Tag Archive for: Church

 

Are we the generation to witness the triumphant return of Jesus? After all, aren’t we seeing all the signs being fulfilled on the news right now? In this midweek episode, Frank unpacks end times views, challenges popular assumptions about prophecy, and answers tough listener questions related to feminism and the importance of the epistles in teaching us how to live the Christian life. Tune in as he tackles questions such as:

  • Is watching the news the best way to set your prophetic clock?
  • What was Jesus talking about in Matthew 24 during the Olivet Discourse?
  • Has the Church replaced Israel and what does it mean to “bless Israel”?
  • Should Christians support everything that Israel does?
  • How can we trust the New Testament if Jesus didn’t write it and why are the epistles just as important as the gospels?
  • Where does modern feminism go wrong according to the Bible?
  • Who are the most unhappy people in the world today according to recent statistics?

You’ll also learn why Frank thinks the best advice is to “always be ready” and stay tuned for even more mind-blowing insights about the Book of Revelation coming up on the next two episodes of, ‘I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist!’

If you enjoyed this podcast episode PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY HERE. 100% of your donation goes to ministry, 0% to buildings!

Resources mentioned during the episode:

9 Discoveries That Support the Biblical Exodus in Egypt
Ryan Burge on X

 

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Do I HAVE to go to church to be a Christian? The weekend is finally here, but instead of resting, I hop on my to-do list and finish Saturday feeling accomplished and exhausted. But, as I set my alarm for the morning, sometimes, I’m tempted not to rise and shine. Can’t I give God the glory, glory from home?

Can I Worship from Home?

Is worshipping from home a legitimate choice? Am I still a Christian if I don’t go to church? Going to church is not a part of salvation. When we add requirements to salvation or Christianity that Jesus did not, we add burdens and weights to the light yoke of Jesus.

“Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.” – Billy Sunday

We become Christians by hearing the gospel message and trusting in Jesus for our salvation, not by going to church.

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”
Romans 10:9-10 (ESV)

Our works do not save us.

Salvation is a gift from God that we cannot earn. Thank Heavens! I can’t imagine ever being good enough in a single hour to deserve God’s holy righteousness.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”
Ephesians 2:8

But, that doesn’t mean you can sleep in on most Sundays and not go to church. That’s because being saved is more than praying some magical prayer. Repenting of your sins and surrendering your life to Christ isn’t something you do once. We all need to choose to carry our cross daily.

As Christians, we are living works of sanctification. Our lives and works on this earth reflect Christ to those who have not yet heard or believed. What we do matters.

“But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
James 2:18

You don’t need to go to church to be a Christian, but it’s still part of being a Christian.

Yet, our modern idea of church would seem very strange to the apostles. The Bible never tells us to go to a specific building for one hour a week, complain about the air conditioning or worship music, and go home.

The Apostolic Church was a body of believers who did life together. They lived and worked together in community. The early Christians shared their neighbors troubles and were generous with their blessings. They met in homes and were committed to each other as parts of the body of Christ.

We need to go to church as part of covenantal fellowship with a body of believers.

The early church was on mission. They were in the trenches reaching people with the gospel. We need a church body to be as effective as possible in sharing the love of Christ because we are gifted in different ways.

Additionally, we need to belong to a church. My church doesn’t have membership the way most churches used to, but I’ve chosen to commit to this group of people. The people who come to this building every week are family. We support each other and pray for each other.

We need to go to church for others as much as for ourselves.

Generally, western Christians drift in and out of buildings/groups too easily, often without asking ourselves if God has a purpose in my staying in a church that doesn’t perfectly meet my every need?

I’ve learned to be patient in the not perfect, to offer grace when I disagree, to pray for the spiritual growth of the body, and to love those who walk through the door, and love them more like Jesus does.

While I love our worship band, they don’t always play my favorite songs. The pastor’s message is always Biblical and moving, but isn’t always what I think I needed to hear. Yet, the people always are there. I can hug them, say a prayer, ask about their week, bring them a meal.

Do I have to go to church to be a Christian? I’m tired and don’t want to rise and shine. Can’t I give God the glory-glory from home? #Christianity #Church #ChristianLiving Share on X

I’ve seen God use my church body to change me the most when I was serving others through faithful attendance and fellowship.

Lastly, we go to church because it’s part of growing in our walk as Christians.

Through fellowship, we learn to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Attending a church building, home church, or even a small fellowship group helps us strengthen our relationship with God and our understanding of His word and character. In these difficult times culturally, we need the church family to encourage us as believers to live righteously.

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:24-25

By attending church, we develop relationships that help refine us, with people who challenge us, to reject the sinful thoughts and beliefs of the world.

No, you don’t need to go to church to be a Christian, but we all should to grow as members of the body of Christ.

We all miss Sundays here and there. We don’t attend every pancake breakfast or women’s tea, but church attendance should be a priority. But the more I go, the more I seek God, the more I want to go. You will be blessed and be a blessing as part of a group of people pursuing the great commission of Christ.

Recommended Resources: 

Another Gospel? by Alisa Childers (book)

How Can Jesus Be the Only Way? (mp4 Download) by Frank Turek

Jesus, You and the Essentials of Christianity by Frank Turek (INSTRUCTOR Study Guide), (STUDENT Study Guide), and (DVD)     

Was Jesus Intolerant? by Frank Turek (DVD and Mp4)

 


Jennifer DeFrates is a former English and Social Studies teacher turned homeschool mom and Christian blogger at Heavennotharvard.com and theMamapologist.com. Jennifer is a 2x CIA graduate (the Cross-Examined Instructors Academy) and volunteers with Mama Bear Apologetics. She has a passion for discipleship through apologetics. Her action figure would come with coffee and a stack of books. She is also the reluctant ringleader of a small menagerie in rural Alabama.

Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/45HQtGa

 

What if your pastor wasn’t protecting you—but controlling you? As Netflix documentaries and media coverage expose modern cases of spiritual abuse, it’s clear that toxic religious environments are more widespread, more covert, and more dangerous than many people realize. But what can Christians do to safeguard themselves and loved ones from being victimized by their own churches and potential cults?

To confront this growing crisis, Frank welcomes Anna Kitko, Chapter Director of Ratio Christi at the University of Tennessee–Knoxville, beEmboldened mentor, and an expert in coercive control and spiritual trauma. With deep insight into how abuse happens and how healing begins, Anna helps uncover the hidden patterns behind spiritual manipulation—and what to do about it. Tune in as she and Frank answer questions like:

  • What are the warning signs of a cult or spiritually abusive church?
  • What is the New Apostolic Reformation and why are these churches especially concerning?
  • What are the different types of cults and what’s the largest cult group in the U.S. today?
  • What manipulation tactics do spiritual abusers use?
  • Why are even sincere Christians vulnerable to deception?
  • What is pseudodoxy—and how does it disguise itself as truth?
  • How can spiritual abuse harm your body physically, and not just your soul?
  • How do you escape spiritual abuse and how can we support others who need help?

Whether you’re recovering from spiritual abuse or want to help others heal, this episode offers critical tools for spotting manipulation, supporting survivors, and staying grounded in biblical truth. You’ll also learn what NOT to do when counseling victims, how to identify coercive control even in mainstream churches, and what steps to take if your spirit is sensing something is off. Don’t miss this eye-opening conversation that could protect you or someone you love. If you or someone you know needs help, please contact Anna using the resources listed below.

If you enjoyed this podcast episode PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY HERE. 100% of your donation goes to ministry, 0% to buildings!

Resources mentioned during the episode:

Full-Circle Counseling & Wellness of East Tennessee

beEmboldened Ministries (virtual + online counseling)

Ratio Christi at the Univ. of Tennessee-Knoxville

Understanding Spiritual Abuse: What It Is and How to Respond by Karen Roudkovski

Bully Pulpit by Michael Krueger

Sons of Patriarchy

 

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Is the Bible just about encouragement, living “your truth,” seeking personal happiness, finding your identity, and manifesting your desires? This self-centered perspective has quietly crept into the minds of many well-meaning Christians who are influenced by cultural lies that have been disguised as spiritual truths. But what are some of these “happy lies” you might unknowingly believe as a Christian and how can you correct them?

In this week’s podcast, Frank welcomes our good friend, author, and Christian YouTuberMelissa Dougherty, to discuss her brand new book, ‘Happy Lies: How a Movement You (Probably) Never Heard Of Shaped Our Self-Obsessed World‘. Together, they’ll dive into the beliefs of the New Thought movement and its profound (yet often unnoticed) impact on the modern Church. During their conversation, Frank and Melissa will tackle questions like:

  • What is the purpose of life according to the New Thought movement?
  • What’s the difference between New Thought and New Age?
  • Is there a connection between New Thought and the Word of Faith movement?
  • Should Christians recite affirmations?
  • What do adherents of New Thought mean by “Christ Consciousness”?
  • What are some of the key verses that are used in the New Thought movement and how are they twisted to deceive Christians?

If you’ve never heard of New Thought, this episode will uncover how its teachings deceptively infiltrate Christian culture, distort Scripture, and subtly influence your worldview. Could some of the most well-known pastors be peddling New Thought in the pulpits of America today? Tune in next week for the surprising answer in the midweek podcast and make sure you pre-order a copy of Melissa’s book, ‘Happy Lies‘!

If you enjoyed this podcast episode PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY BY SUPPORTING OUR MINISTRY HERE. 100% of your donation goes to ministry, 0% to buildings!

Resources mentioned during the episode:

Melissa’s Book – ‘Happy Lies’: https://a.co/d/igzRfqQ

Melissa’s Website: https://www.melissadougherty.co/

Melissa’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MelissaDougherty/

Several weeks ago, I was listening to the podcast “Wise Disciple” with Nate Salah ( “Is Voddie Wrong about Churches?”). He was discussing the need for pastors to focus on finding FAT Christians in their congregations. (Don’t worry. FAT is an acrostic.) This is to say, pastors need to prioritize their time and efforts upon Christians who are Faithful, Available and Teachable. There are multiple reasons why this principle ought to be followed by pastors. But before addressing those reasons, we need to understand what exactly a FAT Christian is.[i]

What are F.A.T. Christians?

FAT Christians are not just interested in Jesus but are committed to him as true disciples. Specifically, these are believers who are faithful in many things in the local church, such as attendance to Sunday worship, small group studies, and Sunday school. They are available to serve in the local church whether as elders, deacons, teachers, or just servants who are consistently available to do the work of ministry. Such believers are also teachable: they can be further trained and discipled in the ways of Jesus. They have an attitude of openness to instruction, realizing they lack in knowledge and wisdom. I would add that FAT Christians also have a passion to spread the Gospel and shine the light of Jesus wherever they go. FAT Christians, in short, are true disciple of Jesus, attempting to live out the faith in every corner of their life. They have Jesus as their priority, not their jobs, trips, vacations, or celebratory events (although these can be important endeavors).

Pastors, however, need to realize that not every person who proclaims the name of Christ is FAT. If you serve as a pastor or leader in a local church, you know this too well. Faithfulness, availability, and a teachable spirit are often like apocalyptic blood moons: rare. One person is faithful but lacks availability and a teachable spirit, and another may be teachable but is not faithful or available. Some may not be any of these. As numerous studies have shown, Millennials and Gen Z are especially challenged in the areas of faithfulness (commitment) and availability.

