Pastors' Perspective - 06/24/2025

so give us a call 888-564-6173. And answering your questions today, we've got Bill Welsh, a pastor at Refuge Calvary Chapel in Huntington Beach, California. How you doing, Bill? Uh, I'm good. Thank you very much. Yeah, I just got back from the, uh, the pastor's conference out in uh Temecula. Nice. And, uh, Phil Metzger is joining us as well. He is the pastor of the pastor, not a pastor, the pastor at uh Calvary Calvary San Diego in San Diego. What's up, Phil? in the San Diego, in the, yes,

of course. Although there might be one more than one San Diego, that happens every now and then where there's like a San Diego and, you know, New Mexico or something, who knows, but anyway, that's likely. 888-564-6173 is our number, and, uh, we're gonna go to the phones in just a little bit. As I mentioned,

you can also send in your questions online. You can do that through the pastor's perspective Facebook Messenger, or, uh, DM us on the pastor's perspective Instagram, or go to kwave.com, look for the pastor's perspective page, and you can fill out the form, and that gets your question to us. I believe that is what Denise did when she sent in her question.

Which has to do with Adam and Eve. The story goes that God created the heavens and the earth and created Adam from the ground and Eve from his rib. If you do the math and you look at Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, Adam and Eve were not the first people. So my question is, are Adam and Eve real or are they just a metaphor for the first spiritual being or something? Phil, what would you say to Denise?

Yeah, thanks, Denise, for the question. I, I didn't hear how she sent it in, but maybe you didn't say. I don't know. Uh, was that an Instagram one, Brian? That was, uh, through Kwave.com. Kwave.com. That's cool. Really cool that they're sending them in like that. So yeah, Denise, to answer your question, like, you know, again, it's pastor's perspective, and we here on the show, we We believe the Bible is literal. We take the Bible

really seriously. So, as it relates to Adam and Eve, we believe, because it's what the Bible tells us that they were the first people. That they are not, it's not metaphorical, it's not an analogy, it's not um it literally they are the first two people, so that God made Adam.

And from Adam, he made Eve. And so, of course, you know, as you get into looking at, uh, you know, when you get into the anthropology of bones and all these kinds of things, sure, there's, there's uh different perspectives and so on, but we believe that Adam and Eve were the very first and they were literally the first two people. So did Neanderthals and stuff come from Adam and Eve,

would you say, Bill? I, I would say there possibly there, there were, um, other, uh, animal species that have been mistaken for Neanderthals and that might have gone extinct, but I, I totally agree with what Phil just said, that the very first two human beings were Adam and Eve. All right, sometimes we think we know more than we think we know. You know, it's like, I do not think that means what you think it means, but I think that's one of them. I've seen some, I've seen

some people that, um, look like Neanderthals. Let's just get real here, OK? And no, I just mean like, you know, I mean, we're, we're, we're, we're too quick to be like, you know, well, this is a different creature or altogether when to the person asking the question, and, you know, there's so much we don't know, but we do have to start somewhere, right? And for us, we start at the point of saying, we believe the Bible. So, can I explain every detail

and explain the, the, those issues? No, I, I can't. I'm sure others that are much smarter could do that. But I do have to start somewhere. There is a point where you say, I have to accept something to be true, right? And so for us, that, that, that truth is, it begins at scripture. So, yeah, but I, I've played basketball with some guys that I thought, holy mama, that's a, that, that guy is a big strong dude. That, that guy could be a Neanderthal.

And it comes down to a question too of who's doing the dating and do they have an agenda as they're as they're dating? I mean, it's, it's not far-fetched to believe that there's some paleontologists that have a, uh a very sincere and uh hardcore commitment to proving the Bible wrong and so messing with the dates. I, so I don't know. It is true. Denise, thank you for sending in your question online and Leslie also wrote to us online.

And we'll go to the phones in a moment, by the way, 888-564-6173 is the number, but Leslie asks, What is a wife's responsibility and attitude supposed to be towards a husband who is in a backslidden state? How can she continue faithfully serving the Lord and in church while her husband is an open sin? And does that sin affect her? Bill, what do you tell Leslie?

Still be the, uh, still be the witness in that in that marriage and uh and love that person and what what is the I I can hear it in my head in the old King James, where it says basically not just to the gentle ones, but to the fro word, remember that, that uh that word that was in there so so to the tough guy husband or the Belligerent husband, I guess. You still gotta give them a a a witness in your walk with Jesus and let them see the grace and the patience and the kindness

and the honesty and and all that. Is it 1 Peter 2:18? I was looking for it and uh you, your fingers are fashion online that speaking of slaves, yeah, OK, that's a little bit different than wife to husband, but slaves in reverend fear of God, submit yourself to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate. And it just went away. Oh, sorry, that's OK. I didn't know you might consider it, but also to those

who are harsh. So I mean God puts us in situations where it's, it's not always the, you know, the, the perfect situation where you got a, a solid Christian husband, a solid Christian wife, and, and so I know there's a lot of, uh, we got a lot of people in our fellowship that are are living that reality too and, uh, endeavoring to, to just live for Jesus in a, in a tough situation, yeah, Phil.

