July 29, 2021 Show with Marc Grimaldi on “The Pulpit is No Place for Cowards”

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Live from the historic parsonage of the 19th century gospel minister George Norcross in downtown

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Carlisle, Pennsylvania, it's Iron Sharpens Iron. This is a radio platform in which pastors,

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Christian scholars, and theologians address the burning issues facing the church and the world today.

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Proverbs chapter 27 verse 17 tells us iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another.

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Matthew Henry said that in this passage we are cautioned to take heed with whom we converse and directed to have in view in conversation to make one another wiser and better.

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It is our hope that this goal will be accomplished over the next two hours and we hope to hear from you the listener with your own questions and now here's your host

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Chris Arnzen. Good afternoon

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Cumberland County Pennsylvania Lake City Florida and the rest of humanity living on the planet earth who are listening via live streaming at ironsharpensironradio .com

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this is Chris Arnzen your host of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio wishing you all a happy Thursday on this 29th day of July 2021.

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I'm always thrilled to have back on the program one of my former pastors he was my most recent former pastor on Long Island New York at Grace Reform Baptist Church of Long Island in Merrick New York where he served as a pastor for a number of years he has now accepted a call to White House Tennessee and is the new pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in White House and today we are going to be addressing the pulpit is no place for cowards fearing

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God more than men and leaving church growth to God according to the truth of his word and it's my honor and privilege to welcome you back to Iron Sharpens Iron Radio and for the first time as pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in White House Tennessee Mark Romaldi.

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Thank you Chris it's great to be here as always appreciate that. That's my pleasure brother always great having you on and how many years were you the pastor at Grace Reform Baptist Church of Long Island?

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Yeah I was pastoring at Grace for about 16 years. 16 years wow that was uh longer than I even thought uh yeah in fact

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I just got my invitation to the goodbye and good riddance Mark Romaldi uh party that they're having.

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I know that that was a great loss uh for the brethren there but uh tell us about this new church

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Sovereign Grace Church in White House Tennessee. Yes Sovereign Grace Church um it's it's it says

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White House there on the website too but it's actually called Greenbrier really the town is Greenbrier it's right right next to White House but for some reason sometimes they associate it with White House but it is um a also reformed church we were uh in the process of embracing 1689 as a church it's a very young church um plant it was uh it was planted actually about three three and a half years ago but it's kind of taken somewhat of a new twist to it so it's almost like a plant um as well it's a small work and um we're about 35 minutes north of Nashville Tennessee so we're in middle

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Tennessee up in the north there uh and you can also we're just we're so new that we're actually redoing our website but we have a page up at least from now at www .sovereigngracechurch

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.net www .sovereigngracechurch .net so we're uh we're young but we are excited we do have a good core group there and we're praying that God will do some great things praise

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God well uh we are discussing I think a very important subject today because it really involves an issue that is plaguing the body of Christ where you have uh cowards or at the very least pragmatists uh in the pulpits of many conservative evangelical churches even those that would be theologically reformed uh where the primary goal seems to be not to make waves not to hurt people's feelings uh they are in seems to be a focus uh or a fear

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I should say of losing members which would also mean subsequently losing finances uh having the community at large express their disfavor towards these churches because of the speaking out on very controversial issues in favor of what

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God has to say rather than what man demands or at least many on the left in society today are demanding of everyone uh but when you ascend into a pulpit uh obviously you have a concern for those who are sitting there listening to you and those that may be listening to you in their homes via a recording or live streaming or however the case may be uh people who are not even members of the church but you're concerned about them obviously you're concerned about the souls of men uh you not only want the saints discipled according to the biblical truths but you also want the lost to come to Christ but but isn't it true that first and foremost you really have an audience of one being

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God yeah yeah that that has to be paramount to the mind of the person who's preaching when you're preparing texts and and that's one of the reasons why i like personally i like to preach through um you know books of the bible systematically um i'm not saying that topical preaching is wrong there's a place for it and and i'll do topical sermons as well at times especially when there's something relevant going on in society and so on but but i think it's important to to deal with the word of God as God gives it to us um you know he's he's given us all the tools that we need uh all the information that we need and the motivation that we need right there in the scriptures to know how to preach the word of God and what to say and how to say it and we get into trouble when we start trying to manipulate things to bring about results that we desire uh not trusting in the work of the

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Holy Spirit and not trusting in the fact that God is the one that must give the increase so you're 100 percent right

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Chris it's it's it's really important that when we get up in that pulpit um that we pray proclaim the word of God as it stands and we stay out of the way we don't let our personalities or anything get in the way from that or or what we would like to see or anything like that the emotions of people the times the culture the word of God is cross it's it's uh it crosses all boundaries all cultures and it's for all times and our confidence has to be in the word of God and not and uh the ploys of man to try to convince people to jump you know to jump through the hoops that we'd like them to jump through and what would you say some of the primary things that far too many pastors are avoiding like the plague when it comes to their pulpits yeah well in in a lot of the liberal churches obviously it's they're not preaching uh anything that would offend so when you're dealing with issues of repentance or even being specific about sin sometimes you'll have preachers who are very just very general or they'll say things like uh you know that sin is not what's best for you or just try to use language that's soft and and not really representing sin or scripture in the way that God um what he would the way that God proclaims it in his word so that would be one thing obviously the more liberal churches but even in the reformed churches you see just more of a uh offending to to the will of the culture with with what's going on as you were saying before with especially with left -leaning politics just the incorporation of critical race theory and those kinds of things into into scripture these philosophical views that are completely alien to the scriptures and just distort everything and turn up everything upside down um just you know in order to try to appease people in order to try to be sympathetic but they're actually compromising the word of God and ultimately these truths do damage to the gospel itself and there is a disagreement even amongst very conservative reformed churches that might be like -minded doctrinally theologically have the same confession of faith perhaps but there's a division over politics coming into the pulpit now obviously that is a big umbrella there's all kinds of insanity that falls under the umbrella of introducing politics into the pulpit uh you know you have actual uh specific promotion and exaltation of political candidates uh sometimes uh presenting them to the public into the congregation as if they are

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God -fearing christians when they may just share some conservative and biblical views of morality uh but they are far from Christ but but there there are those pastors that avoid issues that they would claim are merely political and exclusively political and therefore they don't want to involve them in their preaching but but these are issues that actually uh do not reside only in the arena of politics these are things that involve violations of God's word and uh things that are important for the guidance of God's people in the 21st century so what where are you on that yeah yeah i think i think chris i think you hit it well there's there's a balance in the sense that we don't we don't uh put forward specific politicians there are certain things even in the political realm that are amoral right that are not really things that we or we may have different positions on them but we don't have to address them from the pulpit but there are definitely issues that are in the political realm that overlap the the scriptures and the scriptures are very clear uh when you're addressing things such as the sanctity of life for example i think it's important that we preach against abortion of of every kind from the pulpit i don't think that's a political thing i think that's a moral issue and that's very much in keeping with the scriptures when we deal with issues of of uh sexual orientation uh the scriptures deal very clearly um throughout the scriptures first Corinthians 6 9