It should be no surprise that FAT Christians are rare. Jesus stated that “the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it . . .  and the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt 7:13-14; NASB). If the path to destruction is wide and the way of Christ is so narrow, it should be expected for true discipleship to be just as difficult to find. Perhaps even more difficult than finding the narrow way of life. It is unfortunate that so many in the local church who proclaim the name of Jesus remain so lean (the opposite of FAT). And some often remain lean with no intention of becoming FAT.

Pastors, Find the FAT Sheep

As difficult as it may be to hear or accept, shepherds of a local flock ought to let the lean sheep graze in the farther corners of the pasture and prioritize focusing upon the FAT sheep. One reason pastors ought to adopt this principle is because the lean ones often detract from the divine work of the church: evangelism and discipleship. Those who continually reject [and waste] the meals offered to them by pastors often take away precious time and food from those who are hungry. As a result, evangelism and discipleship suffer. Don’t allow the sheep who spit out the food, or turn about-face with just one whiff of a meal, to detract from the mission of the church, thereby starving the hungry ones. Consider, too, that God himself does not continually attempt to force feed acceptance of his Son or his will. He gave humans the freedom to accept or reject him (of course, this assumes that freedom of the will is truly real). Sure, God continues to call out to the same sinners, working on them perpetually. He desires all to be saved. Pastors should do the same but not to the detriment of the church’s mission.

Another reason to focus upon FAT Christians is because they desire to be fed with food that truly fills. They want to focus upon God, the Scriptures, and other valuable studies, like theology and apologetics. Those who do not distract others from the feasts of learning. Like a child who consistently is distracted by the birds outside the window, so-called lean Christians continually draw attention to things that have no relevance or importance to true discipleship—the color of the carpet, style of worship music, whether the pastor called every sick person in the congregation, what specific word was used in a prayer or sermon, or how a person dresses. All these things are distractions, and if a pastor gives any attention to these, the FAT Christians will starve.

One other reason pastors ought to focus upon FAT Christians is because the lean ones mostly discourage pastors (and the other sheep for that matter). Because they spend an inordinate amount of time majoring in the minors by focusing upon airing their pedantic opinions, the lean sheep become a source of major discouragement. All the complaining and nitpicking drains pastors mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and often physically. But remember, they are not there to be fed anyway, so pastors might as well focus their attention upon those who want to eat. Feed the ones who are truly hungry for Jesus.

Isn’t This Cruel Advice?

It may be tempting to see this principle of focusing upon FAT Christians as cruel advice or even a dereliction of one’s pastoral duties. Isn’t it promoting the neglect of some of the sheep? And if so, doesn’t this directly contradict all we know about the teachings of Jesus concerning love, patience, endurance, and other virtues and fruit of the Spirit?

Not necessarily. For one, it is not just impractical but impossible for one pastor to focus upon the entire flock equally anyway. This is one reason why Christ gave the local church a plurality of elders and deacons and the numerous commands for the entire church to be involved with ministry: so that the entire flock could be cared for. Jesus himself could not even focus upon every person in the crowd who followed him. For sure, he taught the entire crowd, but he also had just twelve upon whom he primarily focused. Even within the twelve, Jesus focused more attention upon Peter, James, and John.

Second, to focus upon FAT Christians in not neglectful of the lean Christians. Neglect implies little to no care whatsoever. But this is not the case. The principle does not say to neglect the lean sheep; it says not to prioritize them. They are still on the sheep list, so to speak, but they are not at the top of the list. The reason why is because mostly what they do is distract, detract, and discourage as stated above. Note, too, that they are always welcome to discontinue being this way and be transformed by the Holy Spirit. Then, they can become one of the FAT Christians. In fact, pastors should continually pray for and encourage the lean sheep to become FAT.

Moreover, an argument can be made that it is unloving toward the FAT sheep to focus equally upon the lean ones. What is more unloving than starving the sheep who want to be fed because pastors are distracted by the ones who do not want to eat? Additionally, prioritizing the FAT is more loving, patient, and longsuffering for the lean sheep themselves. What is more loving and patient than allowing people to complain, nitpick, and attempt to distract while still teaching them and not entirely ignoring them? This may very well be the definition of patience. So, prioritizing the FAT is ultimately the more loving thing to do for both the lean and the FAT.

The Point

Jesus once sent out his disciples to preach the Kingdom of God, heal, and cast out demons (Mark 6:7-13). He specifically instructed them to enter into a person’s house and stay there. They were to remain in that house and town as long as their teaching was accepted. If that town were to reject them and their teaching, they were to “go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of their feet for a testimony against them” and move on.

Certainly, these words of Jesus were circumstantial to a degree. There is, however, an underlying thought here that supports this principle of prioritizing FAT Christians: some people are not going to accept (or will fight against) the biblical teaching pastors offer and focus on distracting, detracting, and discouraging. As such, pastors ought to “shake the dust off the soles of their feet” and move on to those who desire it. The harvest is plentiful, as Jesus commented elsewhere, and so pastors need to work at finding and feeding those who desire it. Do not neglect the lean sheep, but nevertheless, find the FAT ones and feed them. There are many who are hungry for Christ, so make the FAT the priority.

References:

[i] Editor’s Note: At Crossexamined, we usually focus on apologetics, but always with a view for the Great Commission; that is, go and make disciples (Matt. 28:18-20). This blog by Pastor Paul Rasor focuses on that discipleship component. And since apologetics works great in any well-rounded discipleship program, then this advice about discipleship is solid advice for apologetics training. Pastors should invest apologetics training in Christians who are faithful, available, and teachable.

