Lighthouse Faith

Western Christians have just celebrated Easter, but the Orthodox and Eastern Christians will celebrate this weekend. They're on two different calendars, but still worship the same Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. Pastor Steven Khoury lives in the Cradle of Christianity, Jerusalem and Bethlehem; The latter where Jesus was born, the former where He was crucified, buried and resurrected. The region is also the epicenter of the other two major religions; Judaism and Islam, and as such has a unique spiritual challenge to the Coronavirus pandemic. Khoury is an Arab Christian, one of a few thousand, perhaps even as much as 30,000 born again Christians living in Israel made up of Arabs, former Muslims and Jews seeking a relationship with Christ. Khoury founded and runs Holy Land Missions, in a land divided by religious and political conflict. And yet he says, all three faiths should be asking God the same question about the COVID-19 pandemic. "The question shouldn't be why? But, God, what are you trying to tell us?" And the answer is most definitely that God doesn't just want us to do right things and be good people, but to turn to Him as our foundational trust. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith, Pastor Khoury explores the spiritual impact of COVID-19 and power of faith in the land of God's promises and covenants.

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The Coronavirus shutdown of churches is now several weeks old, but the question of whether they should be shut and the controversy over the challenges to government authority in the matter persist. Dr. Russell Moore, President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention, spoke on Lighthouse Faith podcast recently on the issue. Moore heads the public policy arm of the SBC and is urging churches to comply with government mandates on social distancing to stop the spread of the virus. But what about The Bible’s mandate to “not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.” (Hebrews 10:25)? It must also be weighed with Romans 13:1-2, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.” It’s in navigating these two verses that Moore speaks to as well as the issue of helping churches stay financially solvent while parishioners meet virtually, even during the highest Holy Day of the Christian calendar, Easter Sunday. 

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Easter is the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus following his death and burial. The Bible quite clearly says in all four Gospels that Jesus died on a cross. He was crucified. (The majority of Historians have consensus on this fact well). What the Bible does not explain, is the process by which His body shut down; in other words, a medical examiner’s detailed description of cause of death. Many scientists over the years though have. Their findings usually point to asphyxiation, because the stress on the body having the arms extended and all the body weight not being supported, or another conclusion was cardiac rupture. But Dr. Joseph Bergeron believes it was something else. He explains his findings in his book, "The Crucifixion of Jesus: A Medical Doctor Examines the Death and Resurrection of Christ." In this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Dr. Bergeron talks about Jesus’s death, and also the theological background and historical context of His life, death, and resurrection; and that it should be vitally important to the entire scope of humanity. Dr. Bergeron is a doctor of faith who not only examines the "How" of Jesus' death, but the far more important question of "Why?"

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You might call the Coronavirus an expected and uninvited guest. That’s the mild version. You could also describe it as a devastating disaster striking the very heart of humanity’s trusted safeguards like the economy, for one. But Pastor Allen Jackson, Senior Pastor of World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee says, while we may be realizing that we’re more fragile than we thought, we should also have confidence in the fact that God is stronger and more powerful than we ever gave Him credit for. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Pastor Jackson talks about his new book "Intentional Faith," and how being proactive about reading Scripture, regularly praying, and reaching out to other friends and family will give us new encouragement and hope. And we all will discover that “we are more blessed than we ever knew.”

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The Coronavirus has altered life as we know it. This pandemic has brought us a staunch reality that we are not in total control and that there are other forces, evil forces, if you will, that can change the path we thought we were on. Does God have an answer for us? Pastor Max Lucado, always a voice of faith and spiritual strength, is offering these words of wisdom, “I’ve been telling people, feed your faith and your fears will starve. But if you feed your fears, your faith will starve.” On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Pastor Max Lucado, who’s authored several books on God’s promises, offers people hope as they deal with the global spread of the virus. He says getting news and information is good but saturating yourself with it is not. It feeds your fears. He recommends we counterbalance with Scripture reading, prayer, and finding an online community to connect with. We are venturing into uncharted waters. But the questions about God are similar to other times of great upheaval and uncertainty: “Is God angry with us? Are we living in the End-times? Will God prevail?” Listen to Pastor Max and the spiritual fortitude we can all benefit from. And especially listen to Pastor Max’s prayer at the conclusion of the podcast. It will bring you much hope and comfort.

