Iowa City Church Podcast

Simply put, the mystery and wonder of The Trinity of God shapes everything about us. This is why it is worth the effort to study what the Bible says about the Trinity.

Think about it this way. What is your Christian life like? What is the condition of your faith? In the end, it will all depend on what you think God is like. Who God is drives everything about us and our relationship with God. Take 30 minutes and listen to the latest sermon in our series, Asking For A Friend, as we try and unpack the basics of the Trinity, and discover how the identity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit forms and shapes us in new and amazing ways.

This is a very common question, and at first glance it kind of makes sense. If all religions help people be morally good, then it would only make sense that they all lead to the same place in regards to the after-life. The problem with this idea is that it's a very offensive position to every religion. You see, every religion is based upon absolute beliefs that are unique to each religion. For example, the God of the Koran is very different then the God of the Bible. The purpose of humans is starkly different in Buddhism then how the Bible describes our people. A quick, intellectually honest, examination of other religions will reveal these profound differences. What this means is that we need to constantly be deepening our faith, and understanding how the truths of the Bible build a strong foundation for our lives. It also means that it's helpful to understand what other religions believe so that we can better realize why Jesus is truly the best; better then any other person, religion or philosophy!

To learn more about this challenging question we've invited Dr. Daniel McCoy from Renew.org to address it. Daniel is the editorial director for Renew.org as well as an online adjunct instructor for Ozark Christian College. He has a bachelor’s in theology (Ozark Christian College), master of arts in apologetics (Veritas International University), and PhD in theology (North-West University, South Africa). His books include the Popular Handbook of World Religions (general editor), Real Life Theology: Fuel for Effective and Faithful Disciple Making (co-general editor), Mirage: 5 Things People Want From God That Don't Exist, and The Atheist's Fatal Flaw (co-authored with Norman Geisler). Ask you can see, Daniel has the credentials to speak well on this topic. Take a few minutes and listen to part eight of Asking For A Friend, you will be glad you did.

Hell. It makes us all uncomfortable, so much so that we tend to make light of it by joking about its existence. We can thank Gary Larson, the creator of The Far Side Cartoons (do a quick Google search and enjoy a chuckle), for providing us with some of the most humorous depictions. Humor makes hell less scary. For me personally, I was surprised by how much the Saturday morning Looney Toons cartoons influenced my depictions of hell. It was always underground, with fire, and some person in a red suit with horns running around chasing Bugs Bunny with a pitchfork. Again, it made hell palatable. Little did I know, Looney Toons grabbed their ideas from fourteenth century Italian author Dante and his epic work, Inferno. This poem depicts Dante's journey through the nine concentric circles of torment in hell. This has been the standard for how many people, maybe even you think about hell. Unfortunately most of it is not how the Bible describes hell. What does the Bible say about hell? Even more specifically, what does Jesus teach on hell? On Sunday we are going to examine how the Scripture depicts hell. We will focus on these three themes: - What we know about hell. - Why hell is necessary. - How to ensure you don't go there.    As uncomfortable as it may be to wrestle with this topic, it is one we need to push into and understand. Here is the good news: Our loving God provided a way for no one to ever experience hell. To learn more, make sure and listen to part seven of Asking For A Friend.

It used to be that the one topic you weren't really supposed to talk about in public was sex. I think most of us agree, that's not the case anymore--it's everywhere. Do you know what has replaced sex as the off limits topic to be discussed in public? Death.  It's the uncomfortable "elephant in the room" kind of thing. Everyone knows it's there, and they have ideas, theories and concepts most certainly...yet it still makes people uncomfortable think about and here's why: What you believe about eternity determines how you live today. For example, if one ceases to exist when they die, why does it matter how they choose to live their lives? However, if this theory is true, a very empty and hopeless feeling begins to settle in. What's the point of living? There are also numerous theories such as reincarnation, turning into energy, becoming one with the universe, or even becoming an angel. Trust me, there are a lot of ideas and theories floating around the internet regarding life after death. What can we believe? What do we know is true? Here's some good news: The Bible as a lot to say about life after death! Not only do we find clarity, but even more so, we find hope! The apostle Paul puts it this way:

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

 If you want to know more about what the Bible teaches us about life after death make sure and give a listen to part six of Asking For A Friend!

When we talk about the Christian faith there are core doctrines which are agreed upon by all Christians. For example, faith in  Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection. One can't be a Christian without believing these truths. There are also practices which the worldwide church has participated in for over two thousand years. Community worship, prayer, communion (Eucharist) and baptism. The major differences in these practices lie in why, and how they are to be practiced. However, no Christian Church disagrees with their importance. When it comes to baptism, every church, denomination or Christian tradition acknowledges the essential role baptism plays in the life of a follower of Jesus. In fact it was Jesus who taught us to "go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them" (Matthew 28:19). If Jesus commands us to designate a disciple of his with baptism...that's what we are going to do. The big questions then are, "Why, exactly?" - "How should it be done?" - "When?" In this sermon we strive to answer those questions, not with Church tradition or denominational creeds, but with what the Bible teaches. If any of these questions have been swirling around your mind or if you have a friend who has wrestled with these issues give a listen to part five of Asking For A Friend. 

