Ep. 1234: Why Does God Let the Innocent Suffer?

Theme Scripture: Ephesians 1:9-10

Tragedy hurts. But a tragedy that involves the utterly senseless taking of the lives of innocent children is a blow to the heart that can send us reeling. Such a blow is hard to recover from and the recent school shooting in Uvalde Texas is a most recent and horrifying example of this profound pain. Heated debates typically spring up after such a tragedy as everyone wants answers as to how to stop such things. One resounding question that comes from believers and unbelievers alike is, how can an all-knowing, all-powerful God see such things happen and just, well, just do nothing? If God is love as the Bible says He is, how do we even begin to understand what so many consider to be His utter lack of attention and intervention in such tragedies?

Ep.1233: God is Out of My Life! How Do I Get Him Back In?

It’s hard to stay focused, especially when that focus requires attention be given to something that is different and challenging. As Christians living in this 21st century, our responsibility is, as Jesus said when he was only 12-years old, to “be about our Father’s business.” As clear as this objective is, because we are imperfect we sometimes get tripped up and lose our focus. Thank God for His grace given to us through Jesus! What about other times when it’s not just a typical misstep? What about when we fall not just into a careless or impetuous wrongdoing, but into a full-blown choice that leads us towards evil? What do we do to help us come to our senses, and not only retract the wrongdoing, but decisively get ourselves back onto the path of God-honoring thoughts, words and deeds?

Ep. 1232: Is the Gospel Obsolete?

Theme Scripture: Romans 10:15

We live in an age of tremendous knowledge, phenomenal technology and unprecedented freedom. On one hand, ours is an age where the individual reigns supreme. I can decide what's right and wrong for me. I can also expect others to make allowances for my conclusions. On the other hand, the Gospel of Jesus Christ tells us right from wrong and moral from immoral. It defines our treatment of others, how to live and why we should live that way. The gospel is all about calling out a people for God’s name through Jesus and proclaiming that God’s kingdom is in fact coming! With the way this world operates, does the gospel message and way of life even matter? Are the personal freedoms of our present social order beyond its reach?

Ep.1231: What if I’m Not Good Enough for Heaven?

The vast majority of Christian belief systems may have a problem. What do they do with the billions of humanity who aren’t true followers of Jesus, but they aren’t terrible people either? Theses billions try and live a good life by being decent and kind to one another. Many of these have not heard the name of Jesus in any meaningful way. Can we say that God will destroy them for essentially being born in the wrong time and place? That doesn’t make sense! Can we say that they go to heaven when they die? That doesn’t make sense either. Jesus taught us that going to heaven is a call that is difficult and requires deliberate choices. God loves humanity so much that he sent His only son Jesus as our ransom. That being the case, what does happen to those billions who are not good enough for heaven?

Ep. 1230: Why Would God Bless Two Immoral Women?

God does not reward sin. On the contrary, He abhors it! Satan’s first rebellious thoughts against God will result in his eventual destruction. Adam’s sin of disobedience has and continues to result in the power of sin, evil and death plaguing our world to this day. Enter Tamar and Rahab. These are two Old Testament women who both acted immorally and yet found their way into a very unusual position of God’s favor. They were two of only five women listed in the genealogy of Jesus. How can this be? Did God make an exception for them? What was it they did or didn’t do to have the privilege of having Jesus be a descendant of their bloodlines? The answers to these questions are found in the fascinating accounts and decisions of their lives.

Ep. 1229: I’m a Christian and I’m Angry-What Now?

Theme Scripture: Colossians 3:8

We all get angry. In today’s social media world, we can easily find a platform to express that anger. Our anger develops when we hear or see something that we interpret as causing fear, frustration or offense. We react to our perception, and the seeds of anger are sown and grown in an instant. Once angry, we often find it justifiable to lash out with our own brand of challenge, retaliation or defiance. Our anger has now grown from a personal internal emotion into a larger and more threatening external action which is usually destructive and not constructive. As Christians, what are we supposed to do with this human instinct? Should we allow ourselves to get angry? Both God and Jesus got angry, so does that give us permission?

Ep. 1228: Where Do the Human Soul and Spirit Go When We Die? (Part II)

Theme Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

In our last episode we deeply explored the human soul. We saw that both the Old and New Testaments clearly teach that humans ARE souls and don’t HAVE souls. We further confirmed that the Bible is explicit about the destiny of the human soul being death, as that was the irrevocable penalty for sin given to Adam at the beginning. As surprising as all this might sound, it is all verified in Scripture. We will now consider the human spirit. What is it? Is it a tangible being or is it an intangible essence? Is it a life force all of its own? Is it the same as the soul? Is the human spirit immortal, or can it die? These are complex questions. As with the soul, the answers can be found in the Bible, but only if we are careful to consider both the Old and New Testament records together.

Ep. 1227: Where Do the Human Soul and Spirit Go When We Die? (Part I)

Theme Scripture: Hebrews 4:12

Do human beings HAVE souls or ARE they souls? Do human beings have a spirit? If so, what does that mean? Or, are we really spirit beings temporarily confined in a terrestrial body? What happens when we die? Do our soul and spirit die? Do they go someplace, or do they stay together? Religions, cultures and philosophy have weighed in on these questions for untold centuries. The answers we've come up with are as varied as the peoples of this planet. How can we know who is right? If we objectively look into the Bible to define the human soul and spirit and what happens to them at death, it is possible to find concrete guidance and answers. Why take a biblical perspective? Because it is ancient reasoning written over many centuries that has proven itself historically accurate, morally sound and prophetically true.

Ep. 1226: Am I Being Punished or Favored?

Theme Scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-7

Nobody likes to suffer. Nobody wants pain, turmoil, uncertainty, tragedy or sickness to take up continual residence in their lives. When a Christian suffers by facing hard things in their daily experience, it is easy to look at it as punishment. We see these harsh experiences as a signal that something is wrong, and we expect them to sap the joy right out of our lives. Suffering is easily seen as having little to no redeeming value. We think that it signals that God has ceased protecting us, and that means trouble. Turns out, the Bible has a lot to say about suffering, trial and punishment. It explains in great detail the role suffering plays in our lives, and the how and why of punishments that come from God.

Ep. 1225: Can Jesus’ Resurrection Revive My Faltering Faith?

Theme Scripture: Mark 16:16-17

When thinking about world-altering events, there is one that stands alone as the single most powerful world-changing event in the history of humanity. It is the raising of Jesus from the dead. Many call this Easter Sunday. When this event occurred so many centuries years ago, the vast majority of the world had no idea of its significance. Today 2,000 years later, most still don’t have a clue. Jesus’ resurrection sealed the future hope of every man, woman and child who ever lived by guaranteeing them their own resurrection. Even more than this, Jesus’ resurrection also changed individual lives back then as it still does today. After the Apostle Peter abandoned Jesus in his greatest hour of trial, Peter needed the renewing power of Jesus’ resurrection. We too can falter as Peter did. How can we claim that same renewing power?