Life Truth Network Master Feed

A collaboration episode, where Keith and Nathan take turns responding to a YouTuber, with an intersting look at what he claims are inconvenient verses. He claims that preachers don’t preach these embarrassing passages in the pulpit.

After some housekeeping to remind listeners about the rapidly approaching 200th episode, and using #qft200 to alert us on social media, Keith lets folks know there won’t be a link to our guest audio clips, but use the following details to do your own search to locate the video n your own on youtube.com.

Youtube Channel: Truth Search

Nov 2015

Here’s the countdown:

* 9. Matthew 5:22 Forbids calling people fools. So Christians can’t call atheists fools, bummer.

Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

This is a triple threat that includes being angry without cause, calling your brother. raka (or an air head), and of course a fool. And the result is basically the same. Judgement, facing the counsil, and hell.

The real issue isn’t the name calling as much as the context. The question ought to be, “Who is my brother?” The command is limited to who your brother is, and having malice in your heart against them.

* 8 Luke 24:25 (also 11:40) Jesus calls 2 people fools. Then calls religious leaders other names.

Luke 24:25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

Luke 11:40 Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also?

The trouble here is a translation problem. The actual Greek words in play for fool mean “Un-intelligent” in the first verse. And “un-mindful” in the next one. The people being addressed were said to be uninformed, and unthinking about what they were doing. Warnings that could lead to a wake up call to danger in moral behavior.

* 7 Matthew 5:44 Christians are commanded to love, bless, and pray for enemies. Inconvenient for centuries for those who feel a need to burn a witch, or bomb an abortion clinic.

Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

This may be one of his few relevant inconveniences. But hey, Christians are still human. They sometimes don’t live up to the standards of the bible. But nobody has burned witches for centuries. And the wackos who bomb abortion clinics are few, and have little to no connection to Christians.

* 6 John 2:15 Jesus has a temper tantrum, and violently whips people in the temple.

John 2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;

Read the next verse for context, and why Jesus did this.

It explains why he did it. Also his rage wasn’t uncontrolled, but focused on those who were making a mockery of worship.

* 5 1 John 3:9 (also 1 John 3:6). Christians cannotg sin.

1 John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

1 John 3:6 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

Defimately a hard saying, and doctrine. But Keith steps through the verses leading into the passage to expand on how this can be.

* 4 Matthew 15:24 (also Matthew 10:5-6). Jesus only came for the Jews. Nobody else.

A Star Spex Short

I figured out an amazing thing....BITLY! Here are the easier to remember (I hope) web links!

This collaboration episode is a little short, but covers an important topic.

Touching base on the Apostle’s Creed, the second statement of faith reads:

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord:

What does the term, “Only begotten son” mean as it pertains to Jesus? We explore a handful of places that use the phrase in the New Testament, mostly writings of John.

In these few verses there’s a lot to be learned about the imortal, invisible almighty God who created the univers. He was the Word who created all that was created, and when the time was right he made himself a body of flesh, so he could interact with the rest of us. His apostles, namely John, witnessed the glory of it all, as they had God dwelling among them. They are witnesses of his grace, glory, and truth. Though Jesus has returned to his placce in heaven, the historical testimony that he really lived on earth remains.

Jesus was a gift from God. To believe in him means life. John also mentions the only begotten is the manifest of love. Manifest is to make clearly plain, as in opening a book for all to read. Isn’t that love? When our only hope in life is our achievements we might attain in a lifetime. Then what? The grave, and someone else gets to claim our possessions. Because of the mission the only begotten son came to do, we now have this manifest gift. we have a way to be restored. Redeemed from our sins to be reconciled and back in God’s good graces.

Let’s look at these references concerning theOnly begotten.

John 1

14  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

KJV

John 1

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

John 3

16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

A curious find is made while looking up information on the only begotten. The writer of Hevrews uses this term that is linked to Jesus. He links it to describe a relationship of Abraham to his son, Isaac. Is this a parallel between establishing the seed of a promised nation, to the coming of the Messiah? is it a parallel of the earthly kingdom to the spiritual kingdom that Jesus came to establish??

The One receiving the promise, is found offering his son. Abraham seems to stand in as a God-figure. The difference being that there was no power of salvation in offering Isaac. Only the testing of Abraham’s faith. The result was a subsitute. A ram that was provided by God, and was acceptable.

God’s true sacrifice was to come to earth, but to be sacrificed with the kind of power to take away the sins of all the world. A task that the one and only begotten son could do.

Hebrews 11

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

To wrap up, I hope it’s as clearly plain to you, as it is to me, that the love of the only begotten son is manifest, and is a gift of love and life.

1 John 4

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

From this short episode, I hope the Holy Spirit has touched a chord of faith to draw your heart closer to his. And that an understanding of having the Lord, Jesus Christ, as the only begotten son of God, will be an inspirational part of your life.

Pastor Terry Pope has gone home to be with the Lord. Keith shares with us Brother Pope's Memorial service.

We take a look at Jesus and how he is the Only Begotten son of God. What does that imply?

Crossover episode. Psalm 11.

Real Christian Behavior. Notes are at http://quest.heltsley.net

Fish Tales, with guest James Kennison of nlcast.com

A different kind of episode, where life tosses in a curve ball. A little long, a little sad, a little bit of humor, but it all came in an impromptu moment.

When someone close to you passes away, what do you do? You call on the pastor, and try to work through your grief.

But what do you do when the pastor is the one who has passed away?? Well, it looks like this episode.

This is the recording of our final day of a recent revival. On the evening before, we all got word that our pastor had given n I n to his brief battle with pancreatic cancer. The service went on as scheduled, but became an improvised memorial to pastor Terry Pope. Singers from the Country Gospel Music Association (CGMA), Karen Karr and Kathy Adkins, were on hand to present some of Terry’s favorite songs, and share memories of where their ministries crossed paths.

Pastor Gene DeClute delivers his message and memories of helping Terry in the early days of establishing his ministry at the church. When you’re a Christian, it shows in your actions. Spreading the Gospel was always pastor Terry’s goal, and wanted it to be the desire of his people to continue his work, boldly, and serving the kingdom of Christ unashamedly.

Permission to use Music from Karen Kar and Kathy Adkins was granted to use in the podcast episode. More about them can be found on the CGMA web page, countrygospelmusic.com.

The song used in the offering portion of the service came from youtube.com, and can be enjoyed with the following link.