Christian Questions Bible Podcast

Lying. Okay, we know it’s bad but is it really always a bad thing? From a parent’s perspective, it is one of those things that is perched at the top of the “never do this” list of moral and ethical behavior. With children, the boundaries are clear and easy to define, because as we show them the difference between honesty and dishonesty, we reinforce what it means to take the high road, to be trustworthy and to be an honest and dependable friend. But what about the myriad of circumstances that arise as we become adults and begin to live in a world that is not awash in a bold contrast of right versus wrong but instead is overwhelmed with delicate shades of grey – with value judgments, personal rights and the fine line of being offensive? Are “little white lies” always wrong? What about only telling part of the truth – does that constitute a lie as well? Can lying ever be good?To understand lying from a biblical perspective we need to get a sense of Biblical morality.  A very simple way to do that is to look at the Ten Commandments – they can all be boiled down one word – RESPECT – respect for God, respect for your family and respect for those around you.  Respect is a simple theme carried throughout the Bible, and lying is for the most part a blatant and willful display of disrespect and therefore contrary to biblical morality.
The Bible actually does have a lot to say about lying.  We know that a lie from Satan to Eve began mankind’s downward spiral of sin and death, so right there you see that lying causes trouble.  One of the Ten Commandments is about not "bearing false witness against your neighbor"– it is focusing us on being truthful.  In Proverbs there is a list of seven things God hates and, you guessed it, lying is on that list.  Not only is it on the list once, it is an element of a second thing that God hates and can actually be implicated in the other five as well.  Our conclusion so far: lying is definitely not good!
So, how did God deal with lying in the Bible?  There are lots of biblical accounts of people lying – both good and bad people lied and for both good and bad reasons as well.  Did God always strike people down when they lied?  Did God ever ignore the lies when they were for a good cause?  Did God go as far as to bless someone because they lied?
The answer to all of these questions is no, but as with most things ethical, there is much more to the story than just a simple one word answer.  Suffice it to say, God’s highest principles ring true throughout Scripture as He blesses His people – even those who lied.  How?  Check out our September 26, 2016 broadcast “Should We EVER Lie?” and follow along as we examine what lying is, how to avoid it and finding God’s blessing after a lie.  It is a fascinating look into the reality of our imperfect human condition.

Gossip – is it ever useful or good or is it always a waste of time and bad? Have you ever stopped to consider just how much of our present culture not only accepts gossip but places it in the enviable and important position of being a core and driving value of our everyday existence? Think about just how many publications, TV programs, talk shows and news items are driven by gossip. Now think about how much of our conversations at our work place or with our friends revolve around gossip. If you see it as I do, we are relentlessly inundated with gossip at every turn. So, what can we do about it? What should we do about it? How can we reduce the role of gossip in our lives and what should we replace it with?Okay, so in the previous paragraph we gave away our position on the value, more accurately the utter lack of value, that gossip brings.  To us, gossip is a useless and damaging blabbing of information that has no positive and up-building value regarding the person being spoken of or to anyone else, for that matter.   After all, if you were talking about someone in glowing terms and describing their character or actions, who would call that gossip?  Better yet, who would really be bending their ear to listen?  The fact i,s most of us would rather hear something stinging or juicy or scandalous about a third party and not something complimentary, inspiring or courageous about them.  See, gossip has no redeeming value.  Interestingly, gossip has been around for thousands of years and the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments pretty convincingly squashes the idea of idle talk about others.
That being said, the next thing to isolate is the “why” of gossip.  Why do we speak it ?  What drives us to intentionally (or sometimes unintentionally) say things about others that reflect badly upon them and in many cases may not even be true?  Sadly, there are many answers to this question-  only one of which we will address here:  Gossip can be a defense mechanism.  It can be used as a tool of unfair comparison.  You know what I mean…there is that person who always seems to do a little better than you or makes more money than you or seems to grab the limelight instead of you – they always seem to get the best of you.  Gossip can be an equalizer – you spread uncomplimentary or odd or questionable ideas about them and now others perceive them in a lesser light...and that gives you a better shot at being perceived in a better light.  Not good!
How do we manage this common, contagious and life-poisoning dilemma?  Please access our September 19, 2016 broadcast, “Does Gossip Really Hurt Anyone?”  Check out the various circumstances under which gossip rears its ugly head.  But more importantly, follow along with us as we reveal the several concrete steps that the Bible lays out to not only fight but overcome gossip.  Once you listen then tell others what you heard – I promise it won’t be gossip!