Yeah, I just have so much empathy for the question and for Leslie asking the question because Especially when she asks, like, does that sin affect her and or you know, whether she's reading that for her or for somebody else, golly, just the idea that like, you know, when you're in a marriage, how that other person. That impacts you on so many levels, right? On just so many levels, and so, You know, the question, does it affect her? Of course it does. That's why somebody would write in with the

question at all. On the other hand, it's also important to remember that like, as much as it is affecting you in that relationship, you also are your own person before God. And, you know, you stand before God as you, not as, oh, you were married to that person. And, and so to what Bill said there, just being a faithful witness, being a, a good spouse, a loving, respectful, caring human being. It that shouldn't impact, and I hope churches wouldn't say,

oh gosh, you can't serve because of your situation. No, you stand before God and if you are a faithful witness of Christ, may God use you and, and bless you and um. And eventually bring your spouse into that same deep loving

relationship with Christ. But certainly it does affect us. I mean, my gosh, we all affect each other so deeply, but it is important to kind of be able to pause and say, OK, but I stand in the grace of God on my own and not be Because of them, and those are two hard things to, to kind of put together, but boy, in the situation, you really have to do that. I am married, this is my spouse, I'm gonna love them and I'm gonna,

I'm gonna be honorable and respectful. On the other hand, I stand before God and I am clean and free in Him.

Yeah, and light always pierces darkness too and if that person's been living in in darkness for let's say, you know, most of their life, if not all of their life, and now they're in that, uh, um, you know, that relationship where the where the believer is in and and often it's a husband and not the wife that's the believer, but where the light comes in and and the darkness is getting penetrated by that light that keeps shining, yeah.

And I'm I'm with you too, Phil, it's uh it's, it's hard to hear those stories where you know someone is not um. they're with someone who's not sharing their faith, you know, the most precious part of their life, and um, so yeah.

Yep, Leslie, our prayers are with you, and again, yeah, just to reiterate this, it's affecting you in the sense that you're dealing with this, but it shouldn't affect your ability to serve the Lord and, you know, it's not like the church should if your church, what if her church is saying, well, until you get your act together at home, you can't serve here. Have you guys ever heard that, Phil? Yeah, I mean, and you know, it's, I mean, I've heard it, and then on the one hand, you know,

I wanna say, oh gosh, that's terrible. I can't believe that happens. On the other hand, I just wanna be like clear. I, I've expressed almost those words to people when it's like, But I, but again, how they understand it, I really want to be clear, but sometimes we miss it. And here's, here's my heart behind that. Maybe you're in a situation in life where having to serve in the church isn't the top priority right now. That's not a reflection of who you are or your walk with Christ, or your

ability to serve here. But maybe the best thing we could do for you is to give you that freedom to say, now, I'm gonna Kind of focus on this area of my life. I think sometimes, you know, you have a mom who's got a kid that's struggling, and they still want to keep up serving, but they just need to be given a break. That might be interpreted as, oh, they don't want me

here anymore, and I would never want anybody to think that. But, um, you know, and I, I think for churches that struggle with that, they really have to make sure their, their, um, expression is clear. It's not about They're not worthy or capable. You know, none of us are worthy. It's only by the blood of Jesus that any of us have any right to stand before God

or people. But on the other hand, I do want to be careful and thoughtful to the fact that people might be in a season where they need to not think that serving is necessary, where they're already serving their family in really unique ways. So, I don't know. I hope that makes some sense.

Yeah, uh, you, you know, you wonder, Phil, how, how long was it before, um, as congregations began to form and gather, there was a need for, hey, we need some people to serve, and the context of your serving was in your social circles with your family and your neighbors and yeah, so serve Jesus all you can and keep shining. And what what was her name? Leslie. Let's pray for Leslie. Father God, I just pray for our sister Leslie who is uh feeling the the conflict of light and and

and darkness there. And God, I just pray for her husband that you would soften his heart and let him see the light and the love and the truth of Jesus in in Leslie, and just pray there'd be uh there would be movement towards that father, even, even very, very soon in her husband's life, that maybe he'd start to ask questions or maybe he'd start to go with her. But, uh, that he would, he would be able to

see what's being demonstrated through his bride in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. 888-564-6173, and we've got another marriage type question here on the phone, so let's go to that now. This is Carmen calling in from Anaheim, listening on Kwave.com. Hi there, Carmen, thanks for calling in today.

talk again. And my question is, is there any verse that I can rely on the Bible so we can Um, have, we have to marry again legally because of my, in my understanding is that Uh, like, we never, God blessed our marriage, and I always respect him and he respects me during the divorce process. But now, in order for us to start living again on the same roof, do we have to marry legally because I'm very, very afraid of the consequences, and I think that God has to um

God bless, God bless our marriage. But legally, Do we have to marry again to be to live in the same room?

every conversation, um, including the guy's perspective on all this. So, let me just say a few things. I got a lot of like red flags in things that you're saying, Carmen. And so hear me out as somebody who like, Actually, you know, I care about people and I wanna see you do well in the Lord and in your marriage, um. You know, I, I'm concerned that your concern of remarrying is that you might not make it again. So you

would be repeating the marriage and then divorce again. And the reason that concerns me is because I, I think when you go into any kind of a marriage, when you go into a relationship with that already, like on the forefront of your mind, um, it's kind of like you're dooming something to failure before you've even gotten there.

