As one philosopher said, a finite point without an infinite reference point is absurd. You don't have to live in absurdity because you just wonder, who should I be tethered to? And if you're not tethered to God, then you might tether yourself to something else that fills that void. This is the Capital Ministries Week in with Ralph Trauginger.
Ralph is the President and Founder of Capital Ministries. My name is Frank Sontag. Ralph is always good to be with you. Thanks, Frank.
Thanks to see you today. Now let me share a little bit with our viewers and our listeners. Ralph teaches the weekly US Senate and House Member Bible Studies in Washington, D.C. He also does a weekly Zoom Bible study every week with some of our nation's governors, as well as former cabinet members.
And Ralph, we are looking at the study that you're about to do in D.C. this week. We urge all our viewers and listeners to go to capmin.org and download the study for themselves. So the question is, we begin, Ralph.
What is the Bible study you'll be teaching this week? Well, we're going to do a survey of the book of Genesis, but that's a lot to swallow in about an hour study. And we spend time at the start of that having a catered breakfast that sets the stage. But this week it's on Genesis.
We're going to do a water ski over the top of Genesis. I'm just going to try to peel off the first 11 chapters. I guess the best way to outline Genesis is chapters 1 through 11. There's four sub points in chapters 12 through 50.
There's 12 sub points. And those sub points in 1 to 11 would be the creation, the fall, the flood, and the dispersion. Whereas 12 to 50 would be Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. So we're just going to try to chew on 1 to 11 a little bit.
And maybe the listeners can be praying for the ministry this week, which when they hear this will be happening that following Monday through Friday in D.C. For those that are tuned in, there may be one person right now thinking, OK, Genesis, first book of the Bible, check. But what does the first book of the Bible about the creation have to do with me today? A lot, Frank.
You don't know that already. Talk about the one guy. So, you know, when you look at all of the great doctrines of the Bible, they really find their germination in Genesis in one way or another. They're skeletal.
And you had meat on the bones as you cycle through chronologically the whole of the scripture. But suffice to say, their foundational aspects of the major doctrines of the faith are right there. And when you look at the creation fall, the flood and the dispersion, you can see all kinds of applicable truths that maybe we can talk about today. Please, well, let's jump in.
I know that the book of Genesis, it's all about a biblical worldview. I know there are some people in my circle that know of Genesis, but, and I'll try to formulate it in forms of a question, Ralph, because you're in D.C., you're in the front lines. When it comes to this idea of if we don't understand Genesis, if we don't have that deep relational foundation for who we are and how he made us, in this world, we're in a heap of a mess. I know you're going with that comment.
So continue. Well, in the beginning, God created. That's the first verse of the first book of the Bible. And that's just chock full of profundities that relate to your question.
Think of it in this terms. If you don't believe in the beginning, God created. Then you're basically into evolution. And when you're into evolution, you're attempting to say that who I am, I'm not sure.
If I just evolved, and therefore you're really never tethered to anyone other than yourself. Whereas the Christian worldview, the Judeo-Christian worldview is that if I'm created by God, then I need to be tethered to my creator. And therefore, as one philosopher said, a finite point without an infinite reference point is absurd. You don't have to live in absurdity because you just wonder, who should I be tethered to?
And if you're not tethered to God, then you might tether yourself to something else that fills that void. You did know what I was thinking. You hit that out of the park. And so let me continue on with this important aspect about, in the beginning of the universe in historical time and space, you write very well and preach very well.
And I'll tell our listeners, go to capman.org and download the Bible study we're talking about and spend time with it yourself. And yet, it's one thing to know this, but then to have a revelation of God and to understand who we are and how He's wired us, it's a lifelong endeavor. Well, one way to think of it, and I got to study in a Francis Shafer at Lebrie during my college days years ago, and study all of his works. And he had one book that is right here in my study on my shelves today about Genesis and space and time.
Can I have it? Yeah, you can read it. It's a great read. It's pretty easy for a Francis Shafer book, actually.
But what he develops in that book is the idea that God is a triune God and He's personable. And He doesn't need man in His creation to be personable. He already is in His triune identity. He's three different personages of the same numerical essence.