Okay, so in the previous paragraph we gave away our position on the value, more accurately the utter lack of value, that gossip brings.  To us, gossip is a useless and damaging blabbing of information that has no positive and up-building value regarding the person being spoken of or to anyone else, for that matter.   After all, if you were talking about someone in glowing terms and describing their character or actions, who would call that gossip?  Better yet, who would really be bending their ear to listen?  The fact i,s most of us would rather hear something stinging or juicy or scandalous about a third party and not something complimentary, inspiring or courageous about them.  See, gossip has no redeeming value.  Interestingly, gossip has been around for thousands of years and the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments pretty convincingly squashes the idea of idle talk about others.
That being said, the next thing to isolate is the “why” of gossip.  Why do we speak it ?  What drives us to intentionally (or sometimes unintentionally) say things about others that reflect badly upon them and in many cases may not even be true?  Sadly, there are many answers to this question-  only one of which we will address here:  Gossip can be a defense mechanism.  It can be used as a tool of unfair comparison.  You know what I mean…there is that person who always seems to do a little better than you or makes more money than you or seems to grab the limelight instead of you – they always seem to get the best of you.  Gossip can be an equalizer – you spread uncomplimentary or odd or questionable ideas about them and now others perceive them in a lesser light…and that gives you a better shot at being perceived in a better light.  Not good!
How do we manage this common, contagious and life-poisoning dilemma?  Please access our September 19, 2016 broadcast, “Does Gossip Really Hurt Anyone?”  Check out the various circumstances under which gossip rears its ugly head.  But more importantly, follow along with us as we reveal the several concrete steps that the Bible lays out to not only fight but overcome gossip.  Once you listen then tell others what you heard – I promise it won’t be gossip!

We all do wrong. We all hurt other people. Sometimes the hurt we deliver is the result of oversight, ignorance or immaturity, or careless words and actions or sloppy and selfish thinking. We hurt someone, but we don’t really mean it. Sometimes the hurt we deliver is a result of anger or vengeance or jealousy and we absolutely mean to create havoc and turmoil. Either way we do hurt others and we therefore do need forgiveness. So how do we receive forgiveness from others and especially from God? What do we have to do or say or think for forgiveness to take hold? How can we truly know that we are forgiven? Is forgiveness really worth the effort?To begin with, we need to understand that forgiveness is perhaps one of the most misunderstood concepts that the Bible teaches.  Most of us think of forgiveness as the removing of the consequences of a wrong action from the person who did the wrong thing - and in some cases we would be right.  While the Bible does describe this type of forgiveness, it clearly does not apply this type of forgiveness to your forgiving me and me forgiving you.  This type of forgiveness, described as a “pardon,” is only applied to the forgiveness given as a result of the sacrifice of Jesus on behalf of the whole world.  The significance of this narrow application of a “pardon” is twofold. First, it shows the magnitude of the plan, love and mercy of God as He executes His eternal purposes on behalf of His human creation.  Second, it clearly announces to us that we are not in any sort of position to “pardon” others when they have wronged us.  So, if we are not in a position to pardon others then how is it that we can forgive?
Another Bible definition for forgiveness is "to send something away from you."  It turns out this definition aptly fits what forgiveness truly means for us in the one-to-one experiences of our lives.  How many stories have you heard of people who have been able to forgive those who perpetrated horrible crimes against them?  We look at these stories and are drawn to the freedom with which those who forgive seem to live.  We look at these stories and begin to wonder if we could ever do what they were able to do.  We look at these stories and see the true definition of human forgiveness in action.
So, how can we make true forgiveness apply in our individual lives?  How can we reap the benefits of forgiveness whether we are the one who needs to forgive or the one who needs to be forgiven?  Check out our September 12, 2016 broadcast, “Does God Really Forgive Me?” and join us as we observe the pattern of God’s forgiveness and learn the steps needed to apply that pattern to our own personal experiences.  Giving and receiving forgiveness can change your life...so what are you waiting for?

