Ep.907: Does Christianity Require an Attitude Check?
The Great Dinner and the power of attitude
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Theme Scripture: Luke 14:18
Attitude – it is simply one of those things that we just don’t think much about, but probably should. Your attitude pretty much governs most everything about you… You go to work one day with a lousy attitude and guess what? You have a lousy day! Go to work the next day with a great attitude and your day can be great instead. The moral of the story: it makes sense to pay attention to and to adjust your attitude.
Jesus understood attitude. He really understood not only the importance of a good and godly demeanor, but he also understood what shapes it. Better yet, he taught us how to put it all together so that we can learn how to successfully manage and elevate our attitude. How did he do that? By way of a parable, of course!
In the Parable of the Great Dinner, the dinner host pre-invited his special guests. When the time for the feast came and they were notified, they all had excuses as to why they could not come. The host is undaunted by this and invited some of the lame and crippled people from town to come in their place and then invited people from far and wide to come as well. Those who were the privileged and intended guests lost out because they were just too busy elsewhere. Their attitudes stunk! In the Parable, Jesus lists the three different types of excuses they used and they all revolved around Me! Me! Me! The bottom line is that in their attitudes of self-preoccupation, they said "no" a sacred invitation from God and therefore lost a sacred opportunity.
What are the secrets of understanding and controlling attitude? There are several, but one of them is to understand the simple ingredients . Think of it like a math equation: Desire + Perceived Opportunity = Attitude. Once you begin to observe and apply this simple formula, you begin to take the steps necessary to actually control your conduct and behavior.
In addition to this equation, what can we do daily to put ourselves in a place in our minds that draws us towards the sacred grace of God and away from the “me” excuses of life? Check out our Christian Questions broadcast from February 28, 2016, “Does Christianity Need an Attitude Check?” and see just how clearly defined attitude control can be and how you can give your own attitude new altitude!
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Ep.906: Is the Power of the Gospel Fading?
Understanding the gospel's power in our broken world
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CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: Matthew 28:19
Jesus was a powerful man who was called upon to deliver a powerful message. He walked this earth 2,000 years ago and preached about peace, love, honoring God and a kingdom. It can be argued that his message and his life were more influential than any other in all of history. Okay, fine. So, where are we now? Does the message and life of Jesus still have the same power today as they did in earlier times? Or are they fading into history like CDs and desktop computers?
One of the issues with the message of the gospel is history. Many Christians firmly believe the gospel was given for the purpose of converting the world here and now. If that is the case, then history would inevitably have to label the gospel's conversion track record as a miserable failure, as the world seems to be walking away from its principles and beliefs rather than towards them. Look, we are obviously Christians and are telling you this. Does this mean we are admitting the gospel has been defeated – that it has failed the world?
Not even close. The big challenge here is figuring out what the big picture message of the gospel is, who it affects, when it affects them, how it affects them and why. This is no small challenge.
What about these contradictions?
Consider these biblical statements that seem to be completely contrary to each other: In Mark the fourth chapter, Jesus plainly states that he taught in parables so his listeners would NOT understand what he said, leaving them in a gospel-deprived state. Couple this with the statement in 1 Timothy 2 that plainly states God wants ALL to be saved. Not only does it say He wants all to be saved, but it adds that He wants them to fully understand the “truth.” How can you possibly look at two such contrary statements and conclude they are both made with the exact same objective in mind?
There is an answer that makes really good sense! Listen to “Is the Power of the Gospel Fading?” We look at such glaring contradictions as this example and then dig beneath the surface to find the foundation of what the gospel really is. It is actually growing in power and not fading!
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Ep.905: So, How Do You Stay in Love?
Tools and ideas to maintain marital strength
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CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: Psalms 141:3
“Happily ever after” is the very attractive and very much sought after life script which for most of us not only remains a complete mystery but is it as elusive as a winning lottery ticket. The question is, are we chasing a fantasy or can we actually have a life that includes the “ever after” dream?
To try and unravel this query, we looked at staying in love from several angles. First and most obviously, marriage is a contract, a promise. But it is not just any promise – in the Bible it is called “a covenant of God” because it is a solemn promise made with God specifically called in to witness it. With that level of seriousness, we certainly are responsible to give our best effort!
Outside of the “contract” part of marriage, what are some keys to success so you can stay in love? Well, we have all heard of the acronym TLC – Tender Loving Care. What if we adjust the acronym to focus on three very different but very essential aspects of a successful and loving marriage?
T=Trust. There are two things we need to absolutely trust in a marriage relationship. The first and most apparent trust is that of trusting our spouse. This may not be as easy as we might think, because true trust is a deep and vulnerable commitment. Second, we need to trust our marriage – trust the weight of the promise we made to one another.
L=Love. Not romantic love or infatuation or even mutual affection. No, we are talking about the kind of love that gives without thought of receiving, the kind of love that is selfless and always seeking the others best welfare. Again, this is not so easy.
C=Cherish. Here is probably the most overlooked and yet most powerful secret to any loving marriage. To master the art of cherishing is to build a unified and powerful marriage that can withstand even the darkest and most severe storms of life. How do you really cherish your spouse?
Find out! Listen to “So How do You Stay in Love?” our Christian Questions broadcast from February 14th, 2016. It is full of practical, simple and inspiring tips on true love and happily ever after. (As a bonus, you can also find out how hiring a butler named Sinclair can seriously change your married life for the better!)
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Ep.904: Would Jesus and Muhammad Have Agreed?
Revealing Islam's perspective on the Bible
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CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: John 14:13
Think about it for a minute – right here and right now in the 21st century, nearly half of the world claims to follow the teachings of either Jesus or Muhammad. Jesus lived nearly 2,000 years ago and Muhammad about 600 years after Jesus. Did you ever stop to think about how consistent or inconsistent the teachings of these two are with each other? We did and we found some fascinating things.
It is a stated Muslim tenet that they believe in Jesus and also accept and believe in the Bible. However, both of these beliefs come with several pointed restrictions.
First let’s consider Jesus. While the Muslim faith “accepts” Jesus, they only accept him as a prophet who was sent to the Jewish nation. They deny he is the son of God and deny he was actually crucified on the cross for our sins; rather, they say, it was made to only look like he was crucified. Where would that leave us as believers in Jesus? How do you respond to a belief system that strips away the very basis for your beliefs? How do you respond in a way that would reflect the very heart and character of Jesus himself?
What about the Bible? The Muslim faith accepts portions of the Bible and flatly rejects the rest. The claim is that the original Scriptures were contaminated and mistranslated over time. Here they do have a point – there are MANY poor and misleading translations of Holy Scripture that have been floating around for a very long time. How do we as Christians deal with this with that same Christ-like attitude we are so focused on having?
According to a Muslim teacher we heard on this program, one example of the “contamination” of Scripture is found in John the Baptist’s proclamation “Behold the Lamb of God… .” They claim the original Aramaic reads "servant," not "Lamb." Is this true? If it is, we should know about it, shouldn’t we?
Check out “Would Jesus and Muhammad have agreed?” our Christian Questions broadcast from February 7th, 2016, to gain insight into the “Lamb of God” question as well as these several other issues and more. Also, listen for our take on how we think we should understand and relate to those of the Muslim faith while maintaining our highest Christian integrity.
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