Christian Questions Bible Podcast

Theme Scripture: Mark 2:22
One of the great Christian challenges of our day is living a God-honoring life in a world that basically thinks you’re nuts. What role should our differences with the world around us play in how we do or don’t fit in with all that goes on each day of our lives? What specific principles do we have that govern our thoughts words and deeds to keep us godly and yet approachable? Jesus’ Parable of the Wineskins answers this. This parable is part of a specific answer Jesus gave to a specific question. His answer also included two other very simple parables. As we will see, these three short examples combine to teach some important lessons relating not only to prophetic events, but to our personal behaviors and choices as well.

Theme Scripture: Psalm 23:1
Among Christians, some of the most often quoted and beloved Old Testament scriptures are found in Psalm 23. In very few words, these six verses paint a vivid picture of God’s overwhelming care for His children. The imagery of a shepherd knowing and caring for his sheep speaks to our helplessness as we as God’s children attempt to navigate the harsh terrain of a sin-sick world. Without our shepherd the tumult of everyday life makes it hard to find true spiritual nourishment. Without our shepherd we would not find absolute rest and we would always feel vulnerable. Here is the big question. Do I put myself completely and faithfully into the hands of my shepherd Jesus? Do I really trust him for all things? Is Jesus the true shepherd of my life or do I merely give him that title?

Theme Scripture: Colossians 3:17
As long as no one gets hurt, I can do pretty much whatever I want! Such is the battle cry of our present age. We are so advanced in our awareness and thinking that it has become easy to throw off the once-constricting values of ages gone by and just be in the here and now. In our last “Is It a Sin if I…” episode, we looked at things like how we dress and adorn ourselves, cross-dressing and gambling. On this episode, we look at some deep issues regarding the expression of our human sexuality. When it comes to sex, there are many difficult questions that require diligent answers. Our diligence will be firmly centered around applying biblical teaching to our very advanced world today, so hold on! The clear scriptural answers we will uncover are destined to trigger major tensions with those around us!

Theme Scripture: Colossians 3:17
Technology, medicine, communication and interdependence allow a previously unimaginable world of seemingly unlimited possibilities of societal advancement and personal fulfillment. Our communication is instantaneous, and our collective demands for entertainment and happiness have never been louder. While some of this has been a blessing, Satan, as this world’s master of confusion, has blurred the lines of morality, resulting in our discovery of new methods for old ways to sin. Our focus as Christians, is to please God and obey His righteous laws as outlined in the Bible. We already know God considers murder, lying and pride as sinful, but what about all the contemporary situations the Bible does not directly address? Do we face gray areas now that never before existed? How can we know what God considers sinful?

Theme Scripture: Isaiah 50:7
Parenting is a difficult and often unpredictable task. In Episode 1238, we laid a scripturally-principled foundation for managing our parental “what ifs” and imperfections. We also addressed the ever-present challenge of growing confidence and competence in our children as we slowly release our parental control over them. With all of this in place, it is now time to delve into several of the hard and practical matters of bringing children up. The structure of our present society extols a path and process of child-rearing that is often fundamentally opposed to true Christian beliefs. This leaves us with a lot of questions that may be hard to answer as we seek to apply principles of godliness. The good news is, no matter the question, there is always clear Bible-based instruction available.

Theme Scripture: Proverbs 3:1-2
Raising children never has been an easy task. Methods for parenting have varied dramatically based on what time in history you are bringing up children. Disciplining children in an “appropriate” way looks entirely different now than it did just a few generations ago. The culture you live in as you raise a family also has a powerful impact. We live in an age and culture of technology, where much of life is easily lived through watching or typing onto the screen of your phone. This convenience carries a great potential cost. Are we allowing technology and social media to not only unduly influence our children, but ourselves as well? Are we Christian parents listening to social suggestions regarding what our children need to the exclusion of going back to the basic Bible principles for those answers?

Theme Scripture: Matthew 25:32-33
Talking about the Day of Judgment can be difficult. The sad truth is that as magnanimous as the love and mercy of God through Jesus are, the opportunity to fail throughout the Day of Judgment will be very real. God created humanity with free will. The Day of Judgment will be about teaching our race how to use that free will to make righteous choices that lead to eternal life. This will require accountability for all and a heartfelt focus on unlearning and renouncing all things sinful. Because these lessons will be based on the enormous firsthand experiences with sin and death we all have in this age, they will be practical, logical, appealing and learnable. Jesus’ Parable of the Sheep and Goats is a picture of the end results of these lessons.

Last week we examined modern day Paganism and compared it with some of the most basic tenants of Christianity as revealed in the Bible. What we found were two fundamentally different approaches to life, worship and morality. We can see that as Christians, we are absolutely to love those who hold such a contrary belief system to ours, but that does not mean we support the standards they choose to live by. Now, what about Wicca, which is white witchcraft and built on the basis of Pagan beliefs? As Christians, we might simply say that our answer here should be obvious. However, there are claims that the Bible is only condemnatory of black magic and black witchcraft, so Wicca is not included in those verses. Could this be true? What does the Bible really teach on these matters?

Theme Scripture: Exodus 20:1,3
Our religious world has changed dramatically. In the bygone days of generations past. we had clear lines that marked our differences. Christianity seemed to have clear and unmistakable differences from religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Druidism. Our "one God and one Savior" approach stood in an entirely different category from the multiple-god eternal journey that mystics and Pagans adhered to. Here we are in the age of technology and some of those lines and distinctions seems to be blurred and fading. There are movements now announcing that we are all really on the same journey of enlightenment and walking side-by-side on similar paths. So, is this a good thing? Should we as Christians embrace these seemingly progressive steps, or should we run the other way?

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?