Especially my concern is that the Lord be the center of a marriage, and where the Lord's not gonna be at the center, like, I'm hearing legal concerns and, and, um, financial concerns, and these are all valid, and I, I appreciate that. I really, really, really do. But as a show that's focused on like your spiritual well-being, I'm just gonna say, as a, as a pastor, I would be concerned that your marriage isn't I'm not hearing the language of, we really want to

bring Christ into our marriage this time. I think it's more like we're talking and we're enjoying conversation and maybe we want to get married again. Those are red flags for me of concern, and I think it would be good to speak to a counselor on that a little bit more. I would jump back into something you're asking. Is God blessing it or is God not blessing it? God blesses the covenant of marriage. He, he is in,

he designed it and he's really behind it. But I think when, when God's not at the center of that covenant relationship, jumping back into this, uh, it could be real, real, real messy. Yeah, Bill, um, Carmen, I was just reading in 1 Corinthians chapter 7, where there's a section there obviously about marriage.

Um, and it has this interesting verse that, uh, it, it might, well, in to, to a degree, it definitely relates to what you and your husband, former husband have been through, but says if the unbeliever departs, let him depart, uh, a brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. And so if, uh, I, I don't think you're under necessarily under obligation to, to get back together because you were married.

Um, if, if, if he's departed and sadly, you know, it, it didn't work out, I, I think that really applies there that you're not necessarily under bondage to, um, to say, OK, I guess we got to go back to court and get married again. Yeah, I, I totally, totally agree with what Phil said. You need to sit down with somebody that would, would take longer than we have time for on this, this probably two programs to, to help you sort all this out. But, um,

that you mentioned. That's uh 1 Corinthians 7 verse 15. But um the whole chapter is is about um. Well, first half of the chapter is about marriage, so. But yeah. Yeah, so we can't provide like legal advice or anything like that, or, you know, but like Phil and Bill both said, I mean, what are the reasons you want to remarry? Is it just so it can be legal? Is it, you know, when they were married, they made a covenant. They were divorced. Does that, does God no longer see

them as married? And now if they were to move in together or whatever, they're married again, they're married in God's eyes, maybe perhaps that's what she's we've seen that happen within the Calvary community, haven't we? Um, was it, um, was it Mike McIntosh, Mike Mike and Sandy that, uh, split up before they came to Christ and then they came to Christ and remarried, was that right?

I think it was Jeff and Karen, or maybe the others that I was gonna mention, yeah, yeah, it's a beautiful thing when you see God really turn two hearts, um, to one another after they've turned their hearts towards Jesus and, uh, so that, that would be the main thing, Carmen, just pursue Jesus right now with all of your heart as a lover of your soul. Phil, any more thoughts from you?

No, I just, yeah, it's so hard when like, when, when marriage becomes kind of the technicalities of are we this or are we that that that gets so hard. So what Bill just said there, it really You know, marriage in Christ is just like amazing, beautiful thing where I'm in a covenant with God and my spouse. But golly, when you get to those like technicalities of like, well,

are we still or are we not? That, that's kind of those questions of like, who is this woman married to in the kingdom, you know, that, that was asked to Jesus. And then, and Jesus even talked about it. Well, that, you know, the reason divorce even exists is because of the hardness of man's heart. And so those things get really tough, but, uh, yeah, I think I, I like what you said too, Brian man, we, we're not a, this isn't legal advice, those are different shows.

This is not a, you know, free legal advice today, you know, we have no idea. Yes, Carmen, thank you for your phone call today on pastor's perspective. We do recommend you talk to the pastor at your church or a Christian counselor or something to, uh, so that they can get into the weeds of what it is that you guys are trying to go after. 888-564-6173 is our number, and Brittany wrote in with this question for us. How can I become all that God wants me to be without being a Pharisee and seeking

God's approval over everything in my life? I'm finishing my BA in biblical studies at Colorado Christian University. I'm trying to grow more spiritually minded with the class. But I've noticed that I seem to need a term for everything in the Bible to sound more dogmatic. Am I wrong in seeking hermeneutical advice every time, or should I just focus on the message? I'm doing online Bible studies with books for now and trying to give a

more friendly approach. What would you say, Bill? I would, I would say let's ask the man with the masters about that, Phil. Doctor Phil, what do you say? I mean, I would say it's at a very, very basic level, who doesn't overthink stuff all the time, so, but.

That's so true, Bill. Yeah, I mean, golly, I, I, I, I had so many thoughts just hearing you read that question, Brian, is like, it starts with the idea that like, gosh, I, I, I'd hate for anybody to assume that like, if you want to be all that God wants at the, the, the logical jump is that you would be a Pharisee. I, I, I think that would be the exact opposite. That, that, that to be all that God wants you to be. I mean, Pharisees weren't trying to be all that God wants them to be.

