Ep.933: What Do YOU Have Faith In?
Examining the value of faith and the role of feelings
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CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: James 2:18
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!
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Ep.932: Christian Questions: Looking Back Through 18 Years of Hope and Faith
Chronicling CQ through 18 years of radio broadcasting before starting our podcast in 2016!
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CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: James 2:18
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 until 2016, we have by God’s grace 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!
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Ep. 931: Has God Lost Control of Our World?
Tracing God's hand in the coming Time of Trouble
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CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: Joel 2:2
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:
Inside out or outside in?
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.
Does the prophet Joel gives us a roadmap?
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.
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Ep.930: Who is Satan?
Tracing the glory and the fall of the devil
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CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:3-4
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. For the CQ Kids video on this topic, please go to CQ Kids: Who is Satan?
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Ep.929: How Do You Define “Hero”?
Learning from life's heroes so we can be more heroic
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CHAPTERS
Theme Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:45
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!
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