Oh, that’s why!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:08 — 21.1MB)

Why are we here?

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What is truth?

That’s the question that Pilate asked Jesus when he was put on trial before the Roman governor.  And that same question is asked by a lot of people today–especially when the topic of religion comes up.  People ask, why they should believe in one particular philosophy or religion over another.

If you ever wanted to know the answer, it’s in this weekend’s podcast.  Check it out and maybe the truth will set you free.

Enjoy!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:33 — 21.8MB)

The miracle of human development is staggeringly complex.  The changes and growth that take place even in the first day following conception are simply amazing–much less the developmental changes that occur in the following weeks and months.  To be able to see what is taking place on a microscopic level reveals Darwinian evolution as a biological absurdity.  Of course the Bible reveals the truth of God’s amazing creation even without the ability we now have to see the intricate mechanics of early development.  But the more capabilities we develop for scientific understanding of what happens in a mother’s womb, the more clear it should become that abortion at any stage is so obviously the destruction of a human being, and that all members of the human race have the same God given rights regardless of their level of development or ability.

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Luke 11:33-36 “No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket.  Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be seen by all who enter the house.

³⁴“Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is bad, your body is filled with darkness. ³⁵Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. ³⁶If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:37 — 20.0MB)

So we’ve been having this heat wave go through the whole Midwest, and everybody on the news is telling people how dangerous it is and to drink lots of water and stay indoors when possible.  You’d think people had never been outside on a hot day before.  It really hasn’t seemed all that hot to me.  But I sure am glad not to be putting on a new roof or anything like that lately.  And I’m also glad that we got a reprieve from the hot sun,  My yard had been getting pretty brown, and I noticed some clouds out in the distance.  So I asked God if he could give us a couple inches for the crops and the grass.  And guess what?  We got 2 & 1/4 inches.  It was a real blessing.

But you know, even if we hadn’t gotten any rain, there is still so much to be thankful for.  There might be dry grass in the yard.  But in the heart of a true Christian, the grass is always green.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:32 — 18.1MB)

Do you think you’d get a better report on the Civil War from a modern historian or by spending some time with Abraham Lincoln?  Do you think you could get a better picture of what the Apollo 11 moon landing was like by checking out the NASA website or by sitting down with Neil Armstrong and having him tell you the story about when he took that small step/giant leap?

Obviously, if it were possible to talk to the people who had been a part of events in the past, you’d get some amazing stories about those events.  You could get a feeling for what it was like by talking to the people who were there when it happened.

Did your parents ever tell you about when you were born?  Did your grandparents ever tell you about what it was like to live through the Great Depression or to watch the Apollo Moon Landing on live TV?  Wasn’t it cool to hear those stories from the people who’d seen it happen?

So along those same lines, would it be better to learn about the history of the world from somebody who was never there but had made a guess about what might have happened as the world started or from Someone who was there, Someone who actually built the Earth, Someone who designed the universe as a star spangled backdrop for His favorite creation to enjoy when the sun went down?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 52:32 — 24.0MB)

Paul said, in 1st Corinthians, that if Christ has not risen from the dead that our faith is pointless.  What use is it to believe in a man who said he would rise from the dead who never rose from the dead?  So all of Christianity is hinged on the fact of Christ’s resurrection.  And if Jesus did not really live, die, and then live again, then it makes no sense to put our faith in anything else about Jesus.

In the same way, if you can’t accept part of the Bible, then what’s the point of accepting any of the Bible?  There are plenty of things in the Bible that people have a hard time accepting–Jonah and the fish, Noah’s flood, the creation of the universe in 6 days, etc.  But if you can’t take those things at face value, how can you put faith in other parts?

Jesus taught from Genesis.  So if you believe Jesus, then you need to take the whole Bible seriously.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:27 — 21.3MB)

God has a plan.  Are you a part of it?  Would you like to be?  You can be an integral part of what God is doing, but you have to be willing to get on board with God’s plans and align your plans with his rather than vise versa.

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Have you ever stopped to think about what it must have been like when God created people?  I picture Creation as a kind of artistic event—where God stands back looking at a blank canvas and formulates his ideas and then says “Let there be…” like an artist brushing strokes of color to create the image held in his mind.  Then he steps back and says “It’s good.” and keeps adding more and more to the picture.  But when he had finished everything else and was ready to make people he became the sculptor.  It’s like he got down on his hands and knees and picked up the dirt on the ground and shaped it into a man.  This part of his creation he wanted to do more than just speak into existence.  He wanted to mold Adam with his own hands and then breathe life into him.

And it seems that the farther we drift from God (as individuals and a culture) the less we care about Human life.  It tends to become less important to us.  A thief can wind up serving more time in jail than a murderer.  Old people, unborn children, and the disabled are seen as less valuable.  And we suffer as a people because of it.  Perhaps it’s time to take a fresh look at what it means to be a human being with the breath of God in our lungs that sustains us and makes us alive.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:46 — 16.4MB)