They were trying to bring God down to their level, not them going to his level, you know. And, uh, so the idea that like, to really go after God would make you a first. I, I, I'll be honest, I feel like that's actually what a lot of Christians think is like, if I'm gonna be really serious, I'm gonna become super legalistic and a kind of a jerk

for people, you know, in Christ. And I, I just want to dispel that idea that that's a religious construct that that relationship, you know, um, we're in a relationship with Jesus, and that means it's growing, it's progressing. That doesn't mean he's growing, it means I'm growing and I'm learning. I'm learning more of his love and I'm learning to love him more, and in the process, I'm learning to love

people the way that God loves people. So the idea about hermeneutical advice every time, um, I mean, again, I'm, I'm not sure that I see any distinction between focusing on a message and, and good hermeneutics. I think good messages come from good hermeneutics, that is, that we've really looked at the scriptures, we've really looked at the context, we've really studied it. I, I, I think bad messages come from bad hermeneutics. And so the idea that like, um, a message would, that you'd have

to wrestle with either one of those. I see this with a lot of Bible college students, uh, and that is like We get super excited about the things we're learning, and not everybody likes digging into the Greek or the Hebrew. So give space for people that they just want to grow in Jesus. I get that part. If you feel like a Pharisee because you're telling people about Greek and, and cultural context, then you can tone that back. That doesn't make them wrong and it doesn't make you wrong.

We all have different passions and loves. But as it relates to a good healthy relationship with Jesus, I mean, yeah, like, Brian said, you know, I've got, I got a PhD and it, it has not changed. I love Jesus as much as ever. I was so benefited by my education. I'd certainly hope that I'd never be a Pharisee. I have certain nerdy things that I really dig that I know other people just aren't gonna be into. That has nothing to do with being a Pharisee, though, not at all.

And you're, you're one of the furthest people I've met from being a Pharisee in my whole life. I didn't know that you were a doctor too. Well, but, um. Uh, I was gonna say something and it has just escaped me. Uh, but I know what I was gonna say, you know, the scripture tells us to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and the mind is, is, it was, is involved in that. There's nothing I want to, uh, understand more clearly than what it is to have a relationship with God and

understand His love for me. So I, I commend that, that, you know, heart of a, a scholar or heart of a student to, to dig down deep and then get out and live the relationship. Um, you know, my wife, my wife Joy, my wife Joy, and, and, and I, we, we don't, I mean, you could say in the 52 years we've been married, 52 years in 3 weeks, is it? Um, we've studied each other, we know each other well, but I don't think we ever sat down and it was like, I'm gonna figure you out.

Maybe we should have, but, uh, it, it's worked out pretty well. Enjoy the relationship and, and keep digging in with your mind as well.

Yeah, and I think the mind is one of those things that we don't, I mean, we, we can say we love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, when we're there Sunday morning singing worship and our hands are raised and everything, but I'm not saying that you're not using your mind when you're doing that, but when it comes to studying and getting into certain things, the longer you're a believer, should you be more focused on More studies, I mean, should every Christian aspire to be

a doctor like Phil Metzger? No, don't do it. Don't do it, everybody. Uh, but we should aspire to the mind of that is constantly growing. Listen, don't, don't miss, um, yeah, it's, I'm so glad you said that, Brian, because people need to understand. We're all learners. We should be lifelong learners. That should never end. Some of us, and I'll call myself a weirdo, some of us weirdos choose formal education as a way to kickstart and keep, just keep fresh and keep growing.

That was for me. I, I wanted the challenge. It doesn't make me better. It certainly doesn't even make me smarter. It's, I went through a particular process that not everybody can do that, but I, I know people who have none of that. They love Jesus, and they're also learners. So I think we need to make sure that we, we, we clarify that, like, not because of what you said, but it's, you're kind of

giving the ball on the tee there for me. And that is to just remind people, you don't have to do formal education to keep growing, but to not keep growing, to not be studying the word, to not be growing in Bible studies, these things are important. Very good. 888-564-6173 is the number to call us on this Tuesday afternoon if you've got a question for Bill Welsh or Phil Metzger, 888-564-6173, and Brittany, thank you for sending in your question on Kwave.com.

Next up, uh, how about Katy? Katy's question about everything going on in the Middle East right now. People believe that the end times are getting closer. Will my children, ages 2 and 4, be raptured with everyone else who believes that Jesus died for them, or will they be left behind? Bill? Great question. And, and I'm glad you're studying uh end times because I believe we're living in the end times.

And uh I don't know, I don't know why I think about that uh that quote from uh Pirates of the Caribbean, where the, the girl says something about, I don't believe in ghost stories, and uh the villain uh, says, well you best be believing in them because you're uh you best be believing in ghost stories cause you're in one.

And we are in the last days. We are in the end times, so yes, study the, the prophetic, uh, the scriptures on on on the prophetic uh aspect of, of our faith, but I, I believe we're, I believe, man, we're so close right now, when you see the the nations lined up right now against Israel, and it's been, but it's been like that for a long time, a number of those those uh uh would you say perennial enemies of of Israel are are still aimed at them. A couple of them seem to just recently.

Dialed back to say, um, not that they've, you know, come on, on board with Israel, but they're at least thankful that uh a regime is possibly about to be toppled in Iran, but um. Yeah, dig in. I, we're just what we're talking about with the, the last, uh, the last question. It's a it's a huge part of our faith. It's the blessed hope that Jesus will return for his church and, and the world will once and for all be balanced, the new heaven, the new earth, the new Jerusalem, and the new you, Phil.