And that's the closest and tightest orthodox definition of the Trinity that most good seminaries will teach you in soundbite form. And what that means is that God is a God of communication and fellowship. And when He creates man, He desires to have fellowship with man. But because of Genesis 3, man decides to go zone independent way and fellowship with God is broken.
And therefore man becomes autonomous and he's no longer tethered to his Creator. And as a result, you have the dual nature of man, which is best explained by Genesis. There's no other way to explain the duality of man's nature apart from what Genesis says in that regard. And that's this.
We're created in His image. So therefore, it explains why we have goodness. And God's attributes are part of our DNA because we're made by our Creator. And we emulate His very attributes like love, joy and peace, the fruits of the Spirit.
But at the same time, Genesis 3 says man has fallen, which gives an understanding biblically as to why man has this evil fallen side to him. And there's this nature that wars against each of us in our own hearts. And because we've fallen, God gives us a redeemer. And so to get tethered back to your Creator, you need to receive the redeemer who's the second member of the Trinity whom Jesus is sent by God to pay the penalty for our fallenness, our sin.
And therefore, by receiving Him, we can have fellowship again with God in the fullness and complexity in which God desires. Ralph Drawlinger is President and Founder of Capital Ministries. My name is Frank Santag. We are talking about the Bible study that Ralph will be doing in DC this coming week.
And again, go to capman.org and download yours and study and pray for the study and for those that will indeed be attending. The fall of man, Genesis 3, you've just talked about. I know you would do a deep dive in your study. Anything else that would be relevant to this limited amount of time we have in the radio time, space continuum, if you would.
But the fall of man is everything. We live in a fallen world. Some people are one leg in, one leg out, even though we identify as Christians. And the whole thing, Frank, that I just explained, you can't come to that realization or that understanding that I just postulated without reading Genesis.
If it's true that you're fallen, in theology, we call that the noetic effect of sin, your mind is fallen. And you can't really, publicly, theologically, morally reason yourself out of a wet paper bag. And so you need God's revelation to be able to read the infallible and cleanarily inspired Word of God and find out your identity through his book. And when you do that and you study Genesis, you can all of a sudden put the pieces together and realize that, yeah, I've got the goodness side to me because I'm created in his image, but I've got the fallen side of me because of a damnic sin.
And therefore that should lead me to reconciliation with God through his propitatory work of his son, Jesus Christ. Before we break, I have one kind of a side no question. I try to do Bible reading every day, and yet Bible study, it's important to take a study with someone such as yourself, a teacher. Can we talk about the struggle of reading the Bible on your own versus the blessing now with Cap Man?
Go online of studying along with a Bible teacher? Yeah, well, that's part of the mission of Capitol Ministries as you well know, Frank, because we want to put in an intentional, deliberate, biblically reliant disciple maker in every local government, every state capital, every federal capital of the world. And we're pretty far along on that. I know you'll talk about that later.
But suffice to say, when you put an expositor of the Word of God in the midst of political leaders, you're going to help the political leaders and those political leaders are going to help the country. And so when you turn to the book of Ephesians in the New Testament, it says that God gave some as pastor teachers, as evangelists, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry. And so it follows that every state capital, every political leader, really needs to have a rudder under their boat. It's not necessarily seen.
We don't want ministry leaders to be like the sales on the ship. Like, here I am. Look at me. We don't like those kind of showboats and ministry.
We want guys in capitals that are so self-sufficient and confident that they don't need the limelight, but they can be the rudder under the ship that's guiding the whole thing because they're expositing the Word of God to those members who many aren't reconciled to God. Or if they are, they don't quite understand the whole of Genesis and all of the germinating great doctrines of the faith that begin there. Here at Capitol Ministries, we are aggressively recruiting volunteer Bible teachers to start discipleship ministries in the 40,000 local city and county governments across America. We provide the training, the Bible studies, the credentialing and the ongoing encouragement to those individuals who God is raising up for this overlooked, but very important mission field.
We need strong men who can teach Bible studies to their city council members, men who are disciple makers. Is that you or possibly someone you know? Go to capmin.org and click on the ministry tab. Join a team of thousands who want to change the trajectory of America.
Again, go to capmin.org as in Capitol Ministries. Who do you know? Who can be trained to do this in your city? Capmin.org.
Welcome back. This is the Capitol Ministries Weekend with Ralph Drawlinger. My name is Frank Sontag. Ralph is teaching this week in DC on the study Genesis, Basic Immutable Truths for Public Servants.