Judgment Day! The very words strike fear into the hearts of many believers across the borders of many religions. After all, this world obviously does not dole out any form of true justice to its vast population, and whatever God you may believe in surely sees this and will soon balance those scales that are presently so skewed in their measure. Justice! For many believers there is a conviction that God’s justice will soon come to earth in the form of anger, wrath and fire and bring the result of a destruction never seen upon this planet! Judgment and Justice – are these images of mayhem and obliteration really what the Bible describes? Is this world in for a dark and miserable night of pain from the wrath of God from which there is no tomorrow or is there an entirely different meaning and result of Judgment Day? What does the Bible REALLY say? This is certainly not an easy topic to figure out, because God does have a lot in store for this broken world in which we live.  A simple way to find a starting point is this is to look up all of the Scriptures that use the phrase “Day of Judgment” and you will find a curious thing.  Not one of those texts refers to “Armageddon” or the “Time of Trouble” or to God’s destruction of the “heavens and the earth.”  Make no mistake, each of these actions and periods of time are part of the judgment of God and are part of the tearing down and destruction of the current sinful systems.  All of these things are part of the “End Times” and the “wrath of God,” but they are not the “Day of Judgment.”  All of these things refer to a total dismantling of our world’s spiriitual controlling powers – Satan, fallen angels and the religious systems under their direction - and of the entire social fabric (and by the way, the earth does survive through this as the future habitable home of humanity), but they are not the “Day of Judgment.”  All of these things precede Judgment Day.
The actual “Day of Judgment” in the Bible is about people.  What people?  All people, excluding those who have already proven their unrelenting faithfulness to God and His Word.  It begins with a clear and specific event and has a clear and specific purpose - which incidentally is NOT to pronounce people guilty or innocent right there on the spot.  The purpose of Judgment Day is far more profound and far reaching than that!
Does all of this sound different, maybe a little odd or even crazy?  Well, see for yourself.  Check out our September 5th broadcast titled, “Will Sinners be Happy on Judgment Day?” and follow the thinking, the scriptural reasoning and the conclusions to see if they make sense to you.  We hope you will find a compelling argument for the profound love and mercy  God had from the beginning built into his plan for the world of mankind.

Faith is a part of life. Faith is not reserved for those of us who claim religion. On the contrary, faith is an integral part of human life, no matter what perspective you come from. We have faith in the people in our lives that they will be there for us. To varying degrees, we have faith in our doctor’s ability to take care of us, our employer’s responsibility to be fair to us and our co-workers sensibility to do their fair share with us. We have faith in the internet as a window to the world, and we have faith in the antivirus software we use to protect that window. So, how does the faith we find everywhere in life compare to religious faith? Is one kind of faith reasonable while the other is sensational or are they the same? There is an overwhelming opinion among people who do not claim to live at all by faith that we who do live by faith live by a flimsy and emotionally-based belief system contrary to logic and testing.  It is their clearly stated opinion that when we are comparing the faith necessary to accept science to the faith necessary to accept the Bible, we are creating a laughable, unfortunate and foolish comparison.
My question to those who look at us with such disdain is simple.  Have you ever looked up the definition for the ancient Greek word translated “faith” is used in the Bible?  If you believe an argument should be based in provable reason (and you must, for this is the entire basis of your argument) don’t you think that knowing this definition would be a critically necessary fact before you label an alternate perspective as faulty?  Wouldn’t pursuing the labeling of Christian faith as baseless without actually knowing what Christian “faith” is, be – well wouldn’t it be an act of the kind of faith that you abhor?
The fact is, the word for faith in Scripture has everything to do with a belief based upon facts and nothing to do with emotional “feel warm and fuzzy” stuff.  “Faith” in the Bible actually has the same basis as “faith” in science.  Now, we are not suggesting the Bible and science are the same or should be treated in exactly the same way.  We are suggesting that the Bible should be approached as a book that does have many stunningly provable facts that are historic, prophetic and yes, even scientific, and as such, is a book that is worthy of true fact-based faith.
Check out our August 29, 2016 broadcast “What Do YOU Have Faith In?” and get a glimpse of some of these facts.  Also in this broadcast we focus on the important differences between true faith and emotional feelings.  How can faith and feeling be opposed?  How can faith and feeling work together?  Can feelings do things for us that faith cannot?  Find out!

