia, contact us 28:37 at P.O. BOX 861, Terrigal, New South Wales, 2260. 28:43 This program is made possible through the generous support 28:47 of viewers like you. 28:48 We thank you for your continued support. 28:51 May God richly bless you. |
Revised 2016-01-28