And as we've got a few moments remaining in our second portion, Ralph, can you share a little bit with the listeners and the viewers about the dispersion? Yeah, but before we go to what? That's about Genesis 7 through 11. The title of the study you mentioned is worth, I think, underscoring the word immutable.
A lot of people don't know that word today. And think of the word without the I am on the front and it's mutable, which is what we get the word mutation from. And so when I say understanding the basic immutable truths of the book of Genesis, what I'm saying is these are unchanging timeless truths. In other words, even though they're written by Moses a long time ago, they're still applicable today because they're immutable and because they're the very nature of God, they're applicable in a timeless sense to every culture and every person.
And therefore you can't say, oh, that's just a much old gobbledygook. No, these are immutable truths that can impact your life if you study Genesis today. This is why you're the Bible teacher and I have a microphone. Well, it's always good to chat on these things with you, Frank.
Indeed. Talk about the dispersion. Well, when you get to the creation fall flood and dispersion relative to the order of revelation in the first 11 chapters of Genesis, the dispersion is basically a restart. When you see Genesis 3 occur in the fall of man, it gets so bad between chapter 3 and about chapter 7 that God has a remake called the flood.
He basically wipes the slate clean and has a start over. As soon as he does a start over, everybody wants to hang around because in Genesis 1 it says be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. And the same thing in essence is said after the flood to Noah and his family, get out of Dodge and start populating the whole world that I created. Well, what does fallen mankind do?
Even though God's promised us he'll never flood us again, it doesn't promise us that there won't be any more insubordination. And so part of the insubordination is what? They all want to hang around and build the Tower of Babel, which in essence is something to glorify them. And so God disperses them how?
By tangling up their linguistic abilities and they're spread throughout the whole world. Now what's the application of that? It's huge. God is for independent, geographically differentiating countries in a fallen world so that there's checks and balances against the sin nature of man versus a one world Tower of Babel kind of idea or in the book of Revelation, you have the Antichrist and what see he's an autonomous world ruler and both have evil predilections because there's no check on their power.
And so God creates and here's the great application for a legislator that I'll make this week is that when you have differing geopolitical boundary nations, they can check one that's ailing like Russia invading Ukraine. You can get an amalgamation of other nations and say no, you should not do that. We will not allow you to do that. If it was all one world government Tower of Babel, Antichrist, you wouldn't have that check to quell sin.
And so there's a huge message here, even as it relates to illegal immigration, that God is for bordered and boundary nations. That's from Genesis. Ralph Dhrallinger is president and founder of Capital Ministries and obviously Capital Ministries weekend with Ralph Dhrallinger is a brand new program. We're blessed that you're listening and you're tuned in and we are praying that God will use this greatly to spread their great commission throughout all of the nations.
When I think of DC and maybe we can talk in the moments we have part of the heart of Capital Ministries is to plant ministries and local governments say capitals and in DC. We share a little bit of what that's like, the foundation of that and how it may apply to some listeners. Oh, good question, Frank. Kind of threw me a softball there, didn't you?
I will once in a while. Kind of like right up my alley on that one. These Genesis questions are a little tougher than the one you just posed. As advice to say, we started Cap Min what 26 years ago in the California Capitol.
We've been able to buy God's grace, put a person like myself who's a Bible teacher evangelist in about 43 US State capitals. We got about seven more of them to go about 12 years after we started the California ministry. We started the DC ministry. So my wife and I went there and now we've got pretty good momentum there with members that were teaching the word to a discipling evangelizing.
And from DC, we've been able to start ministries now in 64 and federal capitals, all with national train Bible expositors. And our biggest question now is how do we put ministry guys in the 40,000 incorporated local city and county governments of America? That's a big challenge, 40,000. But there's about 90 million evangelicals in America.
You think that we could find one half of 1% that would be a ministry leader in their city hall. Doesn't mean they have to have a Bible study in the city hall. They can meet with three city council guys down the street at Denny's on Thursday morning. Go through some of my Bible studies over five years or whatever and make disciples.
So that's what we're doing right now is how can we find intentional, deliberate, biblically reliant disciple makers to put ministries in what is the starting point of most career path politicians. So we're going to start a local government. The best of them get to the state capital and the best of them end up in DC or maybe not the best of them depending on their Genesis or their views on Genesis and worldview. Right.
