Christian Questions Bible Podcast

Theme Scripture: Matthew 20:27-28
It is a natural human response to want to be recognized for who we are and for what we contribute. This is easy to observe. Just look at a small child who does something to be helpful or obedient. When their parent recognizes and praises their behavior, their face beams with delight! While it is positive and nurturing to praise growth and maturity, we also need to be wary. As with anything else that provokes goodness in our sinful world, the simplicity of building another up can be misrepresented and funneled into the ever-growing competition for status among our peers. Now it’s no longer about building up, it is all about establishing our place in the pecking order and fighting our way to be higher up on that ladder. This is NOT a new phenomenon as the Bible has MUCH to say about avoiding it!
 

Theme Scripture: John 8:31-32
In our last episode, we spoke with our good friend and brother in Christ, Howie Clare, from New Zealand. We met him through our Christian Questions ministry several years ago. Howie’s life had forever changed when his wife of 12 years left him with no explanation. To try and help him cope with his profound sorrow and loss, his son suggested he listen to Christian podcasts, and that's how he found us. He not only became a listener, he also reached out to us via e-mail which led to our meeting him via Zoom and studying with him. All of this led to several other changes in his life as his hunger for and enlightenment through scriptural truth drove him to many unforeseen steps and life decisions.

Theme Scripture: John 8:31-32
Today we want to talk about freedom. Not freedom in the sense of being released from some form of physical captivity, and not freedom in the sense of being able to express yourself without fear. No, the freedom we want to focus on is bigger and deeper. It is the freedom we can be given when we are drawn to God through Christ and find our way to becoming a true disciple. True discipleship does have a high cost. The reason for that cost is to insure an eternity of freedom in Christ and a dwelling place with our heavenly Father.

Theme Scripture: Jeremiah 31:33
Israel. Just say the name and likely if anyone listening follows anything about events on the world stage, they will have a strong opinion one way or another. This is fascinating because the nations of Togo and Honduras, while not well-recognized in world events, have about the same population as Israel. What is it about this tiny nation on this tiny sliver of land that draws such attention? Biblically, there are thousands of years of history and events that keep Israel in the forefront of world events. From a Christian perspective, we know God had cast them off as a result of rejecting Jesus as their Messiah. So, what’s the story with that consequence? Did Israel lose their standing with God on a permanent basis, or is there hope for their future? If there is hope, what does it look like?

Theme Scripture: Matthew 6:14
We have all been wronged by someone. Sometimes the wrong is especially deep and hurtful, and we are debilitated by it. We have all also heard the saying “forgive and forget." The forgiving part sounds like a really magnanimous Christian thing to do. However, it can be deeply challenging, depending upon the hurt we have suffered. The “forgetting” part? Well, that can be overwhelmingly difficult - and in many cases may not even be possible. So, what is a Christian to do? How do we know who and when to forgive? Are the biblical “rules” for forgiving others always the same? What if I forgive and really mean it but then begin to feel like I want to change my mind?

Theme Scripture: Ephesians 4:29
If we make promises, we should keep them. This statement seems simple enough, and yet when we look around, how much confidence do we have in it? Do we see an unequivocal keeping of promises in our political leadership? Do we see it in the business world? The world of advertising or education? Do we even see it in our family and social interactions? In our last episode, we spoke extensively about the fact that God is absolutely a God of promise – what He says, He always does. We as Christians are bound to His promise-keeping standard of excellence as the model for our own words and actions. So, how do we go about raising the bar with our own commitments? What instructions can we find in God’s word that will focus us on keeping our word?

Theme Scripture: 2 Peter 1:4
As Christians, our faith in God should translate into unquestionable loyalty and trust. If God says something will be so, it is a guarantee it will happen. While this deep faith in the word of God should bring powerful comfort to our lives, it's also capable of bringing us serious doubts and concerns. How can this be? If God is as good as His word (and He is), then where do the doubts come from? They arise when we do not understand or misapply His Word. They arise when we ourselves stand outside of the circle of God’s protective providence and seek to claim promises not meant for us. In other words, God’s promises to Christians are only meant for true disciples of Jesus. This may sound like an excuse to some, but it is in fact a basis for how God’s favor works in the lives of His true children.

Theme Scripture: Ephesians 4:1-2
Patience is one of the most understated yet powerful characteristics any human being can have. Most of us think of patience as simply waiting things out – it’s raining and we can’t start the game until it stops, so let’s be patient. While this is a true facet of patience, biblical patience goes much further. The Bible teaches us the kind of patience one needs when going through a hard and perhaps painful experience. This kind of patience adds a factor of endurance to the necessary waiting, as one needs to bear a burden or discomfort for a time. Interestingly, the New Testament adds yet another dimension to the kind of patience we as Christians are supposed to have. As we shall soon see, this kind of patience is all about self-restraint. The question is, am I personally and truly living a life of Christlike patience?

Theme Scripture: Isaiah 11:9
The Lord’s prayer in Matthew chapter 6 is perhaps the most commonly quoted teaching of Jesus. This prayer is simple and pointed in its focus. “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” This beginning teaches us not only to acknowledge God as Father but to hallow, to reverence, His very name. The next phrase is also simple, perhaps too simple. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” Many take this as a two-part statement. First hoping for God’s kingdom and then hoping for God’s will to be done on earth. But is it actually two parts? Is this a petition of hope for two different things, or is it a petition for one glorious and often forgotten part of God’s plan, His kingdom on earth? The entire Bible shouts out a resounding answer to this question!

Theme Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:16-17
It seems like it would be a no-brainer to say that following Christ and following Christianity today are synonymous. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Imperfect human beings have always been very adept at creating alternative interpretations and approaches to most everything. Christianity is no exception. In Part I of our 2-part series, we began looking at some specific teachings of Jesus. We began holding Christianity up to the light of Jesus’ words and asked how we were doing with this. We continue the process in Part II. Even though we are asking about Christianity, the resounding question that begs for an answer is this: Am I personally choosing to follow Christ and his original teaching, or am I personally settling for some form of watered-down Christianity instead?