Avsnitt
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The Lord can provide the ultimate comfort from life's challenges.
Quick Quote – Source – Unknown
A Biblical Christian worldview perspective – I recently wrote an article on the subject of suicide and salvation (details here). There are many extenuating circumstances to the question of suicide, including medical and emotional conditions. In the end, God has the answer, however, one must want to hear what He has to say. And, if truly listening, we will experience His eternal provision.
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Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.
Quick Quote – Source – Jeff Hilles
A Biblical Christian worldview perspective – I received the following comment from a reader recently.
”If a god exists then god is not good because of all the horrible things that god created. He should end all of the suffering and antinatalism [having children] is a good way to start.”
My unconventional response..
I could not agree with you more…. that God allows sin, hate, pain and even Hell, and there is no way to get around that. I can neither defend or explain that reality. Sunday School answers, which I am very familiar with, are not sufficient for anyone thinking logically with the information we have available. As a Christian, I have to believe, by faith, that we do not see the whole picture and trust that we will understand why God’s solution has been Christ for the few who accept Him as Savior and Lord.
Hebrews 11:1,6 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen… And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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Limiting Bible distribution is logical if one believes man is the author.
Quick Quote – Source – Jeff Hilles
A Biblical Christian worldview perspective – If one believes the Bible was written by man, thousands of years ago, it would be logical to assume that it has no relevance to today. Even if there are good moral teachings within the Scriptures, man has certainly made mistakes over time in attempting to justify contemporary positions (slavery for example) by using it as a tool.
So why should anyone be surprised that positions Christians support today, which are justified by a mortal guidebook, are no less than hate speech?
The UK is ahead of the curve on this philosophy with 23% of respondents between the ages of 18-34 agreeing that, “unless the offending parts can be edited out, books containing what some perceive as hate speech should be banned from general sale, including if necessary religious texts such as the Bible.”
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God is unchanging in His thoughts and actions, taking our sin nature into account.
Quick Quote – Source – Jarrod Scott
A Biblical Christian worldview perspective – In the Bible, there are many examples of both believers and unbelievers whose bad behavior was used by God to perfect His will. God is all-knowing from eternity past to eternity future. So, He has already factored into His decisions all the frailties of mankind. Nothing surprises Him, nothing catches Him off guard, nothing creates a situation where He has to “go to plan B”. Whenever it appears that man is changing God’s mind, if one looks deeper, the context is more about mankind learning who God is rather than God choosing a new path based on input from His children.
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Are you truly engaged in your faith?
Quick Quote - Source - Jeff HillesA Biblical Christian worldview perspective - So many Christians in the West view our faith as a secondary part of our lives. We go to work, raise a family, go to church, and see that as the Christian life. Are we employing the Holy Spirit effectively in our lives?
Compare our laid-back Western Christianity to Christians in China, North Korea, or the Middle East who live in fear of being caught, yet rejoice in being a child of God.
When the Bible teaches that we should 'pray without ceasing", it is a call to be engaged with Christ on a minute-by-minute basis throughout our daily lives.
Instead, sadly, we are so often “coasting Christians” from one Sunday service to the next.
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The Bible is a resource to know God and understand our relationship with Him.
Quick Quote - Source - Jeff HillesA Biblical Christian worldview perspective - Without the Scriptures as the source for our faith and conduct, we have only a set of rules and beliefs that we choose to create in our own minds and our sinful hearts.. very shaky ground from which to build a Christian foundation.
For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. - 1 Corinthians 3:11
And, no one can trust their own heart and mind to discern the perfect will of God outside of the guardrails presented in His word.
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Pride goes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18).
Quick Quote - Source - Erwin LutzerA Biblical Christian worldview perspective - One of the greatest sins mankind, especially MAN kind, have to deal with is our prideful hearts. We desire to be in control of our surroundings and to take credit for our successes as we rationalize away our failures. As with so many aspects of the Christian life, God's ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).
And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” - Mark 9:35
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Apologetics is for the mind, but ultimately we need faith for the heart.