So that's what we're all about. Missy, illogically, if I can use that big word. You just did. And we're having a lot of fun doing it.
We're seeing God's blessing. I think we just commissioned last year 50 new local government ministry leaders. Go to capman.org under the ministry tab to find out more information. You'll hear more of that specifics that is our hope and prayer that applies to you as well.
Just keep listening. The last thing I want to share with you is when we talk about the first book of the Bible and how it applies ever more so to today, you expounded on the word immutable, which was very profound in and of itself the way you shared that for the listener right now that comprehends a lot of what we're talking about, but yet looks to the world and says, I just, I'm struggling with hope. Where do I find it? What do I do?
What would you share in a couple of moments that we have in closing? Well, I think if you understand the fallen nature of man and his need for a savior, then it does drive you to the cross of Christ. It drives you toward bowing the knee and realize, yes, I'm creating the image of God, Genesis 1, but yes, I'm fallen. I'm imputed with a damn sin.
I tend to do my own thing in disobedience to God's revelation. And even what's written on my heart by my creator, you know, he put a chip inside that tells me right from wrong. And I oftentimes cauterize that chip or attempt to. And so the realization of that in the form of a conscientious realization that I'm a sinner in need of God's grace drives me to a need for Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.
And so 747 times in the New Testament, Jesus is called curiosity, which is the word Lord, which means master or boss. And so in essence, what scripture teaches is that because I'm Genesis 3, I'm fallen. I'm a need of a boss that can run my life better than I can. And so I'm willing to turn 180 degrees, which is the Greek word for repentance, turn around and follow Jesus rather than follow Ralph.
And when I make that decision, he promises in scripture that he'll come and dwell in my heart and he'll give me the third member of the Trinity, which is also revealed in Genesis 1. Let us create man in our images of pluralistic unity. God reveals his triune nature in Genesis 1 and throughout all the scripture. The third member of the Trinity upon salvation comes to live within your heart.
And when he lives within your heart, he becomes what scripture calls your helper. He'll give you dunamis, which is the Greek word that we get dynamite from. He'll make us empowered, empowered with his spirit in order to not follow the sinful predilections of our Genesis 3, fallen heart. And with that empowerment, we've got the ability to choose obedience to God and new life in him and live life abundantly because now we're tethered back to our Creator, which is revealed in Genesis 1.
As we've shared Ralph Dhrallinger as the president and founder of Capital Ministries, he is responsible for a weekly Bible study in DC with members of the House and Senate and does a weekly Zoom Bible study with some of the governors in our community. Some of the governors in our country as well as former cabinet members. The study that he will be teaching in DC this week is available to you right now at capman.org. It's Genesis, basic, immutable truths for public servants.
And as Ralph shared about possibly you becoming a local government ministry leader, if you'd like more information, just go to capman.org and click on the ministry tab. All the information is there. This is the foundation of Capital Ministries and as Ralph said, there's 40,000 local ministry positions just waiting to be filled. We've got a lot of franchises out there that don't have a manager using a fast food analogy that everybody listening can identify with in America.
Yeah, for sure. Ralph, it's always a blessing. We are praying for you this week in DC. Thank you for spending time with us.
And until next time, this is the Capital Ministries Weekend with Ralph Dhrallinger. My name is Frank Sontag. Please feel free and go to as in Capital Ministries, capman.org, capman.org, capman.org. And until next week, I'll speak for Ralph.
May God bless you deeply. Thank you for listening to this the Capital Ministries Weekend with Ralph Dhrallinger. Will you help support the ongoing work of Capital Ministries today? Here at Capman, we think it's time for a biblically based missions strategy to change the trajectory of America.
For the past 50 years, we've worked to change the laws of the land rather than the hearts of the lawmakers. What's resulted is a country in continual decline. Rather than try and get politicians who reject the author of scripture to accept the precepts of his book, let us instead place our best disciple makers and evangelists in the seats of governmental leaders. We'll start ministries in city halls, state capitals and federal capitals in America and throughout the world.
Let us win and build public servants for Christ. Go to capman.org today and give. Together, let us make disciples of Jesus Christ and the political arena here in America and throughout the world.