Recommended Resources: 

Jesus, You and the Essentials of Christianity by Frank Turek (INSTRUCTOR Study Guide), (STUDENT Study Guide), and (DVD)      

How to Interpret Your Bible by Dr. Frank Turek DVD Complete Series, INSTRUCTOR Study Guide, and STUDENT Study Guide

How Philosophy Can Help Your Theology by Richard Howe (DVD Set, Mp3, and Mp4)   

Another Gospel? by Alisa Childers (book)

 


Peter J. Rasor II is presently the Senior Pastor of Lilburn Christian Church in Lilburn, GA and is an adjunct professor of philosophy at Grand Canyon University (GCU). He previously served as Assistant Professor of Philosophy at GCU (2015-2023). He is co-author of Controversy of the Ages (2017), author of the fantasy novel The Plague of Kosmon: Rise of the Seer, and has a multiple-authored forthcoming book An Introduction to Philosophy: A Christian Guide to the Things that Really Matter (Zondervan; 2025). He holds a ThM in theology and PhD in philosophy from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, KY) and a MA and MDiv from Cincinnati Christian University.

Original Blog Posted Here: https://bit.ly/3XVFcfU

 

The following question comes from one our Crossexamined Community members.

“Why did God allow the Bible to be written in a way that gives Christians an opportunity to misunderstand it?” – Vinnie B.

This question intrigues me because it’s a universal problem. Every human being who’s ever tried to dig into Scripture has found it difficult at times to understand what God is saying. And some passages are so difficult that theologians across Church history can’t agree on what they mean.

Of course we could all benefit from learning how to interpret the Bible correctly. Sometimes we struggle over a passage and it would easy to understand if we just knew a few basic principles for interpretation. But, even if you go to seminary, and you have years of practice interpreting and studying God’s word, if that’s you, then you know that there are still some passages that baffle you. No amount of classes and seminary courses will be enough. God’s word can still be difficult.

Moreover, this interpretive problem points to a theological problem. If God’s word is so easy to misinterpret and so hard to understand, then what does that say about God? Is God just playing games with us? Is this some big game of “keep-away” and He’s eluding us, refusing to let us understand what He’s saying? That sounds like a capricious, mischievous God. Not a good look.

Not ALL the Bible is Hard to Understand    

First, we should note that a lot of the Bible is straightforward, fairly easy to understand, and there’s no real challenge in figuring out how to rightly apply it. That’s important to remember, so we have a sense of balance between the easy and hard parts of the Bible. Jesus was able to translate the Gospel message so that an uneducated foreign woman – the woman at the well – was able to understand exactly what He meant (John 4). God can, and does, communicate in ways that anyone, with ears to hear, can understand Him.

But one chapter earlier, Jesus was confusing the well-educated Pharisee, Nicodemus (John 3). Pharisees were some of the most educated and biblically literate scholars in their day. To this day, we don’t know if Nicodemus ever grasped what Jesus meant by being “born again.” Sometimes, God communicates in ways that challenge and confound the most educated among us. Other times, God speaks clearly, His words cutting like a knife so that everyone understands what He’s saying.

Sometimes We’re the Problem       

We also should admit that often the problem isn’t in the Bible. It can be straightforward, easy-to-understand, yet if we don’t like what God is saying to us, we might play dumb, thinking that we aren’t responsible to follow directions that we don’t understand. But, playing dumb is a dangerous game. If you keep acting dumb, eventually you won’t acting. We’ll just be dumb. I call this “sin-stupid.” When people suppress God’s truth long enough, their conscience is seared (1 Timothy 4:2), their hearts become hard (Romans 2:5), their spiritual discernment numbed, till they can’t understand things that used to be obvious. Repeated unrepentant sin makes people stupid over time.

Or perhaps we aren’t rebelling against God, or suppressing His word. We might just be a little lazy, or distracted, and we aren’t paying close attention to see what God is saying to us. If God’s word were on billboard, we’d at least need to stop speeding, stop multitasking, and slow down enough to read what He’s telling us. God’s word might be easy enough to understand, but if we’re just sprinting past, paying little attention, then we’re liable to misinterpret Him. That’s not God’s fault. That’s ours           .

God Has Other Purposes Besides Clarity    

At the heart of this question is the assumption that God wants to be understood. And, yes, God relates with mankind in ways that invite us to know Him more, understanding who He is, how He works, and what He wants. But we cannot assume that God’s only purpose in communication is clarity.

Sometimes God speaks in riddles, or indirectly, or in downright incomprehensible ways. If God was aiming primarily at being clear, then He’s failed. But, we have no good reason to think that clarity is the God’s one and only aim here. Indeed, we have reason to believe he’s trying to murky and confusing to some people.

1. God Is Sorting Out the Followers from the Fans

Jesus famously explained his use of parables saying that they were not just to clarify kingdom principles among believers but also to confound non-believers (Matt 13:10-17).

“The disciples came to him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’ 11He replied, ‘Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’” (Matthew 13:10-13; NIV)

Scripture has some passages for easy-reading and some for difficult-reading. And this is an intentional sifting method to bless those believers who have “ears to hear” without rewarding non-believers with kingdom insights that aren’t fit for them.

2. God is Beautiful, Not Basic

Another one reason for these difficult passages is that God isn’t a “bread-and-water” God. He’s not basic. He could have made a world without tastes, and colors, and smells, and experiences. But He included all that stuff because He’s an artist, an aesthete. Likewise, God’s word isn’t reducible simply to information, any more than food is reducible entirely to fuel. It’s designed for an an aesthetic interaction. It’s a beauty to be enjoyed. It’s an encountered to be experienced. Just as food is more than calories, so God’s word is more than information. It has flavor, and texture, and ambience so that there’s more to imbibe raw information. If Scripture were just about information transfer, then we could hurry through it – get the info and leave. But Scripture is to be experienced, and that means ruminating on it sometimes. Let the flavors simmer a bit.

3. God Promotes Wisdom   

Sometimes the difficulty we face in God’s word is a matter of wisdom. By that I mean, there’s supposed to be a bit of a wrestling match with the language and ideas in Scripture, a struggle to pry wisdom from those obtuse words. The struggle is part of the path to wisdom. Without the struggle one might gain some head-knowledge, but they’re liable to miss the deeper application of wisdom. Plus, as Jesus explained, not everyone will understand the hard-language sometimes. So, the challenging parts of the Bible can be a filtering mechanism that way, separating the wise and foolish, the sheep from the goats.