Quick Quote - Source - Jeff HillesA Biblical Christian worldview perspective - So many Christians understandably try to “explain God” using human reasoning to defend supernatural actions. When it falls short in the view of the unbeliever, it can sometimes do more damage than acknowledging we do not have all the answers. Our beliefs are based on accepting Christ on faith.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1
Our salvation comes through our faith in the love of God and the resurrection of Christ. These are the things that we are convicted of and that we have hope in. Simply put...
For we walk by faith, not by sight. - 2 Corinthians 5:7
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Quick Quote - Source - Jarrod Scott
A Biblical Christian worldview perspective - The term self-awareness is defined by Webster as, "an awareness of one's own personality or individuality". How many of us truly know who we are and how we are seen by others? The answer is, that only God sees us clearly and perfectly. He orchestrates our lives even to the allowance of sin in order to teach us to be more like Him through the consequences of our actions. Those life lessons likely prevent worse sins from festering into more damaging actions.
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Our ability to perfectly interpret all of Scripture through the lens of our sin nature is not realistic.
A reader offered an insightful comment from our article on the use of the Bible as a legal defense against the accusation of using Hate Speech (details here). -
The life of the baby vs. the rights of the. mom.
Abortion is one of the central issues in America today. As with any topic of this magnitude, there are extreme opinions on the far edges of both sides of the bell curve, and each group points to the other in an attempt to draw the majority of the population toward their radical views.
Holding a Biblical Christian worldview includes having an opinion on the subject of abortion, which favors the rights of the unborn. However, in a world in which we all have to choose between the “lesser of evils” there are situations where the rights of the birth mother can and should take precedence over the rights of the baby.
What is often left unsaid in these debates are the circumstances surrounding the decision to abort and the long-term consequences of that decision.
Background
Pew ResearchAccording to Pew Research (details here) and the CDC, there were 626k abortions in the US in 2021, an increase of 29k or a 5% increase from the previous year. These totals do not include states not reporting, including California, Maryland, New Hampshire, and New Jersey. Eighty-seven percent of abortions were by unmarried women. Ninety-three percent of abortions were during the first trimester (13 weeks). Two percent of abortions in America result in some form of complications for the woman, of which most are considered minor.
Guttmacher / NPRA recent NPR article (details here) stated that in 2023, it is estimated that there were 1,026,700 abortions in America, representing an increase of 10% since 2020.
Reasons For AbortionAccording to a peer-reviewed study published in VeryWellHealth, the following represent the primary reasons for having an abortion.
Not Financially Prepared – 40%Not a good time – 36%Issues with partner – 31%Need to focus on other children – 29%Interferes with future plans – 20%Not emotionally or mentally prepared – 19%Health issue – 12%Unable to provide a “good” life – 12%Not independent or mature enough – 7%Influence from family or friends – 5%Don’t want children – 3%Note that only 3% of respondents chose abortion because they didn’t want children, and only 12% offered health concerns as a part of their decision process.
Long-term Consequences of AbortionFor some reason, there are very few, if any, studies on the short and long-term psychological impact of having one or more abortions. Each situation has a unique set of circumstances that can involve more than just the woman and her doctor. If the pregnancy is disclosed, pressure can also come from peers, the father, and the woman’s extended family.
One Personal Experience with AbortionBelow is a personal story of one individual who responded to one of our articles (details here).
Thou shalt not kill. I had an abortion. I killed my innocent baby when I was 8 weeks along. I told myself I had to because I was on orders to go overseas soon. This is what the abortion clinic will not tell you: 1. You will have nightmares for a long time. Mine included being covered in blood and dead babies.2. You will calculate that baby's birth date or month and live through hell on earth every anniversar -
The terror of a God moment.
I experienced China firsthand when I attempted to smuggle a large load of Bibles into the country.I take the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19–20) very seriously. I have always had a heart for missions, for speaking, singing, and reaching out to other cultures where Jesus is not well-known amongst the people.
From Russia to Turkey to the high mountains of Guatemala and beyond, each trip has deepened my love for other peoples and other cultures as I watch the power of God work. Perhaps the greatest work has been done in me. But the “God moments” I experience never cease to amaze me.
While in China, I witnessed and experienced the power of God more poignantly than on any other trip. It was both awesome and terrifying. But ultimately, it was simply amazing. And I don’t use that word lightly.