Faith is a part of life. We here at Christian Questions have been blessed to be given the opportunity to live with faith as a basis for our lives. Doing this radio broadcast for the last 18 years has taught us much about faith and much about what is required to keep our faith not only intact but vibrant and flourishing in a backwards, crazy and godless world. You see, while faith is a gift, it is the type of gift that requires attention, work and a lot of discipline. If we consistently feed our faith with these things then our faith in turn can feed us. Being fed by faith produces a life's hope that can truly transform your everyday life! So, come along with us on our journey back in time…It was June of 1998 when, for Jonathan and I, the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself.  We were great friends before this and our strongest bond of friendship, our strongest common ground was our Christian faith.  Even though we came to that faith by entirely opposite roads we were both convicted by it to try and spread the good news of the Gospel some way, somehow…  Once the particular door of opportunity to do a live radio broadcast opened up in New London, CT (as a result of Jonathan’s efforts and frankly, very much beyond my own thought process) we walked through it and never looked back.
For 18 years we have, by God’s grac,e been at it week after week, talking about the Bible from a hundred different perspectives and focusing on digging into Scripture to try and find the true, clear, God-intentioned meaning it contains.  We have gone through a myriad of changes, been on radio stations as far south as Florida and as far west as St. Louis and have grown in ways we never imagined.  Now as we open the door to podcasting live Monday evenings from 8-10pm Eastern,  we are saying goodbye to our local radio broadcasts.  For us, this is bittersweet – and it is that bitter sweetness that provoked us to do this particular and unique program on our final Sunday morning time slot.
Please check out this very personal program.  It is our August 28, 2016 broadcast entitled, “Christian Questions: Looking Back Through 18 Years of Hope and Faith.”  Share in the journey, the changes and the events that shaped Christian Questions and forever changed Jonathan and me as well!

History does repeat itself. Sometimes in its repetition we can see the heartbreak of the transgressions of the past repeated in the present with an even deeper and more insidious result. Look around you and what do you see? Shootings, stabbings, bombings, race riots, gangs, rape, murder, genocide; Black lives matter, police lives matter, all lives matter but what does it matter? Politicians lie, people lie and so many lie unnecessarily in early graves. Save the whales, save the schools, save the planet, save the children, but save them for what future? Muslims against Christians, Christians against other Christians, and seemingly the world against Judaism while the Atheists say, "I told you so." Women's rights, animal rights, civil rights, gun rights, LGBT rights - so many rights, but everything still seems so wrong. The world has become dangerous and angry. Their clamoring for peace is drowned out by the ever increasing clamor of violence. Where. Is. God? Does He hear? Does He know? Does He care? Has God completely lost control of our world?For us, the answer to this direct question is a resounding NO!  God has NOT lost control – not at all and not for one second!  Having said this, we are not implying that the world is now even remotely in harmony with God’s will and way; on the contrary, we see the world now as further from God than ever before/  Sounds like we are just digging a deeper hole for ourselves, doesn’t it?  Let me explain:
We have to understand the viewpoint from which we look upon this dilemma.  If we look from the inside out (because that is where we live), all we can see is the trouble and unrest surrounding us.  Look back in history and we see the trouble was there.  Look forward to the future and the trouble sure seems to be heading there as well.  In short, an inside out perspective can only see misery and death.  What if we were to look from the outside in as God does (because that’s where He lives) – what would we see then?  We would see a plan and a pattern with a beginning, middle and an end to the trouble.  Most importantly, we would see the reason for all of this.  If we could look from the outside in, we could then be on the same page as God and could therefore see the hope that God planned that He Himself sees.
We start to understand this unique perspective by going back to the prophet Joel.  Joel gave us a specific prophecy about massive destruction at the end of the age brought upon our world by “The Lord’s Great Army.”  Joel describes them as gnawing, swarming, creeping and ravaging locusts.  So who is in this army?  It probably isn't who you think!  What do they do?  How do they destroy society and how does this all add up to an amazing message of hope for the future of every man, woman and child who ever lived?
Check out our Monday August 22nd broadcast, “Has God Lost Control of Our World?” and see things from a new perspective.  It all adds up to an incredibly refreshing and revealing look at how God’s will can be accomplished for the good of the world even when the world in general does not give God the time of day.