4. God Promotes Personal Growth 

Besides wisdom, and aesthetics, there’s also personal growth to be found as we struggle through God’s word. If everything was laid out for us easy-peasy, then we might never face the kind of resistance-training needed to get strong, so we’d never grow strong enough to live out the tasks God has for us.

In sum, there is more to God’s purposes than just being clearly understood. Sometimes God speaks in ways that keep his Kingdom truths out-of-reach, out of the “wrong hands” so to speak. For disciples, the difficult passages in Scripture slow us down so we can relish experiencing God’s word, chewing and savoring what He’s saying. The same passages can also lend a sense of mystery, so that in searching for the answers we can find wisdom along the way. And they can present obstacles for us to press into, and struggle over it. There we can gain strength and grow through the experience.

Yes, we can still learn what God has said through Scripture. But beyond mere head knowledge, God imparts character, wisdom, and beauty through His written word.

Thanks for the great question, Vinnie B.

If you want to find out more about our Crossexamined Community you can sign up here for your own free trial.

Recommended resources related to the topic:

Counter Culture Christian: Is the Bible True? by Frank Turek (Mp3), (Mp4), and (DVD)

The New Testament: Too Embarrassing to Be False by Frank Turek (DVD, Mp3, and Mp4)

Why We Know the New Testament Writers Told the Truth by Frank Turek (DVD, Mp3 and Mp4)

Oh, Why Didn’t I Say That? Is the Bible Historically Reliable? by Dr. Frank Turek DVD, Mp4, Mp3 Download.

How to Interpret Your Bible by Dr. Frank Turek DVD Complete Series, INSTRUCTOR Study Guide, and STUDENT Study Guide

How Philosophy Can Help Your Theology by Richard Howe (MP3 Set), (mp4 Download Set), and (DVD Set)

 


Dr. John D. Ferrer is an educator, writer, and graduate of CrossExamined Instructors Academy. Having earned degrees from Southern Evangelical Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, he’s now active in the pro-life community and in his home church in Pella Iowa. When he’s not helping his wife Hillary Ferrer with her ministry Mama Bear Apologetics, you can usually find John writing, researching, and teaching cultural apologetics.

We live in a troubled world, plagued by sin which leads to pain and suffering. This state of the world is nothing new, it has gone on since the fall of man. The entirety of humankind from Adam to us have dealt with a variety of suffering as a result of this fall. However, though we do not live in a more sinful time, for every age has overflowed with sinfulness, we seem to be facing a different struggle. Our society is fighting a battle of the mind, and losing.

We Just Can’t Even

We live in a world where many cannot seem to bear the slightest sorrow. This makes it all the more difficult to persevere through the most difficult situations anyone of us could face; such as the loss of a loved one, a severe medical diagnosis, the loss of a job, and other heavy burdens. This mental and emotional crisis has been the result of one of the Church’s failings — teaching how to properly handle suffering. This has spread outside of the church and into our society. To put it plainly, we have lost the ability to suffer well. In recent years, our minds have been flooded with messages telling us that we all need therapy, we need to talk about all of our emotions, we need to constantly think about and share whatever trauma we have over and over again

Where can we actually find help?

The problem is that this doesn’t seem to be helping. We are more depressed and more anxious than ever. But how should we deal with suffering? Where can we find comfort and help in our suffering? Our Lord has provided us three supports to comfort and strengthen us in this life: prayer, scripture, and the Church.

Prayer: The best guide to prayer that we have are the Psalms. If you need examples of prayers read through Psalms, and you will find a prayer for nearly every situation of life. But if you don’t know what to pray, or you can’t summon the strength to, remember Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”

The Spirit Himself will pray for us and understands our groanings when we don’t know what to say. In prayer we lift up our lives, the blessings and the sufferings to God, for only God our savior has the strength to carry us through.

Scripture: Studying the Bible, like prayer, is an essential part of the Christian life, especially in times of pain and suffering. The Bible is filled with a multitude of books such as Lamentations and Psalms to help us. I encourage you to read through the Gospels and through the sufferings that Jesus experienced. Scripture reminds us that Christ is with us in our sufferings. He understands and has experienced sufferings greater, and similar to our own.

Moreover, the Apostle Paul lets us know that our affliction is ultimately making us stronger and preparing us for eternity in 2 Corinthians 4:17 saying, For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison . . .”

The Church: Another major tool that God has given us, is the Church, the body of believers. We are not alone in our sufferings. If you are not a part of a local Bible-believing church, join one, and if you have a church, reach out to them. You don’t have to share with everyone all the gory details about the circumstances you might be facing, but you need the support of your brothers and sisters in Christ. The responsibility is not yours alone — God has commanded the Body of Christ [fellow Christians] to stand with you and share your sufferings. Paul writes, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2).

We are all one Church. We must be unified. So, if you know another believer is struggling with loss or pain, reach out and help them. This is how we are to love one another.

How Should We Respond to Suffering?

These support structures will help you persevere when you are in the midst of affliction, but there is more that is needed for you to thrive in your suffering. On top of the practical help that we’ve been given, we must also have the proper attitude and emotional response to life’s hardships. To discover how we should respond, we must look at scripture. The most well-known example of suffering in the Bible is Job. In his story, God allowed Satan to take all of Job’s earthly possessions and to kill Job’s children. When this happened, Job’s first response was to worship the Lord and bless His name.

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.’ 22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong” (Job 1:20-22).