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Romans 1 um Leviticus and so on about the issue of a man who is who is uh desires of another man or a woman of another woman and so on we have to address those issues and when we're dealing with issues now this explosion of transgenderism and people you know being confused about what gender they are that's not a political issue that's that's very much a biblical issue and it really is an affront upon god as the creator and a designer who has designed us um for his glory and it's so inevitably those kinds of views um are are are although a worldly and a secular mindset but that would violate very clear teachings of scriptures and and would go against god as the as the author of life and so we have to address those things um because we have to address the reality of sin and repentance and what the gospel is all about and the gospel is something that brings about the forgiveness of very specific sins including such things as those but it also is about bringing change in our lives right god is his desire is not simply to just save us from the penalty of our sin but also from the power of it and so that requires a change life that's going to be part of sanctification which means that those issues are things that we're going to have to deal with in our lives and so we ignore them we're ignoring um parts of what god requires for us in sanctification so we do need to address those issues and we also want to encourage people to see the importance of being involved in politics right to some extent we live in a country where we have a right to vote uh at least in theory we have an effect on elections i don't know exactly if that's been the case in this last election really but what that in theory we do and and we have uh you know republic uh that we need to vote on and so we want to encourage people to get out there and to vote and to think about uh those principles that are in line with with uh principles that are most in keeping with the scriptures so yeah i agree i wouldn't think it's the best idea to think the other extreme chris is what you were saying is to is to is to put politicians in a place where they become almost saviors uh and i think to some extent people have done this with our previous president um where some people in the political realm have just seen him virtually almost as a christ and and uh if he didn't succeed it would be like the end of the world and you just again you're compromising scripture and the authority of christ and god sovereignty over little things when we put any man in that position especially one who is you know certainly um we would not have seen him as being a born -again christian uh even though we have values that we might have shared in certain ways and so on so you have both extremes there but we do need to preach the truth and be faithful to god without idolatry you know without creating idolatry of politicians and so on and before we go too much further in this uh discussion about cowardice i think that we should also also address an area that uh may even involve cowardice but it doesn't appear that way in the surface where you have uh pastors perhaps even most prominently in fundamentalist circles and this would be uh i think a minority in our christian landscape today i think the more prevalent sin is soft and um light sermons that appeal to the lost that that salve the consciences of the lost but you have these fire and brimstone sermons where the sins that might be prevalent in the congregation where these sermons are preached are avoided and over and over and over again sermons on homosexuality and sermons on drunkenness and sermons on drug addiction and sermons on open god -hating and uh you could go on and on and on uh immodest clothing i'm not even saying remember that these are not important issues uh but there there can be a tendency by some churches to really avoid things that involve the preacher himself and his his favorite members things that might involve pride things that might involve the sinful way where brethren treat one another uh i mean am i right in here that the preachers have to be yeah you're 100 i think i think that's the tendency chris we we all tend to lean on looking at some of the things as you said that that are that we are speaking out against especially as you said in the political realm or things that are very very um obviously offensive in our culture you know to to watch that our culture is doing wrong we can we can you know go on about how target has clothing that that's um you know that's emphasizing the support for homosexuality and things like that and it's true we can become self -righteous and so focus on those sins that we lose sight of um the great sins that are even in our own midst and i think you're right the issues of just a lack of love for another lack of compassion pride gossip is another big one as well um that's that's often overlooked in the church we can look look at those things as if they're not really a big deal and fail to examine ourselves or maybe to eclipse what we're doing by looking at these other more evident outward things that we can see such as again abortion homosexuality um so again without without diminishing this these other sins that are prominent in our society we don't want to become so consumed with addressing them that we become self -righteous that we bolster ourselves up we fail to consider our own sanctification and our own sins and also that we fail to show a sense of compassion toward people who are even doing those things in the sense that we seek to bring the gospel to them we could almost treat people who are doing these things in the world who are committing these gross acts as if they're beyond reach as if their sin is greater than ours and uh they they have no uh welcoming into the kingdom of god and we we throw the law at them all day long and we don't see the need to reach out to them with the gospel of grace because we've almost become so dull to the gospel ourselves not recognizing our own need for it even in the present so it's very important that we we address our own in -house sins as well the things that are not as common uh in the culture let's say that are there in the church uh and deal with that one because god is wants us to become more like christ but also so that we have a proper perspective to address those on the outside continually remembering that that they need the same gospel that we still need now you brought up something very important and i think it bears repeating that in a pastor's diligence not to be a coward not to soft soap hard words hard sayings hard to swallow truths compassion must be key and is it not very important not to hobby horse on the wrath of god uh to repeat something that i said earlier i think that that is a minority of uh or that sin is in a minority or that um that flaw in the pulpit is in the minority today i think far too many churches avoid the wrath of god at all costs at least in what they're saying that is they're not really avoiding the wrath of god but they're avoiding discussing it declaring it warning about it uh but that cannot be a hobby horse uh the jesus didn't do that uh the gospel is a glorious and precious thing obviously it's only good news it's only glorious it's only amazing in the backdrop of the horrendous and horrible and terrifying news of being damned and the reasons why you will be damned but uh we can't just hobby horse on the bad news can we yeah yeah i would say we even say we just we can't hobby horse on anything you know the tendency especially when something's brought to light to us when you're studying the word or there's something that you really you know you're very animated about that's going on and maybe you know the churches are in the culture and you you if you're writing articles against it it can become anything you become a hobby horse and you can just constantly focus on that one issue um and so that can happen with the wrath of god you know you can just constantly just be emphasizing the law and god's holiness and those are important issues but you can you can neglect to emphasize the issue of god's grace and um showing compassion and and bringing those two together that's why like as i said before i think it's really important personally i think it's very important to preach through um you know through systematically through a book of the bible as opposed to just doing topical when you do topical preaching um if that's your regular style continually throughout the whole course of the ministry you're leaving the decision up to what what you're going to say as far as issues up to you you know and i'm not saying god can't do use you in that way and he does but when it's completely like that it becomes more under your control and it's very easy for that for us to be susceptible to giving into things that really we're emotional about so if i'm preaching through you know a book of you know the book of timothy or something like that i go right through the whole book i'm going to be addressing you know issues related to widows and there's going to be things that i might never address out of my own you know in a topical sense that i might not even think of but i have to address it when i'm going to a book um and and that i think that's just a real good safeguard to make sure that we're preaching you know we have a well -balanced uh preaching ministry as paul says in act 20 if you proclaim you didn't shine to declare the whole truth of the word of god um but i do think that as we do that of course that we have to maintain a christ -centered pulpit you know everything has to be brought into as well as you open up these texts into the the context of the history of redemption of the cross being the center of all things in other words we have to it has to be weaved together in such a way that it's within its its redemptive context as well as addressing the individual aspects of whatever the text is revealing well we have to go to our first break right now if anybody has a question that they'd like to ask our email address is chris arnzen at gmail .com

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chris arnzen at gmail .com give us your first name at least your city and state of residence and your country of residence if you live outside the usa please only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter that's chris arnzen at gmail .com

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don't go away we'll be right back with pastor mark rimaldi in our subject today the pulpit is no place for cowards right after these messages from our sponsors hello dear ones my name is justin peters and my friend chris arnzen host of iron sharpens iron radio and i are frequently blessed to share great times of fellowship with one another at conferences all over the united states we'll both be enjoying more fellowship together at the g3 conference in atlanta georgia thursday september 30th through saturday october the second on the theme christ is supreme over all i'll be speaking there along with over 20 other speakers including john mccarthur phil johnson vody balkan joel beakey and james white for details visit g3 conference .com

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that's gracechurchatfranklin .org this is pastor bill salsa wishing you all the richest blessings of our sovereign lord god savior and king jesus christ today and always as host of iron sharpens iron radio i frequently get requests from listeners for church recommendations a church i've been strongly recommending as far back as the 1980s is grace covenant baptist church in flemington new jersey pastored by alan dunn grace covenant baptist church believes it's god's prerogative to determine how he shall be worshiped and how he shall be represented in the world they believe churches need to turn to the bible to discover what to include in worship and how to worship god in spirit and truth grace covenant baptist church endeavors to maintain a god -centered focus reading preaching and hearing the word of god singing psalms hymns and spiritual songs baptism and communion are the scriptural elements of their corporate worship performed with faith joy and sobriety discover more about grace covenant baptist church in flemington new jersey at gcbcnj .squarespace

