Episode 278: What people say about Jesus is important. Unfortunately, when it comes to Jesus, they not only do not agree with God about who Jesus is, the Koran does not get the basic historical facts right! Tune in as I explore what Muslims believe about Jesus based upon what is said about Him in the Koran.
Question of the Day: Why is Jesus so special?
Episode 277: Islam is a work-based system of salvation. That is, if you do enough works in this life, at the end of life maybe, just maybe, Allah will let you into his Garden. How does this differ from Christianity? Tune in as examine salvation according to Islam and contrast it with what the Bible says.
Question of the Day: What must I do to be saved?
Episode 276: You hear it on various news media outlets. Typically, they have some cleric or imam on from CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) who says it. “Islam is a religion of peace.” Is Islam really a religion of peace, though? Tune in as I allow the Noble Quran to speak for itself and unveil the historical roots of Islam’s “history of violence.”
Question of the Day: How is Christianity different than Islam?
Episode 275: Did I ever tell you about the time I got kicked out of a Baptist church? I say kicked out; I was asked to not come back ever again or they’d call the police. It’s not what you think. Tune in as I tell my story and why truth matters.
Question of the Day: What’s wrong with the Baptist Church?
Episode 274: I reach back into archives for an episode I recorded in 2011 on the 10th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11th, 2001. Tune in for my thoughts.
Episode 273: Who is worship for? Ask Victoria Osteen and she is liable to say, “When you come to church, when you worship Him, you’re not doing it for God really. You’re doing it for yourself, because that’s what makes God happy.” Well, not liable to…she did! So who is worship for? Tune in as I breakdown what God thinks when we disconnect worship from Him. P.S. “Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully enjoy Him forever” (Westminster Larger Catechism).
Plus, we reach back into the archives for my interview with Joel Osteen! You won’t want to miss it!
Question of the Day: What must I do to be saved?
Episode 272: Everyone I talk wants the church to grow. If we want the church to grow, we need to make sure we are asking the right question. In this episode, I ask three questions every member and every congregation can ask to determine if they are “keeping the main thing the main thing.” Tune in to find out what questions we should be asking.
Question of the Day: The only Gospel account of the woman taken in adultery is John’s. A commentary I have says the last verse of ch. 7 – Ch. 8:11 (or there about) is not contained in some of the manuscripts. I checked Codex Sinaiticus — not in that collection. Any doubts we should have to its canonicity?
Episode 271: Have you heard about the mess happening in Seattle? Seattle-based Mars Hill Church is having some serious issues with their lead pastor Mark Driscoll. While we do not know all the details (a point I iterate several times), it is a sad situation playing out for all the world to watch. But how does it apply to your situation, right where you live? Tune in as I show how some of the things happening in Washington are probably eerily similar to what you are struggling with in your life.
Question of the Day: Does God Exist?
Episode 270: Here is the final installment of the series Six Questions to Ask a Skeptic. A.W. Tozer said, “What comes into your mind when you think about is the most important thing about you.” I believe this is equally true for Jesus. So what do you think about Jesus? Tune in as I explore the possible answers to this question.
Episode 269: I have been into weight lifting since my sophomore year of high school. Since I have lifted for so long, I think I am pretty strong. I am not talking about freakishly strong like the men in the World’s Strongest Man competition who lift and carry Volkswagens, but I am strong enough to do 100 pull-ups. Of course, there is an easy way to prove this: we can just meet in the gym at the pull-up bar…
Strength is a good thing, especially in the realm of the spiritual. Note the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 2.1: “…be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” What a fantastic charge! Be strong! But the question invariably comes up: how is one to “be strong” when it comes to grace? What does it mean to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus?”
“Be strong” or “be empowered” is the same word from which we get our English word “dynamite.” Hence, Paul is pointing to the explosive power that comes from Christ. It can also read “keep on being empowered.” So we should understand that this is somewhat similar to the gym experience for the body. Just as an individual would go to the gym and lift weights to build up physical strength, so the Christian enters into the place where strength is, that is, of course, Jesus Christ. Also, I think it tells us this is not just one shot deal; just as a person goes to the gym on a regular basis, so the Christian will plug into and stay with the true power source, which is Christ, allowing Him to strengthen us with His grace.
And what is grace? Most define it as the unmerited favor of God. It is a gift from God, and a free gift at that. There is nothing we could do to earn it; we can only accept it as a gift. It is this grace which saves us (Eph 2.8). We must never take for granted the expensive gift our God has bestowed upon us and must realize that this is where we can find strength.
It must be noted that if there is such a thing as being strong in grace, there is also such a thing as being weak outside of grace. Paul severely contrasts those who deserted him (see 1.15) with Timothy. Those who deserted him were not strong in the grace of Christ, that is, they did not tap into the power source. For whatever reason, they decided to unplug and therefore became weak, detached from the true power found only in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, the charge is clear: stay focused on Christ and remain in his grace. Dig deeper into grace through personal study and prayer. Realize the love of God seen in the saving grace he gives us through Jesus. Beware that you never unplug from the power source. Allow that supreme sacrifice to strengthen you daily as you seek to do the will of God. It is only in Christ Jesus that we find the grace which empowers us to press on.
Question of the Day: What’s so amazing about grace?
Live from the Pulpit 