Yeah, and, and I know our time is coming to the commercial, Brian, if it gets there, I won't hear music just a little, uh, no there, so I don't, uh, ramble, ramble. The question 2 and 4 year olds, will they be raptured? Yeah, I, I mean, a 2 and 4 year old, we're gonna say are in that category of children who are not going to be held accountable at that, you know. Generally speaking, to like, you know, have you prayed this prayer?

Have you done this? I, I, I, I think we're talking about kids that are still under their parents and under, under that. So I wouldn't be worrying like, oh my gosh, if, if the rapture happens, what's gonna happen to my kids? God loves your kids even more than you do. And so it's hard to imagine that he's got them, he'll take care of them. Amen. Katie. Thank you for sending in your question online. We're going to go to a break now and we'll be back with more of your questions. What would you

like to ask Bill Welsh and Phil Metzger? They're gonna be in the studio for about another 30 minutes. 888-564-6173 is the number to call, 888-564-6173. If you're watching on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram, the number's right there on the bottom of your screen, so pick up your phone and call us up, 888-564-6173. Welcome back to Pastor's Perspective. 888-564-6173 is our number today. My name is Brian Perez. We've got about 25 more minutes to go, and we would love to chat with you.

888-564-6173 is the number. Answering your questions today. We've got Bill Welsh, a pastor at Refuge Calvary Chapel in Huntington Beach, or Pastor A. Maybe I should say that. Pastor, is it Emeritus or Emeritus? however you spell it, I still don't know what it is. It's Emeritus, yes, and, uh, Phil Metzger is here too. He's the pastor of Calvary San Diego, Doctor Phil, and, uh, he's there by his bookshelf. Look at all those books

that he's read. My goodness, impressive. Talk about, uh, loving the Lord your God with all your mind. Is that wallpaper? No, no, it's it's a real book. It's fake, guys. No, no, no. Oh no, I'm a, I'm a like, guys, I'm a nerd. I'm a book fanatic. I love it, and, uh, yeah, there you go. Yeah. Books are awesome. All right, 888-564-6173 is our number. Here's another one that was sent in online, and then we'll go to the phones with Pedro, you'll be up next.

Claudia wants to know. Uh, she says, first of all, I am not defending Judas, but Jesus's birth, death, and resurrection were written in the scriptures. Was was Judas's betrayal also written? Was Judas destined to be the one who would betray Jesus? Can you give me scriptures that can put my mind at ease with these questions, Phil? Yeah, sorry, I was on muting again. Apologies. Um, I love that she prefaced that like, I'm not defending Judas. Yes,

you are no, I'm just kidding. Uh, you're not. Um, yeah, the Bible does talk about, uh, Judas's betrayal. Um, in Zachariah chapter 11, we, we read about them paying 30 pieces of silver, and Judas was a part of that. And so Zachariah chapter 11 verses 12 and 13 speak to that, um. So yeah, it is. And also there's a, there's an interesting verse in Psalm 41, where Jesus says, even my friend, the one I trusted, who shared my food has turned

against me. And so, uh, you know, there's a couple of verses that really clearly describe that there was going to be this betrayal, and there's others, by the way, I'm just grabbing those too. So, good question. Yes, Judas's

betrayal is in the scriptures. But But does it call Judas by name, or is it more of a there's going to be someone in the future who is going to be a friend, etc. and then this guy happened to fit the mold and so it's like, OK, it's gonna be him or maybe I don't know, again, this is a question that was sent in, so we can't ask a follow up, but yeah, OK, yeah, that's really good. You're right. It's not by name, but what you do, so.

So how do we figure out if he fits the mold, is that you look at all the different things that the Bible says about that person, and then if, if he's done one of them, you go, Oh, well, maybe that's him, maybe not, right? This is the dilemma people are having with anti-Christ, right? There's been plenty of people who fit the bill, but they haven't fit all of

the bill. They haven't met all of the criteria. And so Judas in Old Testament, um, uh, you know, in The New Testament, he fits the bill perfectly of all the different scriptures that talk about the betrayal of Jesus. And so therefore we know that he is that person that betrayed him. Yeah, that's a great, that's a great point. He's not named by name. It doesn't say Judas, but he does fit everything that is described about the one that would betray Jesus. He exactly to the T, he

fits that bill. And Bill, do you fit the bill? Hopefully not that bill. But, um, he's Jesus, in a sense, he prophesized Judas betrayal at the Last Supper. He doesn't call out his name, but when he's asked, you know, who is it, he says it's the one that I, I'll give the bread to, and he gives that bread to Judas. So he points him out to his disciples that had the disciple that had asked the question, but not by name.

And I guess you would have to say he knew all along, and yet he still invited him in to his, uh, his inner circle. Claudia, thank you for sending in your question online. Now we're gonna go to the phones. Here is Pedro in Pomona listening on FM 107.9 K wave. Hello, Pedro, what's your question for us today?

Hey, how's it going, guys? Um, uh, I guess my question is, uh, so, um, I'm a new believer in, uh, Christ, um, I've been following Christ, uh, passionately for like the year, last year and a half, um, so, um, you know, I, I've been working as a nurse now for about 5 years, um, but. But my plan originally since I was like 5 years old, you know, all the way up until high school, I've

always wanted to be a uh a police officer. So I've always had that desire to work in law enforcement and um ever since, um, you know, I, I gave my life to Christ and uh You know, even prior to Christ, you know, that, that, that drive to to seek a career in law enforcement always comes up and pretty much my question is I just want to know if, if that's something that I want to do or is that something that maybe God had implanted in me, uh.