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.com that's gcbcnj .squarespace .com

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or call them at 908 -996 -7654 that's 908 -996 -7654 tell pastor dunn that you heard about grace covenant baptist church on iron sharpens iron radio getting a driver's license running a cash register flipping burgers passing sixth grade do you know what they all have in common they all require training assessments and certifications but do you know what requires no training at all becoming a parent my name is am brewster i'm the president of truth love parent and host of its award -winning podcast i've been a biblical family counselor since the early 2000s and what i've discovered is that the majority of christian parents have never been biblically equipped to do the work of the ministry in their homes that's why truth love parent exists we serve god by equipping dads and moms to be the ambassador parents god called and created them to be we produce free parenting resources trained church leaders and offer biblical counseling so that the next generation of dads and moms can use the scriptures to parent their children for life and godliness please visit us at truth love parent .com

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welcome back this is chris zarnes and if you just tuned us in our guest today is pastor mark rimaldi of sovereign grace church and although it is commonly identified as being located in white house tennessee the actual location is greenbrier tennessee right yes and if anybody would like to join us on the air with a question our topic today is the pulpit is no place for cowards fearing god more than men and leaving church growth to god according to the truth of his word our email address is chrisarnsen at gmail .com

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c -h -r -i -s -a -r -n -z -e -n at gmail .com give us your first name at least your city and state of residence and your country of residence if you live outside of the good old usa please only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter and uh one thing that probably should be addressed although as i said with other matters this is probably not the most common flaw in the in the church today in the pulpit today but should not a pastor try to avoid uh constantly without taking a breath shouting at his congregation now i love when a pastor raises his voice i love a thundering pulpit uh i know charles spurgeon did uh and many of my great heroes of the faith who i have heard their recordings some of them are still alive some not but they were at least living in a day when you could hear them on on recording uh most of my favorite preachers of all time do thunder their voice in appropriate places in their sermons and one stunning example someone that i know you are a person of whom you are fully aware and admire my friend dr conrad mbaywe of cobalta baptist church of lusaka zambia africa who is actually folks mark your calendars down we may have announced a different date previously because uh he recently changed the date when he is going to be the next iron sharpens iron pastor's luncheon speaker here in carlisle pennsylvania that will be on monday september 27th and he is preaching at all the services the previous day on sunday september 26th at grace baptist church of carlisle pennsylvania but but he is one that thunders his voice but it's not a constant thunder yeah because even that uh becomes banal it becomes like background noise after a while if there is no break in that that uh loud booming voice where congregants may just feel like they're being scolded non -stop for the entirety of time the man is behind the pulpit isn't that uh as far as homiletics isn't that something that we got to be the pastors have to be careful about yeah of course and i think that's an area too that over my over my 16 years of ministry plus now that i've i've learned to i think there was a especially early on i would um you know there was almost a monotonous just fast -paced and just uh in a loud sense to my my preaching and i think over time by the way brother can i just can i immediately uh sorry to interrupt could you not take your face away from whatever mouthpiece you're using because oh okay let me make sure i'm closer yeah because sometimes you have a tendency to get so distant i can't understand you okay okay yeah so they they um yeah i was saying that i i've grown in that area myself um in learning just to to um you know that there is there are places and it's not like you sit there and you plan you know when you're in your sermon notes you say okay at this point i'm going to go to a crescendo it's it's definitely when when somebody's preaching faithfully i believe it's something that just that hopefully is is something is the holy spirit driven but your uh it's the text itself moves you it's something that that's excites you and but if if you just do that non -stop um it will become like background noise also the people will feel like they're just being whipped and um so it really is something that should be controlled i love the example you gave of karl rider bayway because if you listen to his sermons um and i love listening to his sermons uh he's just a real good brother and just a good you and when you meet him in person he's the real deal he's just a good good good brother humble brother with a big heart uh but you have to when you listen to his sermons you almost have to keep your hand on the on the uh the volume knob because there are times there are times when he goes so low that you can hardly hear him you know and you have to kind of louden it because he's just talking very low and then there's times and when he when he gets fired up and he just and then you lower a little bit so he uh he's a good example of someone who really has a good balance as you said um but you do you do want to be careful that you know when we're preaching we don't just uh every single sentence you know we're working through the narrative or whatever it is the text and where we have the same tone and uh and you know uh decibel that we would let's say when we're going to an application or where or we're you know excited about something that's coming out and a point that we're making um it's important to monitor that chris i think that's a good discipline and i think that's something that's an area where i myself can say that i've had to grow and i'm probably still learning you know along the way as well yes and uh i think that we may have gotten through most of the uh areas that are prevalent in a minority of churches uh in our day are in our day and age overdoing the wrath of god and yelling at people from the pulpit and not presenting enough of the grace of god and the mercy of god and the kindness of god they are not the dominant sin globally in the evangelical church at large they were not the or should i say flaw some might consider it a sin to be abusing those areas yeah yeah but they're worth noting definitely like you said and as you're saying that i was just reminding christian if i go back and pull out my notes from from sermons um in the past when i was wrestling through what you were just saying about um just about tone and about you not um constantly raising your voice i could pull out sermons were at the top of the page i put you know in parentheses be gracious or be calm to actually remind myself to not to not let myself get so excited that i that i um that i like you know the self -control that's needed to make sure that i'm not hindering the message by by um just overdoing it and you know kind of putting the whole sermon out there like a car without a muffler you know it's just real loud and um and so so yeah it is it is one of the minor issues but it's good it's good that you put those things up now on the flip side of the coin another thing that may be prevalent in the church of god and the reformed community and uh i don't know if this would actually fall under the category that we are really emphasizing today about avoiding cowardice at all costs but just because i brought up the abuse of loudness uh one thing that troubles me is when i am in reformed churches and i have the the feeling i know that we're not supposed to use that term too often as reformed christians feeling but that actually goes hand in hand with what i'm going to say i have the feeling that i am in a seminary class um i'm sure there are many fascinating and captivating professors and seminaries but what i am speaking of is a pastor that habitually and perhaps exclusively lectures there is no passion in him there is no uh sense of gravity and urgency uh in his warnings uh he is basically explaining in a pleasant voice in an articulate manner truths of the scripture and some might even do it for the reason uh i think that is dabbling in the waters of hyper calvinism that they want to avoid manipulating the emotions of the hearer through their own passion and excitement and so on now obviously that is a problem does exist in the pulpit where people do manipulate emotion with music and things like during during an altar call all that kind of thing but just because the fact that we mentioned loudness and i know there are churches that that definitely prefer this and i know i'm probably upsetting some people that are listening but it annoys me i i could not be in a church that habitually had that manner of presenting the gospel yeah i think it's it's uh you know sometimes when you're and this is one of the things i think when in the past this private study where they have to exercise caution you know what we obviously there's a lot of things the pastor's going to study you know about let's say about geography and all different aspects of maybe language study and things like that and getting into some of the deeper realms of theology but when you bring things to the pulpit you don't want to you don't want to bring all of that into the pulpit part of the role of the pastor is to be able to chew the meat down to some extent before you give it to the congregation you don't want to give them everything if you're teaching a class in a seminary or a college you know yeah there's a place for that but i agree chris you know sometimes we can and it could be that i don't want to be accusatory in this but you could be the danger of of pride like you want to inform people of how much you know and how extensive you know your reach of theological truths are and so on so we have to present things in a way that it that it really that a child can understand it and i'm not saying i perfected that but really that it should be something that all all the age gaps all of the different that you're shooting for something in it i'm not saying that you speak like you're speaking to a toddler but you're shooting something in a range for an in a range that can be uh...