This by no means is an easy thing to do, but the Bible sets this up as the correct response to suffering. Our first act should be to worship and glorify the Lord. Our comfort should be in God. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too” (2 Cor 1:3-5)

Our Lord wants to comfort us. He is with us in our affliction. Cling to Christ and allow Him to carry your burdens; let Him bear the brunt of your suffering. If you are still in doubt of how to respond to suffering study the Bible, it is filled with examples of God’s servants and how their lives were filled with affliction, yet they sought God and found their comfort in Him.

 

Recommended Resources On This Topic

If God, Why Evil? (DVD Set), (MP3 Set), and (mp4 Download Set) by Frank Turek

Why does God allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People? (DVD) and (mp4 Download) by Frank Turek

Relief From the Worst Pain You’ll Ever Experience (DVD) (MP3) (Mp4 Download) by Gary Habermas 

Why Doesn’t God Intervene More? (DVD Set), (MP3 Set), and (mp4 Download Set) by Frank Turek

 


Thomas Moller began studying astrophysics at the University of Nebraska-Kearney, specifically in Cosmology. Through the study of the universe and the laws that guide it, a passion understanding the Creator and Fine-Tuner of the universe provided the catalyst for Thomas diving deeply into theology. He then left the study of astrophysics to go pursue a theology degree. Through his studies at Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary, Thomas began to focus Christian Ethics. Through the lens of Christian Ethics Thomas tackles political, cultural, and literature topics. Though he no longer studies astrophysics at an academic institution, he still has a love for science and scientific arguments for God.

Originally posted at: https://bit.ly/4b2tq8O

 

 

If apologetics has ever met its moment in our culture that moment is now. And it’s especially urgent for some good old-fashioned pulpit apologetics. We need preachers to rise to the occasion and equip their flocks with the apologetic know-how to reach this confused and collapsing culture. As the great wordsmith Carl Trueman put it:

“Every age has had its darkness and its dangers. The task of the Christian is not to whine about the moment in which he or she lives but to understand its problems and respond appropriately to them.” [1]

It’s no secret that ours is a country replete with problems, so much so it’s even harder to imagine a real United States again. And like those ancient Corinthians many in the church have joined the cultural party of unrestrained living. Here’s where apologetic preaching comes into play by helping churches to better navigate these trying times. As a tool, apologetics can (1) aid pastors seeking to help people racked by doubts, it can (2) equip believers with a biblical worldview, apologetics can also (3) help believers articulate the credibility of Christianity to a culture where many have written it off as a superstition of the past and it can (4) help heighten believers discernment to detect false ideas before they take root. And finally (5) apologetic preaching can protect our flocks from going the way of culture. But where do we begin? I mean, what does this look like to apologetically equip our churches from our pulpits?

First, it’s important to understand our own local ministry context.

We need to answer the questions unique to our milieu. If you reside in LA then learn something about Scientology, if you abide in Salt Lake City you’ll want to freshen up on Mormonism, if you’re in Hawaii think through Buddhist teachings, but obviously, if you’re in Texas pouring over Confucianism is not very strategic, unless you’re in Austin.

Second, we need to discern and confront the ideas that have shaped the values of our American landscape.

Ours is a country shaped by militant secularism, religious pluralism, and sexual obsession. I’ve never seen a culture so obsessed with their genitals. It’s such a problem that many have turned sex into a god. But serving the sex-god makes for a poor savior. To leverage Trueman again, in his book, The Real Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, he reminds us,

“A movement that cannot or will not draw boundaries, or that allows the modern cultural fear of exclusion to set its theological agenda, is doomed to lose its doctrinal identity. Once it does, it will drift from whatever moorings it may have had in historic Christianity.”[2]

Third, get familiar with the biggest longstanding objections to Christianity.

Here’s where every pastor needs to brush up on the age-old apologetic answers to questions regarding truth, evidence for God’s existence, the possibility of miracles, the problem of evil and suffering, the reliability of Scripture and the historical evidence for Christ’s resurrection.

Fourth, as pastors we need to maintain a steady diet of learning.

Seminary is not the end, but the beginning. Today’s pulpiteer should be a student of Scripture, philosophy, apologetics, theology, psychology, and culture. This is what made Timothy Keller so impactful. He was a well-rounded communicator. And as a result, his preaching connected with people’s hearts—big time! I know it can be overwhelming as there is so much to learn. I feel it myself. It’s overwhelming at times in our information age. But know this. My intent is not to burden you, but to offer an approach to the pulpit that will richly equip you and your congregation. At the end of the day, there’s no end to learning. So, enjoy it instead of trying to conquer it.

In my next blog, I’ll carry on this discussion by developing some further points to consider as it relates to apologetic preaching. In the meantime, I hope this offers you a little food for thought. Bon appetit.

 

Footnotes

[1] The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (2020), 30

[2]The Real Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (2012; pg. 25)

 

Recommended resources related to the topic:

Counter Culture Christian: Is the Bible True? by Frank Turek (Mp3), (Mp4), and (DVD)

Defending Absolutes in a Relativistic World (Mp3) by Frank Turek

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Bobby serves as lead pastor of Image Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is well known for his YouTube ministry called, One Minute Apologist, which now goes by the name Christianity Still Makes Sense. He also serves as the Co-Host of Pastors’ Perspective, a nationally syndicated call-in radio show on KWVE in Southern California. Bobby earned his Master of Theology degree from Dallas Theological Seminary, his Doctor of Ministry in Apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary, and his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religion from the University of Birmingham (England), where he was supervised under David Cheetham and Yujin Nagasawa. Bobby’s also written several books, including The Fifth Gospel, Doubting Toward Faith, Does God Exist, and Fifty-One Other Questions About God and the Bible, and the forthcoming Christianity Still Makes Sense, to be published by Tyndale in April 2024. He’s married to his lovely wife Heather, and together they have two grown kids: Haley and Dawson.