You know, to seek that type of career because, I mean, that's even, you know, before Christ, that just that since I was a kid, that's all, that's all I wanted to do. And even now, like me following Christ, me and my wife, we did a, a fast, you know, because I just want to make sure we did a 40 day fast just wanting to seek, you know, his approval, uh, seek his knowledge is, is this something that I want to do or is it something that he wants me to do? And I just.

Um, I just want to know if that's, you know, if it's from, you know, God for me to do that or, or not. So Pedro, quick question before I bring Bill and Phil on, um, you decided to pursue nursing. Was that instead of law enforcement? I mean, you still have the desire to do law enforcement, but why did you go off into nursing instead of pursuing law enforcement?

Um, you know, I, I did pursue nursing and, uh, when I was about 19 years old, um, you know, I did get married very young and, um, I, it's something that my mom did, um, and I honestly, I felt like it was just something that I needed. I wanted to do something quick to, um, to support my family. My wife was, yeah, she was pregnant at the time with my son, and I was like, I need to do something to um support my uh my my new wife and my and my son. Yeah, for sure. Bill,

what do you say to Pedro? I think you've, uh, I think choosing a very noble profession and a tough profession, especially in the, um, the cultural climate that we're in right now. Um, Paul talked about that in Romans chapter 13. I'll I'll, I'll bet you anything you probably have already read that, haven't you, Pedro? Where he he talked about those that are in authority are placed there by God and, and you're in a sense, uh, really a, a servant of God who is laboring for

peace in in a troubled world. So I think it's a wonderful, uh, noble thing to to pursue that and how would you test it? Um, I, I think you're doing it right now by by calling and asking some advice, and I'm sure you've prayed this through and just ask God confirm it, Lord, I.

I don't want to waste time in my life. I want to go in the direction you've called me to go and in, um, oh, so many times in, uh, in my wife's in my life together, our our marriage, we have placed, um, um, possible situations and scenarios before God. Show us what you want us to do. I remember when I was living out in in the in desert hot springs and just praying, God, do you want me to pastor a church in this in this area? There'd been some requests and I said, I have to hear from God.

And I just went alone and hiked up on the mountain above desert hot springs, sat down one afternoon and and prayed and just said, God, I just need to know. I, I, I don't want to waste time. I want to be right in line with you, and it'd be too long of a story to tell you how God just in without question, put the pin in the map for us in Desert Hot Springs in 1981.

And that's where we served planning a a Calvary Chapel out there, but God will, he'll he'll speak to you in how many different avenues are there through which God can speak, you know, obviously through the word of God and and through friends that you, you trust and circumstances and just say, God, show me and lead me and rest in that rest in the fact that he will. Phil Metzger. I just think Pedro, you and your wife sound really awesome.

You sound amazing. I mean, new believer, fasting for 40 days, waiting on God. Good Lord, this is awesome. This is like, you're asking the question, I really wanted this and does God really want that? Why can't it be a little of both, man? You know, it's something that's been in your heart since you were a kid. You, you're not, you're not in.

You, you have to trust that if, if you're going down that path and you, you're believing and sensing it could be the Lord, and you just don't know, what you're, what you're going after isn't a sin issue. It's not like there's, it's like sinful, right? You're just trusting and believing maybe it's the Lord.

Then trust that the Lord could show you if it's not his will, and you're, you're allowed to like go after these things, you know, it's a noble thing, as Bill said, I, it sounds like both of your professions, nursing and then police work. It sounds like you've got a, um, a real heart for service, public service. Um, you know, if your wife is on board and you feel like maybe God's leading you in that, then you can take

steps forward. Again, I, I don't have a magic wand and it doesn't work like that, but How do I know God's will? I really would like to do something, and I'm, I'm seeking Him and nothing is telling me that it's a no, then keep moving forward and just trust God's in that stuff. I think so often we get confused about God's will. Like, does it mean I have to turn left or turn right? And if I was supposed to turn right, but I turn left, and the more I keep walking, I'm walking.

Further and further away from that intersection where I was supposed to turn right and then we all freak out and we wonder, did I go the wrong way, you know, 40 years from now, Pedro might be calling in and wondering, what do I do? I didn't pursue what I wanted to, and I think I'm so outside of the will of God. Does he forgive me? Does he love me, etc. Of course, yeah, yeah.