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sexually heard and received by the average person that you buy the farmer as well as the intellect you know i don't want to say farmer but i gotta be careful not input but but by the person who is blue collar white collar you want to hit everybody i think part of what helps with that too chris this is another thing i've i've come to see as well when you read like the puritans and some of the old literature um i've noticed that you know that it's important to read those kinds of books but we need to be careful that we don't inherit the the language uh that's used in those books it's very easy to be to be influenced and that and not even it could be very subconscious you could just be reading those books so much so so much so much of the ancient literature that you start talking in that way and we got to recognize that vocabulary vocabulary has changed you know we can't see people as being you know uh...

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not intellectual or you know because they don't understand those things in that language and they have to come up to that level and you don't start blaming the congregation we're responsible to present things these truths from the word of god as they stand but to explain them in a way that communicates well to to the people of our day to the you know the common language of our people so we need to be careful with that i think with with getting too far into uh intellectual wisdom and and just as you said i think the lack of passion that that's important too if you're just going over things and kind of you know uh like you're teaching a seminary class you're going to bore people with with the truth and the gospel should be something that's exciting it should move you i mean you look at the apostle paul uh in ephesians chapter one for example i'm working through the book of ephesians right now here uh and in chapter one you know paul was was no uh he was no ignorant man he was no unschooled person he was a scholar and yet when you look at the way he wrote even the greek in chapter one he violated the laws of grammar constantly i mean it was a run -on sentence there and you can see that that there's just an excitement about what he's saying that he's not binding himself even to the basic rules of you know of uh of literary grammar and stuff because he it's it's really controlling him he's he's shooting them all out there and just expressing his heart um and so we we want to make sure that we we we have that sense we're excited about the gospel you know it's not just a a literary exercise where we're getting up there lecturing you're handling the word of god and you're preaching you're not teaching you're preaching that word you're proclaiming it um who was it that said um martin lloyd jones right said that uh preaching is theology on fire you know it's coming you're you're proclaiming that truth with authority the authority of god and with power um so i agree with you on that we have to go to our midway break now folks it is the longer than normal break because grace life radio 90 .1

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fm in lake city florida requires of us a longer break in the middle of our show because the fcc requires of them uh to geographically uh what's the word i'm looking for localized all of their programmers all of their programming to lake city florida and iron trip and zion radio is no exception so while they air their own public service announcements and other local things in the middle of the show we simultaneously air our globally heard commercials please use this time wisely write down as much of the information as you possibly can provided by as many of our advertisers as you possibly can so that you can more frequently and successfully respond to our advertisers i hope that very often that includes purchasing their products using their services visiting their churches and supporting their parachurch organizations but when you cannot do any of those things please at the very least respond to the advertisements by telling the sponsors thank you for sponsoring iron sharpens iron radio tell them how much this program means to you if indeed you love the show that will go a long way in helping to keep our advertisers happy because they will know their money is being spent in a way that is blessing many in the body of christ so when you can't uh spend money with whatever our advertisers are supporting at least thank them also use this time to send in questions about our theme today the pulpit is no place for cowards with our guest pastor mark rimaldi of the sovereign grace church in greenbrier tennessee our email address is chris arnson at gmail .com

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chris arnson at gmail .com don't go away we'll be right back after these messages i'm james white of alpha and omega ministries my friend chris arnson host of iron sharpens iron radio and i are headed down to atlanta georgia once again for the g3 conference this year's g3 will be held thursday september 30th through saturday october 2nd on the theme christ is supreme over all i'll be joined by over 20 other speakers and musicians to lead in the worship of god through preaching teaching and singing including john macarthur phil johnson conrad and bayway daryl bernard harrison and virgil walker for details visit g3 conference .com

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that's g3 conference .com chris arnson and i hope to see you september 30th through october 2nd at g3 21 this is james white reminding you that christ is supreme overall here's what gary demar president of american vision had to say about iron sharpens iron radio recently good to be back chris i always enjoy our time you uh i have to tell you one of better interviewers out there and i've been doing this for 30 more than 30 years wow that's some compliment how much do i owe you for that you don't have to owe me anything we're in good we're in good shape i'm glad you said it on the air so i don't have to brag about myself tell your friends and loved ones about iron sharpens iron radio airing live monday through friday 4 to 6 eastern time at iron sharpens iron radio .com

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linbrook baptist church on 225 earl avenue in linbrook long island is teaching god's timeless truths in the 21st century our church is far more than a sunday worship service it's a place of learning where the scriptures are studied and the preaching of the gospel is clear and relevant it's like a gym where one can exercise their faith through community involvement it's like a hospital for wounded souls where one can find compassionate people and healing we're a diverse family of all ages enthusiastically serving our lord jesus christ in fellowship play and together hi i'm pastor bob waldeman and i invite you to come and join us here at linbrook baptist church and see all that a church can be call linbrook baptist at 516 -599 -9402 that's 516 -599 -9402 or visit linbrookbaptist .org

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that's linbrookbaptist .org james white of alphanamega ministries here if you've watched my dividing line webcast often enough you know i have a great love for getting bibles and other documents vital to my ministry rebound to preserve and ensure their longevity and besides that they feel so good i'm so delighted i discovered post tenebrous lux bible rebinding no radio ad will be long enough to sing their praises sufficiently but i'll give it a shot jeffrey rice of post tenebrous lux is a remarkably gifted craftsman and artisan all his work is done by hand from the cutting to the pleating of corners to the perimeter stitching jeffrey uses the finest and buttery soft imported leathers in a wide variety of gorgeous colors like the turquoise goat skin tanned in italy used for my nestle allen 28th edition with a navy blue goat skin inside liner and the electric blue goat skin from a french tannery used to rebind a reformation study bible i used as a gift the silver gilding he added on the page edges has a stunning mirror finish resembling highly polished chrome jeffrey will customize your rebinding to your specifications and even emboss your logo into the leather making whatever he rebinds a one -of -a -kind work of art for more details on post tenebrous lux bible rebinding go to ptl bible rebinding .com

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that's ptl bible rebinding .com hi this is john sampson pastor of king's church in peoria arizona taking a moment of your day to talk about chris arnson and the iron sharpens iron podcast i consider chris a true friend and man of high integrity he's a skilled interviewer who's not afraid to ask the big penetrating questions while always defending the key doctrines of the christian faith i've always been happy to point people to this podcast knowing it's one of the very few safe places on the internet where folk won't be led astray i believe this podcast needs to be heard far and wide this is a day of great spiritual compromise and yet god has raised chris up for just such a time and knowing this it's up to us as members of the body of christ to stand with such a ministry in prayer and in finances i'm pleased to do so and would like to ask you to prayerfully consider joining me in supporting iron sharpens iron financially would you consider sending either a one -time gift or even becoming a regular monthly partner with this ministry i know it would be a huge encouragement to chris if you would all the details can be found at iron sharpens iron radio .com

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where you can click support that's iron sharpens iron radio .com hello my name is anthony eugenio and i'm one of the pastors at hope reform baptist church in quorum new york and also the host of the reform rookie .com