 

By John D. Ferrer

In part one[i] we raised a question from one of our viewers in Nigeria at the contentious Islamic/Christian border there. He asked what should Christians do when the other guy is cheating? In this case, Muslims from the north are rigging elections to win political influence over the Christian south. Our answer is don’t sink to their level, but honor God above all. Unless you’re literally forced to lie or cheat, then don’t lie or cheat.

The next logical question is, “Okay, don’t ‘sink to their level.’ But how do we do that?” Here are seven principles for when our opponent isn’t fighting fair.

First, “live not by lies.”

In 1974, just before his exile from the U.S.S.R., Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote an essay that became his farewell address to Soviet Russia. Titled, “Live not by lies,” this essay answered how to stay spiritually grounded in the face of government oppression.  Solzhenitsyn distilled his  wisdom down to one clear warning: “live not by lies.” Oppressors will press you. They’ll hurt your body, restrict your freedom, and test your faith. But they can’t touch your soul unless you let them. When you let them make you a liar, you’ve volunteered for that corruption.

To be clear, “live not by lies” doesn’t mean be foolhardy. You don’t have to draw a target on your back or invite persecution. But neither should you let them make you a liar. You can be discrete. Measure your words. Be quiet where your words will be misconstrued. Just don’t let them make you a liar. Or a cheat, for that matter. Otherwise, you get pulled into their game. Why would you want to play their game? They’re masters at it. You’re not. And you’ll lose. Plus you’d betray your own conscience and faith just by playing it. Soon you’re no better than they are.

Second, get creative with the influence you do have.

You have more influence than you may realize. Get creative. Be savvy. You’ll be surprised at the ways you can affect positive change. Besides voting and public office, there’s also citizen journalism, signing petitions, starting “go-fund-me” campaigns, peaceful protests, concerts, graphic arts, social media, boycotts, rearing children, and more.

This is Biblical too. Scripture instructs people not just in the law but also in wisdom. There’s a whole genre of biblical books called “wisdom literature” (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon). Scripture guides us with law and wisdom as complementary traditions running parallel like train tracks so we can get where we need to go. We need more than just law-abiding moral behavior. We also need wisdom to find the best way to obey God’s laws.  Jesus implies as much when he says to his disciples,

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16)

Third, reframe the game

We should also remember the bigger battle happening here. Stolen elections aren’t just about politics. They’re not just earthly warfare or even just battles between church and mosque. This is ultimately spiritual warfare. When we understand that fact, we can reframe our earthly struggle in terms of the bigger picture.

We could dwell on this point, but for now, just remember that spiritual warfare isn’t a metaphor. It’s literal. It forces everyone to take sides. It engulfs every other battlefield. And it rewrites the rules of engagement. As Paul says, “our struggle is . . . against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God” (Eph 6:12-13).

Fourth, remember the real enemy

Our ultimate enemy isn’t other people but rather Satan and his forces. Before Paul describes this spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6 he points out that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (vs. 12). You may be tempted to treat your earthly opponent as the real enemy. But that person might not even be a rebel. He or she could just be a confused and deluded captive who doesn’t know any better. We fight differently against captives than against a rebel army. So don’t forget who the real enemy is.

Fifth, we don’t fight as the world fights

Since our battle is ultimately spiritual warfare, and Satan is the real enemy, it should be no surprise that we need to fight differently. I can’t explain this point any better than St. Paul does.

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Sixth, you can’t force divine justice ­

This world is fallen, it remains fallen, and will keep falling… until Christ returns. In the meantime, we have only hints and bits of justice. They’re like glimpses into the eternal perfection of heaven. God carved out lots of room for us to practice redemptive influence here and now. But be assured that justice isn’t guaranteed till Judgment Day.

If you try to “force” God’s hand, seeking divine justice now,  you’re probably using questionable methods. Plus, you might make the same mistake Judas did. Some scholars believe that Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus in hopes of triggering an uprising where Jesus would have to lead a revolt against Rome to claim his Messianic crown. We can’t be certain of Judas’s motives, but we can say that in betraying Jesus, even Judas’s best intentions couldn’t redeem those actions. You may be tempted to “force” justice on this side of eternity by taking “creative license” with the law. But this is quicksand. There’s no clear biblical case for vigilante justice in the New Testament.

Seventh, draw courage from believers who’ve gone before you.

We’re not alone in this struggle. Persecution and hardship are normal Christian living (John 16:33). Yet believers across church history have pressed on. And so can you. Whether it was from Roman laws, Jewish zealots, Muslim invaders, state authorities, or rude neighbors, persecution is part of normal Christian living. Countless believers have gone before us setting an example to follow. Some faced persecution. Some died as martyrs. But all of them ran their race and passed the baton to future generations. That’s us. As we “run the race” marked out for us, they are a “great cloud of witnesses” now cheering us on from the stands (Heb 12:1). For their sake, and for God’s, we cannot afford to take shortcuts, bending the rules for some “greater good.”

Final Warnings

So how do we answer whether “turnabout is fair play”? In We need to honor God above all – even when our opponent breaks the law. We talked at length about how to do that.  But a few more warnings are in order.

If we cheat because our opponent cheats, then we invite God’s judgment all the same. Plus, we risk losing our integrity. Our character is hard to earn and easy to lose especially if we forget that the ends don’t really justify the means. Also, remember that we represent our family, our church, and our God. So, if we ever lie and cheat for political gains it’s like spraying graffiti on the walls of our home or church: “LIAR!” “CHEAT!” Winning an election is not worth defacing our family name, our church, or the name of Jesus.

Are there any exceptions?

Earlier I mentioned some possible exceptions that don’t apply here. Stay tuned for part 3 in this series where we talk about dilemmas!