And, and I would say in 40 years, um, don't be surprised if you don't have doubts like that, because you're gonna hit that point where you're like, oh man, most of my life is behind me. Did I choose well and we get all like in our headspace about that stuff. But, you know, God's bigger than that, and our lives are not consumed by the decades we have here on Earth. We're gonna be with the Lord forever. So let's say you, let's say you are 70 and you say, oh gosh, I, I, I, I, there's so

much more I should have done. What about this and what about that? Dude, God is bigger than the thing that we could have done. Like, I, I can't mess up what God wants to accomplish. Seriously. We have to be like, sin

can ruin that. But if I'm going after God and I'm just seeking the Lord, and I'm doing my best, I, I think we need to think of our lives more like a GPS sometimes with the Lord, where it's like, I take wrong turns all the time, and I repent of those, and God's super faithful to say, OK, then make a right turn at this point now. Let's, let's, let's, let's do that. It's no big deal. But I think as I get older, I do have those moments where I go, Oh man,

what if I had turned left here? Would that have been a different path? And, and I think the devil can use some of that stuff to discourage us. The truth of the matter is that God loves you. He loves your family, and you don't have a bad choice in front of you right now. You follow God, you serve the Lord, you love your family, and you serve your community and what you feel called to. You're gonna finish your life and go to heaven and hear well done,

good and faithful servant. I think, you know, that's gonna be worth it all. Yeah. Pedro, does this help you? Yeah, so much, thank you so much guys. I really, really appreciate you guys taking the time to, to, uh, to speak with me and give me some advice and, uh, yeah, thank you and uh I just wanted. Thank you so much for the for the radio uh

this radio station. I've been listening to it a lot when I go to work and when I come home from work and it's just, uh, you know, definitely watering me every single day and uh thank you guys so much for the advice. In advance, thank you for your service, Pedro. Yes, indeed, thanks for calling in today on Pastor's Perspective at 888-564-6173. Here's a question sent in from Audrey, wants to know, how do I know when a relationship I'm in needs to be over? He does not want to be married.

He will not compromise about finding a job that will bring him closer to home. He's currently an on the road trucker. He's out on the road 4 to 6 weeks at a time, only comes home for 4 days, then he's off again. Uh, there's no consistent communication with his son. Or with me he deflects he gas lights. So question one again, how do I know when a relationship needs to be over? Oh man. Oh, what's say you do we want to answer this? It sounds like it is. Yeah, that's a hard thing to say, right?

That's a tough thing to say. And I, I'm sorry that we're saying that and it's, I think I wanted people to hear if this person had called in, I'd say the exact same thing first to say, I think this person already knows that it is over and, and if you need to hear us to say. Everything you just described points towards that, then I'll, I will second you on that. It certainly does. And I'm sorry for that, and I think that's awful and that's a huge bummer. Um, but you're asking the question like,

is it over? And I, I have a feeling that you already know the answer to that, and that's a bummer. And I'd encourage you to, um, To to seek a circle of um of believers around your sisters getting around you and praying with you and praying for you to stay close to uh hopefully the church that you're involved in, but uh it, it could be a very, very rough road ahead for you in the very near future. Yeah, Audrey says that, uh, he has, uh, inconsistent communication

with his son. I don't know if that's a son that you guys have together, but, um, again, Audrey's hoping for the best that they would get married someday, but all these red flags, it, it might get worse before it gets better, right? If he, if he's showing you this now, may not be an indication that he's gonna change it anytime soon. But what do I know?

No, but you're right, Brian. When you, and when you add a kid into that, again, we don't know the age, we don't know if it's his or not, it wasn't really clear, but assuming it is and assuming that, I mean, just not alone, man. I, I, I feel for the writer because it's like, it's easy for me to say,

I think the relationship's over, but it's not mine. To be in that and to have a kid together and all, I'm, I'm seriously, we're sorry for you in that situation and believe that, you know, God could still bring some healing in that, but you're right, it could get worse before it gets better. And that's tough. That's really hard. Audrey, thank you for calling in today on Pastor's Perspective. Luis also wrote in, he wants to know if it's OK to tithe to a Christian nonprofit organization, as I

do not currently belong to a specific church. Bill, what do you say to Luis? Yes. It is OK. Yeah, it is OK. OK, Phil. Yeah, um, let me send you my information and you can start driving that. I'm just kidding. Sounds like Phil wants to profit from his nonprofit, uh, no, I'm joking, yeah, yeah, no, I mean, I think I agree with Bill on that. I'd also, I mean, I think we're all free well-beings and we can give and

do as God leads us and shows us. I'd love to express to that person though that it'd be so good to get involved in the church. Forget the tithe part for a second. Let's cut that out a bit. Don't assume I'm talking about tithe, but I do want to say. It's a bummer that you're not like a part of a church. Um, and I'll say this because not only do you need the church, but I think that that local community also needs you. Uh, you know, here, here you are writing in to say, I have money that

I want to give to a nonprofit. Like, I want to be a part of the kingdom work. I think that means that you're missing out on being a real support to a church, and that church would, you know, uh, I think you need to be in a home church as well. So give whoever you want, whatever, but get into a local church, man. Yeah, and we don't know why Luis isn't involved in

a local church. Maybe he's new to the area, maybe he's afraid to try a church, maybe he's experienced church hurt in the past, but he knows that even though churches might let him down, Uh, I don't know. There's just so much here to this question, which is why we prefer to talk to you guys. Uh, we do have the opportunity for you to send in your questions online, but then we read your question and we're left with more questions. So call

in when you can. We understand that sometimes you can't call in, but, um, if you're still looking for a church, I don't know if you've found one. Since you sent us this email, but you can go to Calvary Chapel.com. There's a church finder feature there, type in your zip code and something might pop up that says near you, and you can go visit that. So check that out at uh Calvary, yes, Calvary Chapel.com. Stanley in Huntington Beach, welcome to Pastor's Perspective.