Good and Evil. Throughout history there has always been a battle between the two and for many who hold a religion as sacred, this battle has its leaders. As Christians, we embrace God Almighty as the unequivocal Creator and Leader of all that is good and righteous, and we see Satan as the captain of all the dark forces that stand against God. So, just who is Satan? Is he a real being, and if so, how did he get to be so evil? If God created all that is good, then how could God have created Satan, the father of darkness? Does Satan come from someplace else? Did God make a mistake? First of all, God most certainly did not make a mistake.  What He did do was to create a spiritual race of beings (those whom we often refer to as angels) who had the ability to think for themselves and make choices, much in the same manner as His creative process with the human race.  This ability to choose was not without ample reference and clarity as God showed himself to be their benevolent maker, living on a spiritual plane of existence that was higher and more powerful than they were.  God was their unmistakable Father and their unequivocal guide.  This being said, where did Satan come from?
Scriptures tell us Satan was known by the name “Lucifer” before he chose rebellion.  It is odd, for when we hear that name we generally conjure up an evil, hideous and dark being, dripping with anger and jealousy.  The name “Lucifer” actually means “morning star” and he is described in the Bible as being beautiful, powerful, respected and fully in harmony with the will and word of God.  The book of Job says Lucifer was a very mighty and privileged being seemingly at God’s side as the intentional creation of planet earth began.
So, what happened?  How does one go from being “all in” and a driver of the plans and purposes of the Almighty God to being “all out” and becoming the primary driver to thwart and replace the plans and purposes of the Almighty God with one's own plans and purposes?  How does one go from joyfully following a proven path of goodness, creativity and harmony to paving their own path of rebellion, lies and self aggrandizement?
It starts with a thought.  Here again the Scriptures tell us what that thought was, what other thoughts and plans it led to and then how those thoughts and plans became actions, and those actions became habits, and those habits forged a destiny.  Check out our August 15, 2016 broadcast, “Who is Satan?” and follow along as we put the pieces of this tragic puzzle together.  Listening will not only provide a better understanding of who Satan is but also a clearer perception of how we as individuals can avoid the same pitfalls and instead become true warriors for righteousness.
 

Everyone loves a hero. Everyone loves to watch “that guy” as he (or she) defies the odds, stands up against darkness, evil or injustice and fights – sometimes he fights alone and sometimes his fight inspires others to stand and fight with him. We admire the guts, the vision and the strength of such people, for they in their heroic actions represent what we would like to be. So, what makes someone a hero? Is it one heroic action or is it a life lived in a heroic way? Do people become heroes because of their strength or in spite of their weakness? Are heroes made or are they born? How can you and I become more heroic in our everyday lives?Becoming heroic in our lives means living in a way that can not only change you, it can change your environment and the people around you as well.  For this to happen, one must have or develop heroic qualities and that means understanding what these qualities are and how they work.  So, who is a hero we can look to and learn from?
What about David when he took on and defeated the giant Goliath?  This is a truly remarkable story of faith, courage and a whole lot of heroism.  Consider the setting.  Israel’s army is on one hill and just across the valley is the army of the Philistines on another hill.  They are all preparing for battle when this one soldier - this one very BIG soldier - steps out from the ranks of the Philistine army and presents a challenge.  He personally challenges anyone from the ranks of Israel to fight him  one on one with the winner claiming victory for his respective army.  Straightforward?  Yes.  Simple?  No.  You see, Goliath was about nine feet tall!  He was a lifetime warrior; his coat of armor alone weighed about 220 pounds, the shaft of his spear was about 3 inches thick and the head of his spear weighed about 25 pounds.  He was more than formidable and he looked unbeatable!  Would YOU want to stand up against him?
David, on the other hand, was about 17 or 18 years old.  He was probably about 5’6” or so.  He was a shepherd not a soldier, and he was delivering supplies to his three oldest brothers who were soldiers while this was happening.  Goliath had been taunting Israel for 40 days when David arrived, and everyone was unnerved by the giant and the insurmountable odds he represented.  So David volunteered and said he, the shepherd, would stand before and defeat the massive warrior who daily jeered and insulted them, for they were God’s people and God’s hand would surely be with them.
We all know how the story ends, but what we don’t necessarily know is how the heroism and faith of David led him through this epic battle.  What did David need to know, need to do and need to think to become God’s hero?  Check out our August 7, 2016 program, “How do You Define “Hero”?” and see what the elements of a heroic life are and how they can change you!