Prior to departure, I was given training on how to act, what to wear, where to meet up with home church leaders, and what to do if I was caught going through customs. I felt confident knowing I was in God’s hands and had spent much time in prayer.
I was well aware of the potential dangers of my actions. China does not allow people to bring in Bibles in bulk. Bible availability in China is a complicated issue. It is not illegal to own one. But Bibles cannot be sold in “regular” stores. Nor can they be sold online. Enforcement is strict. All books sold in China must have an ISBN (International Standard Book Number). And the Bible has never had an ISBN.
Bibles can only be sold legally in bookstores of government approved churches. Most government approved churches are located in large cities. China controls the printing of Bibles through the only printing company authorized to print Bibles, Amity Printing. And the supplies are limited.
There are also government “approved meeting sites” that are affiliated with the approved churches located outside the city. However, they, too are highly monitored with limited supplies. In addition, many are reluctant to visit these “approved church sites” due to a fear of surveillance.
Underground Christian home fellowships began to pop up years ago. Pastors and members of these home churches have been arrested and imprisoned for “inciting subversion” over the years. This is still going on today. Yet, Christianity seems to be flourishing.
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Artificial Intelligence holds great potential for both good and bad.
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Christians should follow God's truths rather than their own conscience.
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The question of the Bible being used as a defense for what detractors consider "Hate Speech" is clearly under debate today. Do Biblical Christians have the right to express their opinion on subjects such as abortion, gay marriage, and women in leadership using Scripture as support? This question has moved from the public forum, to the courts and is likely headed into the pulpit.
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Life on earth demonstrates the second law of thermodynamics. Not true of Heaven.
Quick Quote - Source - Jeff HillesA Biblical Christian worldview perspective - The second law of thermodynamics is centered around entropy which is “a process of degradation or running down or a trend to disorder" (Wikipedia). We see this dictum at work on many levels from the destruction of man through our own sin nature, to the deterioration of stars as energy is given off through heat and light until death. Praise God that for those who believe in Christ's finishing work on the cross, we will live in eternity in a perfect, sinless state where entropy no longer exists.
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Recently I published two articles on the negative state of the Methodist Church (UMC) given its movement toward inclusiveness (see details here and here). The topic resulted in a broad range of responses, most of which challenged the premise that compliance with the world was a bad thing. One of the more succinct, yet telling responses came from a reader, quoted as follows....
Good Lord. I feel like I just wasted 3 minutes of my life reading this. I'm a lifelong Methodist. I left the church about 5 years ago. My small town Methodist church, where I raised my daughters, left the UMC. I shall NEVER return to this, or any church. The reason? Because they DO NOT "comply" with MODERN TIMES> In 20 years churches will be nearly empty. IT IS A CULT. Period.This individual is/was a "lifelong Methodist", angry that her church left the UMC denomination because its leadership believed the denomination was not maintaining its traditional views and, was instead, acquiescing to our current cultural norms. Her anger was that her church was not keeping up with the changing world around it. Note that her brief response also generalized to all churches, calling the institution a cult, and that its end as a viable entity is approaching.
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Sharing the Good News should come from our love for the lost not to impress others by our virtue.
Quick Quote – Source – Jeff HillesA Biblical Christian worldview perspective – Christians need to avoid condemning the sin nature of man unless forced to express our opinion based on a direct challenge to one’s worldview. Seekers are looking for those who care about their situation, not those who wish to solely point out their sin.
Salvation is a heart change, not a head change. It is the reason for evangelism, not our pride attempting to demonstrate we are “holier than thou”.
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Quick Quote Source – Jeff Hilles
A Biblical Christian worldview perspective – Scripture clearly teaches that all of us “have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). However, that does not mean that we all have the same sin in our lives.
As we grow and mature in our walk with Christ (sanctification), our unique sin nature sadly grows and matures along with us. Some are prone to alcohol, others are more inclined to lie, others cheat, others sexual immorality takes center stage. Unfortunately Satan is a master of determining where our weak points are and targeting those areas of our lives to undermine our testimony. To be aware of this obvious vulnerability is the first step in prayerfully guarding against it.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. – Ephesians 6:11
- Visa fler