real or not. And then yesterday, they, uh, his father and all all other. Uh, my auntie call because we on the upper level is only at the one my uncle who is at home, I tell him because of the shock and then, um, the, my auntie then they all ask me. Uh, who's gonna take care and do they get married? And they all want me to ask that question. I said, In that point, if she loved so much in her and she's been helping it, it's like she'll be the wife. Um,

this whole tragedy. I, I, I love the the the psalm that says, uh, the Lord is close to those whose hearts are broken and so he's he's with you in this and with the family in this and, um, you just take step by step and ask the hard question. There isn't any way to do it and any easier way to do it but just pray and step into it and and bring a whole lot of compassion and um. Yeah. Now, the question that Stanley asked our screener, uh, it says that, uh, no one knows if they were

actually married. The family wants me to ask the woman. They want Stanley to ask the woman if they were married. Stanley's wondering if he should, because it's more for financial reasons and like Stanley mentioned, taking care of elderly parents and things, so. Uh, Phil, uh, Stanley's wondering if he should do it. Is there a reason why he should not do it? I mean, not looking at it sounds like it sounds

like the family elected him, right? Or or last man standing or whatever, but these are the bummer things that like, there's no way, there's no way to soften the blow that when someone dies, there's a lot of super uncomfortable, difficult, frustrating conversations that have to happen. This is one of them. Yeah, I mean, you know, and here he is. Stanley's, you know, obviously, as he's sharing with us, he's grieving

for very good reason. Within 24 hours they're already having this conversation, so I totally get it, and that's a real bummer. Um, love to offer a quick prayer for Stanley and his family, and, um, and obviously for this officer who was killed and for those grieving. Um, so yeah, let me just pray, but I think Stanley, honestly, like my gut tells me, and I'm just, I was praying and saying, Lord, like, how do you help somebody in this situation? You just have to step into some really hard things

right now. That's the reality. There's no way around that. It's a hard time. Somebody's gonna step into some hard things. You're at least open to calling a bunch of pastors to talk about it. So good on you for that. Trust that the Lord will give you grace to step into the difficult things. Be kind, be thoughtful, don't be selfish, be considerate, and I think the Lord will use you. So yeah, maybe I can just offer a prayer for him and the family and.

Lord, we're grieved to hear about this LA sergeant who was killed and, um, the family and just the whole situation. I pray for Stanley that you would use him to be a peacemaker, Lord, in moments that are just, they're so grievous, they're so sad, and, um, there's nothing that can like just, it just wrecks us so much at at this kind of a death, and bless him and help him and use this.

Situation as hard and as difficult and as sad as it is, that you would bring your the light of your love into this family in a new and a fresh way, even as they grieve that you'd be super present in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Stan Lee, thank you for calling us today on Pastor's Perspective. Got time for one more question sent in online. Regina recently saw a video about the world being flat. The person who was talking was giving scriptures to back

up their claim. In the Bible, the firmament refers to the expanse or vault of the sky separating the waters above from the waters below. I would like to know the pastor's perspective on this because it's in the Bible, and now I'm second guessing if what I've learned about space was not even true. Phil, let's say you, I'm sure one of your books back there is about the flat Earth, right?

Yeah, right. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I, let me just start with like, this is like a cultural phenomenon where the internet, and I'm not blaming the internet, but like the, it's interesting that in 2025, there's a larger percentage of people actually believing that the earth is flat than there was before. You'd say, well, that's because we have more evidence. Actually, we have less and less evidence for a flat earth.

I mean, just like unbelievably less evidence. Not only that, so like that's like just scientifically, there's no evidence for a flat earth. Scripturally, you, you can take any verse to make it say whatever you want to say, but the truth is, the Bible does not say that. In fact, there are other passages talking about the currents and so on, and there's no current without the world being round. It wouldn't, it just wouldn't happen that way. It's not possible. It's

like scientifically, it's physically impossible. So the idea that, um, you know, a couple verses, please don't let that confuse you, don't let that throw you off. No, the world is not flat. Again, let me just be clear, this is not some like Christian like I'm not gonna hang my hat on this like as a Christian thing, but the Bible does not indicate a flat earth. Scientifically there's not a flat earth, so I'm not a flat earther. All right, very good. Phil Metzger, thank you for being

on Pastor's perspective today. How can people find out more about Calvary San Diego? Yeah, well, we, um, our website, CalvarySD.com, also Instagram. We're, we're we were probably more on Instagram than the interwebs, but Calvary SD. And uh yeah, love to love to see people in our area. If you're listening, come on down. All right. And Bill is one of the pastors at Refuge Calvary Chapel in Huntington Beach. If you're listening right now on Tuesday afternoon on Kwave, uh, in about half an hour,

Bill is gonna be live on Refuge Radio. It's Tuesday. Bill does refuge radio live on Tuesday, so that'll be going on here at 4:30. Bill, you ready for us at 4:30? Yeah, and Phil's gonna be my special guest. Oh, perfect. Phil, don't go anywhere. All right guys, we'll talk to you tomorrow. Today's episode will soon be archived on Facebook, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. Thanks for listening and watching Pastor's perspective.