Footnotes:

[i]  https://crossexamined.org/when-your-opponent-cheats-what-should-you-do

Recommended resources related to the topic:

Is Morality Absolute or Relative? by Dr. Frank Turek DVD, Mp3 and Mp4

When Reason Isn’t the Reason for Unbelief by Dr. Frank Turek DVD and Mp4

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Dr. John D. Ferrer is an educator, writer, and graduate of CrossExamined Instructors Academy. Having earned degrees from Southern Evangelical Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, he’s now active in the pro-life community and in his home church in Pella Iowa. When he’s not helping his wife Hillary Ferrer with her ministry Mama Bear Apologetics, you can usually find John writing, researching, and teaching cultural apologetics.

By John D. Ferrer

You may have heard the phrase, “turnabout is fair play.” If your opponent on the soccer pitch, football field, or basketball court is illegally pushing, shoving, and elbowing you, then it’s only fair that you can push back, right? Turnabout, as they say, is fair play. And as long as it’s not against the law, immoral, or physically harming anyone, then that principle might work fine at least for ball games and boardgames. But what about the game of politics?

Frank and I had a podcast on this topic too. Check it out at:
When Your Opponent Cheats, What Should You Do? | with Dr. John Ferrer

How far should we take this idea of, “turnabout is fair play?” A gentleman from Nigeria by the name of Austin sent us a question about this last week.

“Imagine that you’re in the ring of boxing with an opponent who is breaking all the rules and nobody is calling him to order, would you keep following the rules? To be more specific, this analogy is to capture the imbalance of political power between the muslim north and the christian south of Nigeria. As I’m sure you already know, the survival of Islam is hinged on political power and domination. Our muslim brothers are extremely political, while the christians are, for the most part, passive. But besides the political docility of the christians, our muslims don’t really play fair. For example, muslims go as far as registering underaged voters. This is one of the major reasons northern votes beat southern votes in federal elections, not that the number of muslims is above that of christians. There’s a lot more of their shenanigans that I’d rather not name here. The situation is far uglier than I’ve decided to capture at this present time… So, how do you see this? How do you play fair with an opponent who doesn’t play fair?”

Austin is clearly concerned for more than just apologetics. He yearns for justice. Beneath the looming weight of political corruption and injustice, he is staring down one of the largest militant fronts of modern day Islam. He’s rightfully concerned that religious and political opponents have rigged the system. Of course, he wants to do something about it!

If his opponents in the Muslim north are cheating and abusing the system to stay in power, then perhaps Christians in the South can use the same tactics to stand against the spreading Islamic caliphate. The Christians would have good motives. The other guys cheated first. So, is it okay to lie and cheat if the other guy is doing it?

In short, no.

While I sympathize with Austin in Nigeria, I can’t condone that behavior. He’s asking a practical question, of whether the “ends justify the means.” That axiom is the centerpiece of Utilitarianism[i], a non-Christian ethical theory coined by Jeremy Bentham. Sure, lying and cheating might help you win elections. And you might be cheating the same way your opponents are. But the ends don’t justify the means. The means need to be justified themselves.

Moreover, lying and cheating won’t preserve the integrity of the church or showcase the light of Christ to the world. Now, we’ll get into some exceptional cases later. But at this point, if you aren’t literally being forced lie and cheat, then you shouldn’t lie or cheat.

Heart check

Perhaps the best starting point for unpacking that answer is to do a heart-check. Ask yourself: Do you fear and love God more than anyone else?

 “Do you fear and love God more than anyone else?”

By that I mean, do you fear God as the sovereign judge and King more than you fear anyone else? And do you love God as your heavenly Father, more than you love anyone else? When we can answer this heart-check with a resounding “Yes!” then we’re in a good position to face hardship and do the gritty work of apologetics.

This heart-check was Peter’s advice to first century believers. Apologists love to quote him in 1 Peter 3:15b, “always be prepared to give an answer.” But just before that classic call to defend the faith, Peter sets it inside a persecution context. In verse 14 he says, “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” Answering how to do that, Peter says to put Jesus first. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord” (vs15a). The surrounding passage, 1 Peter 3:9-17[ii] reinforces this point saying, “do not repay evil with evil,” “or insult with insult,” “repay evil with blessing,” “keep [your] tongue from evil and lips from deceitful speech,” and “suffer for doing good” rather “than for doing evil.”

That’s easy for you to say

Of course, it’s easy for me to say all this. My job, my family, my way of life, are all safe. There are no political enemies or religious invaders beating down our door. My home church faces no real danger of conquest, at the hands of radical Muslims, militant Hindus, or even snarky atheists. It’s easy for me to tell folks to endure persecution heroically when it’s their persecution and not mine. That’s why I’m not speaking on my own authority. Apostle Peter said it first. I’m just agreeing with him. If I ever face persecution like my brothers and sisters in Nigeria are facing, I pray I’d have the courage to take my own advice, I pray I would follow St. Peter in honoring Christ as Lord and suffering well.

 “Love and honor Christ as Lord, then suffer well.”

How do we do that?

At this point, you may be saying to yourself, “Okay, be righteous and don’t ‘sink to their level.’ I get it. But how do we do that?” That’s a great question. I’m glad you asked! Stay tuned for part 2 where I explain seven principles we should all follow when our opponent isn’t fighting fairly.

Footnotes:

[i] https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/utilitarianism-history/

[ii] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3%3A9-17&version=ESV

Recommended resources related to the topic:

Is Morality Absolute or Relative? by Dr. Frank Turek DVD, Mp3 and Mp4

When Reason Isn’t the Reason for Unbelief by Dr. Frank Turek DVD and Mp4

 

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Dr. John D. Ferrer is an educator, writer, and graduate of CrossExamined Instructors Academy. Having earned degrees from Southern Evangelical Seminary and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, he’s now active in the pro-life community and in his home church in Pella Iowa. When he’s not helping his wife Hillary Ferrer with her ministry Mama Bear Apologetics, you can usually find John writing, researching, and teaching cultural apologetics.