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website i want you to know that if you enjoy listening to the iron sharpens iron radio show like i do you can now find it on the apple's itune app by typing iron sharpens iron radio in the search bar you no longer have to worry about missing a show or special guests because you're in your car or still at work just subscribe on the itunes app and listen to the iron sharpens iron radio show at any time day or night please be sure to also give it a good review and pass it along to anyone who would benefit from the teaching and the many solidly reformed guests that chris arnson has on the show truth is so hard to come by these days so don't waste your time with fluff or fake news subscribe to the iron sharpens iron radio podcast right now and while you're at it you can also sign up for the reform rookie .com

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podcast and visit our website and the youtube page we are dedicated to teaching christian theology from a reformed baptist perspective to beginners in the faith as well as seasoned believers from keach's catechism and the doctrines of grace to the olivet discourse and the book of leviticus the reform rookie podcast and youtube channel is sure to have something to offer everyone seeking biblical truth and finally if you're looking to worship in a reformed church that holds to the 1689 london baptist confession of faith please join us at hope reformed baptist church in quorum new york again i'm pastor anthony video and thanks for listening anchored in truth ministries is the mission arm of grace life church of the shoals works missionaries in over 13 countries around the world video stations theological seminaries and various programs for on so many different contexts globally as not org i'm dr tony costa professor of apologetics and islam at toronto baptist seminary i'm thrilled to introduce to you a church where i've been invited to speak and have grown to love hope reformed baptist church in quorum long island new york pastored by rich jensen and christopher mcdowell it's such a joy to witness and experience fellowship with people of god like the dear saints at hope reformed baptist church in quorum who have an intensely passionate desire to continue digging deeper and deeper into the unfathomable riches of christ in his holy word and to enthusiastically proclaim christ jesus the king and his doctrines of sovereign grace in suffolk county long island and beyond i hope you also have the privilege of discovering this precious congregation and receive the blessing of being showered by their love as i have for more information on hope reform baptist church go to hope reformed li .net

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that's hope reformed li .net or call 631 -696 -5711 that's 631 -696 -5711 tell the folks at hope reformed baptist church of quorum long island new york that you heard about them from tony costa on iron sharpens iron so we are excited to announce another new member of the iron sharpens iron radio advertising family bhanu gadi owner of three new york pharmacies lee's drugs of floral park long beach chemists and prescription center of long island in hempstead bhanu gadi earned a doctorate in pharmacy degree and is very knowledgeable on the current coronavirus pandemic please contact dr gadi so he and his expert staff can give you proper guidance amid all the contradictory confusion we are all hearing in the media to find the pharmacy nearest you call 516 -354 -2000 that's 516 -354 -2000 or order online at lee's drugs rx .com

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that's l e e s drugs rx .com don't forget to ask about their discount generic drug program if you love iron sharpens iron radio one of the ways you can help keep the show on the air is by supporting our advertisers one such faithful advertiser who really believes in what chris arnton is doing is daniel p patafuco serious injury lawyer and christian apologist dan is the president and founder of the historical bible society their mission to foster belief in the credibility of scripture as the written word of they go to various churches schools and institutions to publicly display a rare collection of biblical texts along with a fascinating presentation by mr patafuco demonstrating the reliability of scripture to advance the cause of the gospel they created a beautiful perfect facsimile of the genealogy of jesus christ from the original engravings contained in a first edition 1611 king james bible this 17th century hand engraved chart shows the family tree of jesus christ going back to adam and eve this book is complete with gorgeous full -size illustrations of noah's ark and the tower of babel and an explanation of why the genealogy of jesus is so important for his claims to the throne of the universe originals of this work are in museums and nobody's ever made it accessible to the public in a large book form before you can have your own copy of this 44 page genealogy book for a donation of 35 or more visit historicalbiblesociety .org

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that's historicalbiblesociety .org thanks for helping to keep iron sharpens iron radio on the air charles heddon spurgeon once said give yourself unto reading the man who never reads will never be read he who never quotes will never be quoted he will not use the thoughts of other men's brains proves he has no brains of his own you need to read solid ground christian books is a publisher and book distributor who takes these words of the prince of preachers to heart the mission of solid ground christian books is to bring back treasures of the past to minister to christians in the present and future and to publish new titles that address burning issues in the church and the world since its beginning in 2001 solid ground has been committed to publish god -centered christ exalting books for all ages we invite you to go treasure hunting at solid -ground -books .com

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01:08:48

today make as many purchases as possible and always mention that you heard about them from chris arnson at iron sharpens iron radio before we return to mark rimaldi of sovereign grace church in greenbrier tennessee on our discussion today the pulpit is no place for cowards we have some important announcements to make and i hope you will listen carefully as we make them first of all thank all of you i thank all of you from the very depths of my heart for your ongoing prayers for my oldest brother john 76 years old now in a skilled nursing facility in denton texas i got the sad news day before yesterday from my brother that the most recent conversation with his doctor where he said that he wanted the doctor to be nothing but honest when he gave his prognosis apparently according to the doctor my brother has at best six months to live especially because of the emphysema that he is battling and i was very comforted when i told my brother to turn to christ and only christ as his only hope of salvation to trust in his finished work on the cross as his only way into eternity with christ he responded in these words i pray the three prayers i know chris plus have a short talk with god ask his forgiveness of my sins admit my frailties to him and dedicate my day and night to him every morning i ask him if today is the day he takes me to take me into his arms and into his kingdom so that i can worship him in wondrous glory for eternity i do that above every day so i am so thankful to god to hear a response like that for my brother pray that the lord gives him deeper knowledge of the gospel deeper unwavering confidence in christ and his finished work and that i can know with certainty that his profession is genuine so that i may able to rejoice when he passes from this earth i will be grieving no doubt but i can also rejoice that he is entering into eternity with christ with a fuller confidence i know that i have to be very careful about being anal retentive and nitpicky about the way he phrases his profession but at the same time uh i am just seeking god's blessing and having more confidence that his profession is genuine so i appreciate your prayers i also would ask that you pray for physical healing for him that he may have many more years on this earth far beyond the six months predicted by his earthly doctor so thank all of you who have been praying for him and who have been contacting me asking for updates and assuring me that you are lifting up his name to the lord's throne of grace also folks if you love this show you don't want it to disappear from the airwaves please go to irontreppanzionradio .com

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click support then click click to donate now also if you are not a member of a biblically faithful theologically sound church no matter where on the planet earth you live i may be able to help you find a church including if you live in or near greenbrier tennessee where my guest pastors sovereign grace church no matter where you live no matter where on the globe you reside i may be able to help you i have helped many people all over the world in my audience find churches that they didn't know existed because i have extensive lists spanning the globe of biblically sound churches i recently even had a woman in nairobi kenya find several churches that are theologically sound reformed baptist churches in fact my guest today mike mark grimaldi referred me to one of those churches so uh please if you don't have a biblically faithful church or if you're going on vacation you want to visit a biblically faithful church or if you have family friends and loved ones who do not have a biblically faithful church they call their home please send me an email to chris arnzen at gmail .com

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and put i need a church in the subject line chris arnzen at gmail .com but i need a church in the subject line last but not least if you are a pastor or a parachurch leader if you are a man who is in leadership in the church or a parachurch ministry uh i'm having my next iron sharpens iron radio pastor's luncheon as i mentioned before on let's see monday monday the last monday of september monday the 27th of september and the featured speaker is dr conrad mbewe pastor of kobata baptist church in lusaka zambia africa i think he's the most powerful preacher alive on the planet earth and he is my guest speaker at the iron sharpens iron radio pastor's luncheon 11 a .m

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to 2 p .m on monday september 27th it's absolutely free of charge if you would like to attend this free luncheon again this is for men only so if you are a man in leadership in the church or parachurch ministry send me an email and say i want to attend the pastor's luncheon or just say pastor's luncheon in the subject line send it to chris arnzen at gmail .com