The challenge of evil and suffering is more than a theoretical or philosophical problem--it's personal. We literally feel this question. Our eyes have watched in disbelief as war footage unfolds on our screens. We shake our heads as people are pulled out of earthquake rubble. We wipe away tears from our eyes as we slowly shuffle away from the hospice house. We bury our face in our hands as we learn of a close friend or family member destroying their lives through addictive substances. Whether we say it audibly or mull it over in our minds, we are usually thinking the same thing: God, why did you allow this to happen? The tension comes from the fact that the Bible repeatedly tells us that God is good...not only good, but he loves the world! So when these horrible things happen, it feels like there are two seismically different realities that are unreconcilable! Maybe that describes you and your struggle to trust God. Maybe it describes a friend or family member who has given up on God because of a horrible tragedy, a tragedy that God could have, and should have prevented. In part four of Asking For A Friend, we are going to dive into answering this difficult question. What we are going to discover is that the Bible does not avoid this question, as some religions and atheists do. It faces it head on and provides the most glorious answer of any idea ever proposed to the problem of evil.  To be a part of the discussion, listen to part four of Asking For A Friend.

Imagine that you were able to live your life in such a way that you could do whatever you wanted to do, whenever you wanted to do it, and you would never get caught or face an consequences for your actions? Think about it, you could cheat on your taxes, steal from your employer, sleep with whoever you wanted, and never worry about getting caught. If you could live this way, would you? A majority of people would all agree that being moral is essential for a society to exist and for there to be clarity on what is right and wrong. However, this raises a dilemma: What is moral or immoral? Who or what is the source of morality? As a Christian, I believe that the Bible provides us with the standard for morality. However, current culture would argue that the Bible is too antiquated and out of touch for our modern and sophisticated society. Especially when we look at the rapid advances in technology. Is this true? Is the Bible still a reliable source for morality? Or is it too old-fashioned? If not the Bible, who is in charge of defining right and wrong, good and evil?  If you have struggled with this question or you have a friend who is asking this question, make sure and check out part three of our sermon series, Asking For A Friend.

"Science is fact. Religion is faith. I prefer facts." ~ Sheldon Cooper

Christianity--even faith in general--is portrayed in our current culture as being naïve, simplistic, and incompatible with human reason. Faith is given one isolated space in society, where as science is supposed to oversee all areas of life. This creates an obvious problem for Christians, especially younger Christians and those involved in the field of science. There is this tension to choose between one or the other because, according to the narrative, the two are not compatible. Does one really have to choose between faith in God and science?  This Sunday we are going to dive head long into this critical question and discover that a person doesn't have to choose between faith and science...in fact it's the exact opposite! Faith and science accomplish amazing things when they work in collaboration with each other.  If this is a challenge you wrestle with or you have a friend who has been struggling with the same issue, make sure and check out part two of our sermon series, Asking For A Friend.

Many atheists or skeptics doubt that God exists because they struggle to accept the legitimacy of the Bible. They see the Bible as outdated, irrelevant, and mythological. This is a huge problem if you are a Christian! The Christian faith requires belief in the Bible as the word of God. As followers of Jesus, we use Scripture to understand God and his character, realize our purpose, and learn about the plan of salvation. The Bible is a big deal. However, because it is old or ancient, it is natural to ask legitimate questions like: Can we trust it? Is it reliable? Does it tell us the truth? Or is it a collection of outdated texts that has little to no value with our modern and sophisticated world? Questioning the legitimacy of the Bible is nothing new, it was happening even in Jesus' day. On Sunday we are going to take up the challenge and answer this age old question. Whether you have your doubts or you have a friend who has been asking similar questions, make sure and give a listen to Can I Trust the Bible? 

I love the story of Peter in the Bible. One minute he's a pillar of faith (Matthew 14:25-33 and Matthew 16:13-16) and next minute he's in the basement of betrayal (Luke 22:54-62). Maybe that’s why it is so easy for you and I to identify with him. Because we've all blown it at one point in time with our relationship with God and others and restoration seems impossible. That’s why I love the last chapter of John’s gospel that contains a breakfast conversation between Jesus and Peter. The breakfast conversation in John 21 follows the darkest chapter in Peter’s life. He had just denied he knew Jesus three times. He is wishing he could start over...to take it all back...the guilt and shame was hanging over him.  It's in John 21, where we see the love of Jesus to not only restore Peter but to put him back on mission. 

If you've blown it (P.S. we all have, so you're in good company) and you feel like things are hopeless, know that God's love for you is everlasting and he is eager to restore the relationship. If yo uwould like to learn more, take a few minutes and listen to Begin Again.