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chris arnzen at gmail .com it's absolutely free of charge that's also the email address where you could send in a question to mark rimoldi on the pulpit is no place for cowards chris arnzen at gmail .com

01:19:46

and um pastor mark one of the most significant areas i think where cowardice is displayed in the pulpit in the 21st century regards the sin of homosexuality uh you have people even in conservative theologically sound churches confessionally reformed churches who candy coat that issue uh they speak as if the sin of homosexuality merely involves victims of some phenomenon that these folks have been born with and they will even go to the point of teaching a heresy that you can identify as a gay christian as long as you remain chaste or as long as you remain as long as you marry somebody of the opposite gender even though you would prefer not to these kinds of things are being perpetuated in the body of christ even in otherwise conservative and reformed circles you we have all recoiled well those of us who are like mind have recoiled in disgust and anger hearing about the revoice movement and other movements in reformed circles where homosexuals are being told that they do not even need to repent or believe they can be transformed from the mindset the attraction of homosexuality as long as i said before that they remain chaste uh what is your opinion on the way that this issue is being approached yeah you know chris that's that's a very common thing today as you said and you know that that's where people are going too far in their sense of maybe trying to be sympathetic and recognizing that dealing with that kind of a of a um of a tendency that kind of a lust is certainly something that's difficult for someone who is who has that kind of an attraction um we you would probably most of us would agree that um while nobody is well not everybody would agree on whether or not somebody's born in that condition we would say that that's not the case that god right is is the designer and that's a product of the fall um we could probably many of us could agree that that could be an inclination because of the fallen nature right we can we all have inclinations and sin affects us in different ways different things in life certainly can play into that but it is it is a a lust of the flesh um nonetheless and it is something that that is uh sinful on the side of god and so it's easy to kind of try to meet people in a way that's um allegedly of alleged of combat of compassion who struggle in that way and and so um saying that it's it's okay to have those kinds of feelings or even to identify as as a uh christian homosexual it sounds like you're trying to meet them uh halfway in a sense maybe and you're trying to be compassionate but really uh it's dangerous it completely just denies the identity that we have in christ um we're not saying that people have those inclinations um we'll not struggle with those at times throughout the course of their lives you guys christians just as we you know can struggle with different kinds of temptations in our lives whether it's other kinds of lusts and so on but we're not to identify ourselves with something that god calls sin you know i wouldn't say that you know i'm a uh drunk christian or i'm uh uh you know i'm a uh a drug addict christian or i'm a you know an adulterer uh adulterer christian or you know i wouldn't use those terms to identify myself also very clearly in first corinthians six that such were some of you you know any any mentions in that text homosexualities and a whole list of other things such were some of you well first he says don't don't be deceived nobody who is practicing those kinds of things nobody who is who is one of those by way of identity even he says we'll enter the kingdom of god and such were some of you but you were lost you were claimed uh and so to to take on that identity still when when uh in christ we're not to be identified with any sin uh even if we're uh abstinent in that way or we're holding back or we're married it's just completely uh it's that that's just appealing to the emotions and trying to show compassion really in a way that's not compassion at all um so again we're not saying that no one that that to have those kinds of feelings um as a christian automatically means somebody's not saved we're not saying that we know that again that there are going to be struggles with the flesh uh and so on but to call yourself to identify yourself as a homosexual christian um is not is not biblical it's completely contrary to the whole idea of being born again and who we are in christ uh and that's what we need to keep our identity it's interesting chris too as you know i don't i'm not talking about reform per se in this sense but that that is a big issue that's really taking its toll with with christian music right a lot of the musicians today and uh are uh letting down the guard and kind of embracing uh the idea that christian that a homosexual can be a christian recently amy grant right had just compromised on that as well not that that's a surprise but but she uh you know that there's this lovey -dovey and you know and the idea that god just accepts you and he's not concerned about that and and really all that comes down to a very low view of of god and and the ultimate reason for god doing anything that he does being for his glory that it's just a very man -centered um ideology you know and that's why you'll see them folding even even in the uh music realm and in the reformed realm as well so so yeah it is it should be something that we identify with any of our sins of the past we don't we don't we don't create an identity with those things as a christian we're now a christian we're in christ that's what we were that's what we were washed we're not we're not to identify with ourselves without the prison now don't pastors and preachers and evangelists and even christians in general have to be reminded and they may in fact know this and likely do know this already but they have to be reminded anyway um and rebuked that this strategy is not doing a favor for the people whose feelings you are trying to spare uh when you are making damnation less frightening uh to a homosexual or any other sinner uh when you're removing the threat of damnation from the message from the pulpit and you are salving the consciences of people who are unrepentant in their sin you're not helping them at all you're it's really an act of selfishness isn't it it's wanting to be liked by them wanting to be followed by them supported by them wanting your message to be appreciated and accepted to the christ hating world around you perhaps perhaps on some occasions like i believe it is with certain well -known authors and pastors some crave the appreciation of the academic world where it is dominated by leftists and christ haters and they want their scholarship and their intellect and their credentials to be honored and appreciated by these people uh they're not doing anybody a favor i mean they're they're helping them right through the gates of hell aren't they yeah even when paul talks about in corinthians and i know there's a broader it's a broader context for the paul's addressing when he talks about the idea of of those those who are in ministry who you know create their ministry out of wood hay and stubble you know that that they may escape as through fire you know that really has to do with the the those who are teachers those who are in ministry and really self -titling the gospel in some ways and it may be the case that they're that somebody's folks are saved but their whole ministry though everything they've built really doesn't even doesn't make it true it doesn't it doesn't pass through uh and survive god's judgment uh because they've in some ways softened the truth and so you're not doing anybody a favor and and the what people seem to you know what we seem to fail to realize with that is that it's you know there's a fear of man there and again there may be good intentions in the sense of wanting to uh to try to um get people into the church in some way to you let's say the best intentions is it's you just want people to come and hear the word or something you know and then it's not about finances or whatever it is which a lot of times it is sadly or numbers but the reality is it's it's an insult most of all to the character of god you know when you soften sin in any sense and you and you make it lighter than what it really is what you're saying is god is not uh holy and in the way they declare themselves to be in scripture you're you're diminishing his his character and who he is and you're saying that that uh the righteous judge of all the earth is in some way uh flawed or less than righteous and he will allow that and so it really is a great insult to the uh the uh integrity and uh and the character of god when we do that um and so we may think we're helping people who are actually insulting god and we're causing people to feel more comfortable um in their sin thinking that they're okay with god when in reality they're doing the very things that god hates things that christ himself has suffered right on the cross for for those who need this redeem so it's it's not helping at all that you know sometimes we know that the the common slogan in life that you know the true church and um sometimes the when you oftentimes when we when we discipline or we proclaim something that's painful in different ways um if it's the truth that that's a good pain you know that's a pain that's surgically dealing with some kind of cancer in us while it may for a while um injure us in some way or feel like it's feel very painful you know we may feel the pain of that uh ultimately it's for the greater good and it's it's it should lead us to the truth and to walk rightly with god and when we walk rightly with god and we deny those things we turn away from those lusts rather than accept them we actually find great joy which there's more joy in putting away those sins and seeing them for what they are and they and coming to christ and enjoying his love and who he is and and our god for who he is and the reason able to lessen these sins and to toy with them and to to think in some way that god is okay with them we're actually distancing ourselves so we're doing great harm eternally and even in the present with just being able to relate to god and to enjoy fellowship of god um who who is whose ways are better whose ways are perfect we have john and banger main who asks isn't one of the most prevalent ways in which cowardice from the pulpit is displayed in our day and age the fear of offending women and feminists in regard to the true biblical roles for women in the church oh yeah yeah that's a real good question that's exact that's a big thing that's going on you know um in the south even here you know there's a lot of things going on with different churches and some of the battles that have gone on with with um even amongst what we consider good churches and even in good good what we would consider normally good schools and institutes i don't want to mention specifically but even very good reformed institutes just today there's there's really a um seems to be a compromise in these areas where there there's an egalitarian focus on the view of women and men more of an allowance for for bringing women into you know softening the text of the apostle paul and trying to use um the means of of uh changing what he's saying just like they do with homosexuality in cases where they change try to change the meaning and say it doesn't mean that um that's a real common thing in reform circles and in circles that we would normally um we would be right alongside of these folks there's a lot of compromise in the areas of the authority of women uh in the church and their role in the church it's just very insulting today in in our culture in general obviously where we are supports this to to encourage a woman even to um you know and the blessing of being a homemaker and again i'm not saying a woman shouldn't that it's sinful for a woman to work i'm not going to that extent but i'm saying that if you if you mentioned the idea of being a homemaker uh or or uh you know even in the church the idea of having a quiet submissive spirit uh you know not not taking on those roles of leadership it's very offensive today uh in not only in our culture but but even in the church um and that's what's presented in the media and that's just everywhere around us it's this idea of the men have to be pushed out and and uh and the women are taking this higher position and uh and so it's made its way to the church so that's very yeah that's a very good observation that that's definitely the case that there's compromising those errands thank you john and banger main keep spreading the word about iron sharpens iron radio in main and beyond uh we have another listener who chooses to remain anonymous he says i fear that i am in a church right now where the compromising that you are discussing and the cowardice in the pulpit is present i am not saying this from arrogance and i am not spreading this opinion in the congregation to friends i am remaining silent about it for the moment and do intend to privately meet with my elders but it is quite disturbing to me that the main issues of conflict that separate the church of the world and liberalism and leftism from true biblical christianity are issues that never come up in the pulpit in our church sound theology is often heard and it's not what is said that is a problem for me is what is not said what counsel do you have as in regard to the manner with i with which i approach my elders yeah that's a very good question yeah i would encourage um use the individual um wrote that to do exactly what they're doing i think they have the right mindset is to go and to talk privately with the elders and see what they say you know speak to them about that first because maybe it's something that um you know as if you confront them on they'll they'll address it you know they'll acknowledge it or they'll maybe have an explanation or something that's there i don't know it's hard to it's almost hard to give counsel on this issue because i don't know the details and i don't want to tell you to leave the church or anything like that because i don't know exactly what's what's involved but i would definitely say go to go to them um and address it with them and if they if they um see how they respond if they respond in a way that would seem to be supporting you know that that they're unwilling to address these things because they um either they agree with these these uh these uh these kinds of things that are in the church these compromises or they don't want to make waves um you know those kinds of things i would definitely you know after speaking with them i would you know maybe get more counsel but i would consider at that point looking for a church that's going to be you know more sound and going to address those things but i would definitely go to them first um if you see things again it depends on the issue if you see them you know putting in uh women into leadership you know as far into the eldership those kinds of things if they're if they're putting you know homosexuals into the membership that are not repentant again from what the individual is saying it's not what they're it's not that what they're not it's not what they're saying it's what they're not saying so they may not be doing these kinds of things um i i would say that if there if there was any sense of of a support of those kinds of things or a real unwillingness to address them because they don't want to rock the apple cart so to speak you know you i would consider you know looking looking for another place if that's the case you know but i would really encourage you to speak to you to them to definitely go to them don't just leave or anything like that speak to them privately make sure you express everything on your heart be specific about the kinds of things that that are troubling you um pray before you go maybe even fast before you go and go there and interact with them and just see what their response is and that that should tell you a lot and then even after that you may want to get counsel from somebody on the outside as well with the specific details the responses and stuff so i'm hesitant to say leave unless they're actually doing things in the church that are that are um contradictory to the truth but if they're withholding if they're preaching a soft gospel and things like that that that's very serious but go to them talk to them thank you anonymous and let me know if you are a first -time questioner because all first -time questioners in the iron trip and zion radio audience get a free gift a new american standard bible compliments from of the publishers of the nasb and also compliments of cumberland valley bible book service cbbbs .com

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who always ship out our winners in our audience the bibles and books and other things that they win by virtue of sending in questions we're going to our final break right now it's going to be a lot shorter than the other breaks you've heard uh if you intend to send in a question i would strongly urge you to send it in very quickly because we are rapidly running out of time our email address is chris arnzen at gmail .com

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c -h -r -i -s -a -r -n -z -e -n at gmail .com

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give us your first name at least your city and state and your country of residence if you live outside the usa only remain anonymous if your question involves a personal and private matter don't go away we'll be right back with pastor mark rimaldi of sovereign grace church in greenbrier tennessee and our topic the pulpit is no place for cowards hi i'm phil johnson host and executive director of grace to you the media ministry of john mccarthy i hope you plan to join me and chris arnzen host of iron sharpens iron radio for the g3 conference in atlanta georgia thursday september 30th through saturday october 2nd the theme this year is christ is supreme over all my friend chris arnzen and i will be joined by several of our other friends including voddie balcom justin peters daryl bernard harrison virgil walker and james white more than 20 other speakers will be joining us and the lineup this year includes my pastor john mccarthur for details visit g3 conference .com

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that's g3 conference .com chris arnzen and i hope to see you september 30th through october 2nd at g3 2021 this is phil johnson reminding you that christ is supreme overall when iron sharpens iron radio first launched in 2005 the publishers of the new american standard bible were among my very first sponsors it gives me joy knowing that many scholars and pastors in the iron sharpens iron radio audience have been sticking with or switching to the nasb i'm pastor nate pickowitz of harvest bible church in gilmanton ironworks new hampshire and the nasb is my bible of choice i'm pastor rich jensen of hope reform baptist church in new york and the nasb is my bible of choice i'm pastor sule prince of oakwood wesleyan church in toronto ontario canada and the nasb is my bible of choice i'm pastor john samson of king's church in peoria arizona and the nasb is my bible of choice i'm pastor chuck volo of new life community church in kingsville maryland and the nasb is my bible of choice i'm pastor steve herford of eastport baptist church in jacksonville florida and the nasb is my bible of choice i'm pastor roy owens jr of the church of friendship in hockley texas and the nasb is my bible of choice here's a great way for your church to help keep iron sharpens iron radio on the air pastors are your pew bibles tattered and falling apart consider restocking your pews with the nasb and tell the publishers you heard about them from chris arnzen on iron sharpens iron radio go to nasbible .com

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that's nasbible .com to place your order so if you love iron sharpens iron radio one of the best ways you can help keep the show on the air is by supporting our advertisers one such faithful advertiser who really believes in what chris arnton is doing is daniel p patafuco serious injury lawyer and christian apologist dan is the president and founder of the historical bible society their mission to foster belief in the credibility of scripture as the written word of god they go to various churches schools and institutions to publicly display a rare collection of biblical texts along with a fascinating presentation by mr patafuco demonstrating the reliability of scripture to advance the cause of the gospel they created a beautiful perfect facsimile of the genealogy of jesus christ from the original engravings contained in a first edition 1611 king james bible this 17th century hand engraved chart shows the family tree of jesus christ going back to adam and eve this book is complete with gorgeous full -size illustrations of noah's ark and the tower of babel and an explanation of why the genealogy of jesus is so important for his claims to the throne of the universe originals of this work are in museums and nobody's ever made it accessible to the public in a large book form before you can have your own copy of this 44 page genealogy book for a donation of 35 or more visit historicalbiblesociety .org

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01:46:28

hi i'm buzz taylor chris arntzen of iron sharpens iron radio has had a long time partnership with our friends at cvbbs which stands for cumberland valley bible book service they specialize in supplying reformed and puritan books and bibles at discount prices that make them affordable for everyone cvbbs has been a family -owned book service since 1987 operating out of carlisle pennsylvania they seek to bring you the best available christian books and bibles at the best possible prices unlike other book sites they make no effort to provide every book that is available or popular because frankly much of what is being printed is not worth your time that means you can get to the good stuff faster it also means you don't have to worry about being assaulted by the pornographic heretical and otherwise faith insulting materials promoted by the secular book vendors browse the pages at ease shop at your leisure and purchase with confidence at cumberland valley bible book service order online at cvbbs .com

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that's cvbbs .com or you can order by phone at 1 -800 -656 -0231 that's 1 -800 -656 -0231 please let our friends at cvbbs know that you heard about them on iron sharpens iron radio this is pastor bill sasso grace church at franklin here in the beautiful state of tennessee our congregation is one of a growing number of churches who love and support iron sharpens iron radio financially grace church at franklin is an independent autonomous body of believers which strives to clearly declare the whole counsel of god as revealed in scripture through the person and work of our lord jesus christ and of course the end for which we strive is the glory of god if you live near franklin tennessee and franklin is just south of nashville maybe 10 minutes or you are visiting this area or you have friends and loved ones nearby we hope you will join us some lord's day in worshiping our god and savior please feel free to contact me if you have more questions about grace church at our website is gracechurchatfranklin .org

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that's gracechurchatfranklin .org this is pastor bill sasser wishing you all the richest blessings of our sovereign lord god savior and king jesus christ today and always oh welcome back uh we have a faithful listener of iron sharpens iron radio in ashborough north carolina and also a very generous financial supporter of the program who has sent in a question grady in ashborough north carolina greetings brothers i would say that a man that's afraid to say thus sayeth the lord from the pulpit probably didn't have the call from our god from our lord jesus christ to be in the ministry to begin with what do you think yeah i think that's a good that's a very good point yeah if somebody's unwilling to proclaim the whole word of god as it stands and to say thus sayeth the lord right as in and quoting what's right there in the scriptures and opening up what's right there in the text i would have very very deep concerns about that person's call i think that once you uh if you're not called by the holy spirit of god like paul says and to the ephesian elders and acts you know it's the holy spirit of god as who has set the elders over the church as overseers the shepherds of god's flock um if you're called by the holy spirit you're going to say thus sayeth the lord and you're going to i'll be willing to do that um at all costs and to just preach the truth so so i think that's a good a good observation i i would agree with that thank you grady and i'll see you at the g3 conference god willing in atlanta georgia this fall uh we have an anonymous listener again who says i have personally witnessed in various churches to which i have once belonged that favoritism has been patently obvious when it comes to wealthy people and generous givers in the church where they are never brought into discipline over sins they are not repenting from and some of these folks were involved in sins that were known throughout the congregation yet they were treated with kid gloves because the pastors did not want to lose the income that they were getting from these generous wealthy people do you believe that this is a prominent sin in the church yeah i i mean i think that that's definitely something that's there um it certainly would be a temptation that i think that people in leadership would face especially if you have somebody who's giving a lot let's say and the church financially is is just meeting a budget you know they're not let's say they're not excessively over the budget there's the temptation to rely on that individual and so i could see how that could very easily become a temptation but um we we have to you know we have to be faithful to god and take those risks and if if if if you're going to allow sin in the church just to keep the church keep the finances going in the church hopefully it's you'd have a greater thing to worry about is is the removal of the lamp stand you know we're accountable to the lord jesus christ i thank god that in my own experience and uh in my former church as well which i was longer there at 16 years i'm only here a few weeks in tennessee but i thank god that in my experience there even before i was in ministry um that i've seen situations where former elders in our church took a stand uh in situations where where they were dealing with individuals who are very uh affluent and very big givers in the church but they had to take a stand and and i've witnessed that faithfulness in in the past i'm thankful that i've had that kind of an example but but that very much can be a temptation uh it's it's wrong and the lord will will bring those kinds of trials to churches especially again when when the budget is struggling along and some of those members there who are the who are the big givers or seem to be the ones who are being used to sustain the budget um there's going to be a line across at that point are we going to trust god to provide you with what he provides or are we going to compromise uh the lord and compromise his will and and kind of ignore the sin or treat it very lightly and not deal with those who are bringing the approach to christ so that's a real good point i think that is a problem the extent of it i don't know but i i would definitely say that that's that's a problem yeah yeah i can even remember uh confronting a fellow member years ago a person who will remain nameless not to continue protecting his son who was involved in unrepentant sin and he responded to me very angrily do you know how much money i give to that church um so anyway uh well i think one thing that we have to leave with uh is to warn the seminary student or the man who aspires to be an overseer an elder a pastor that they should have this courage to fear god infinitely more than men before they even enter into an office like that should they not yeah yeah i think that's a that's a real something that should be urgently pressed upon anyone who is aspiring to the ministry um you have to be willing to preach in such a way that you know that again not that you would unnecessarily offend but that you will offend you know that the word of god the word of god will offend when you rightly preach it it will offend and you have to go against the culture not only in the society at large but also within the church at times you have to take that stand and be willing to to lose you know whatever's necessary maybe maybe you'll you'll uh have to leave that church at some point or whatever it is you have to be willing to to lose all and be faithful to the gospel just real quick in second timothy chapter four um the words that paul gives to timothy says i charge you in the presence of god and of jesus of christ jesus who is to judge the living um and the dead and by his appearing and his kingdom preach the word be ready in season and out of season reprove rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching for the time is coming we can say this time is certainly here when people will not endorse sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths as for you always be sober -minded endorse suffering do the work of an evangelist fulfill your ministry so i would leave that with anyone aspiring to ministry to take those words from the apostle paul before god and in the presence of jesus christ who's going to judge the living and the dead that's what we need to concerned about you preach that word and you preach it faithfully amen well i want to remind our listeners about the website for sovereign grace church in greenbrier tennessee also known as sovereign grace church of white house tennessee it's sovereigngracechurch .net

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sovereigngracechurch .net i urge anyone who lives in or near greenbrier tennessee to visit this congregation because i know from personal experience what a gifted pastor they now have since he was my pastor at one time and uh if you have family friends and loved ones in the greenbrier tennessee area please urge them to visit this church and prayerfully consider joining it if they don't have a biblically faithful church already where they are a member and i also want to remind you folks about the g3 conference where i am going to be manning once again an exhibitor's booth in atlanta georgia and i am so looking forward to this conference as i always am this year from september 30th through october 2nd in atlanta the the lineup is absolutely extraordinary mind -blowing as far as not only the number of speakers but the the quality of the speakers go to g3conference .com

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g3conference .com and register as soon as possible and i look forward to seeing you there i hope as many of you as possible will visit me at my exhibitor's booth if you are in attendance and also don't forget if you are a pastor an elder a deacon or any man in ministry leadership including parachurch organizations and you would like to attend my iron sharpens iron radio pastor's luncheon which will be on monday september 27th in carlisle pennsylvania featuring my guest speaker dr conrad mbaywe of kibwata baptist church of lusaka zambia africa please send me an email and i will get you all the details that's chrisarnson at gmail .com