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If you're reading this there's a one hundred percent chance you've been born. That's the good news. But it also means that there is a one hundred percent chance you will one day die. In between those landmarks, the beginning and end of our life journey, many of us will marry and some of us will be responsible for the births of other human beings. It's the circle of life. Theologian and author Dr. Timothy Keller, founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, and his wife Kathy, have written three small books that give guidance for these events in our life where we experience our greatest joys and our deepest griefs. The titles of the small handbooks are simply Birth, Marriage, and Death. Tim Keller says, "These are key times in which you suddenly are jolted out of the kind of obliviousness to the big questions of life. We're just so busy doing things, we never sit back and say, what am I living for and what is it all about? And why are we even here? You never ask those questions. You're too busy, especially in New York." And the Coronavirus has certainly made many people focus on not only delaying the inevitable and staying healthy, but also asking whether God has anything to say about a global pandemic like Covid-19? And the uncomfortable question about whether or not it's God's judgment on a corrupted world. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, the Keller’s give a very nuanced, biblical answer to all these queries.

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As the world becomes more and more divided over religion and politics, it's vitally important for people of faith to be courageous about sticking to the foundations of their beliefs. So says Dr. Robert Jeffress, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Dallas and a Fox News Contributor. His new book "Courageous" is a ten-step guide to helping Christians develop strategies for not just 'living' but 'striving' in a world that has become more hostile to faith. For example, to "bend, but don't break," "learn from the past," and number one, "don't panic." On this episode of Lighthouse Faith Podcast, Dr. Jeffress also talks politics. He's one of President Donald Trump's close spiritual advisors and supporters. He discusses the President's mood right after he was acquitted in the impeachment trial, and also how to forgive those who persecute you. While many believe religion and politics live in two separate worlds, Jeffress makes it clear that faith is the fuel for any political position.

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The Lenten season has begun and that means millions of Christians will be giving up something as part of the 40-day pilgrimage to Holy Week and Easter. It also means that millions will also be fasting, doing without food, as part of a Spiritual sacrifice. But according to Dr. Jay Richards, author of "Eat, Fast, Feast: Heal Your Body While Feeding Your Soul," there are tremendous health benefits to fasting that ancient philosophers and Holy people have known for centuries, and that modern medicine is starting to discover. In this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Richards builds on, and reinforces, a recent  New York Times article that said animal studies showed the benefit of intermittent fasting on “a wide range of chronic disorders, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers and neurodegenerative brain diseases.” And that "human studies of intermittent fasting found that it improved such disease indicators as insulin resistance, blood fat abnormalities, high blood pressure and inflammation, even independently of weight loss." All the major religions require fasting as part of their faith journey. Richards says it makes perfect sense that there would be a duel benefit of fasting, "because God designed humans to be this unique hybrid of both physical and spiritual." We should have faith that there would be a health benefit to the spiritual requirement of fasting.

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Does America have an expiration date? And is the nation's dwindling faith contributing to it? It's a pretty depressing prediction but one with historic precedent. Syndicated Columnist and best-selling author Cal Thomas brings his wit and wisdom to this episode of Lighthouse Faith Podcast. His new book "America's Expiration Date" is packed with expert historians' observations about how empires rise and fall, and about their average shelf life. One of the growing comparisons is why they fall;  not from outside forces, but because of a crumbling from within. And lack of moral standards and faith are two of the big building blocks that when tumbled, can bring down the house. Thomas is not talking about End Times predictions, but how history has written the expected future of Superpowers like the United States of America.

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It's considered one of the biggest miracle spectacles of the Bible, and yet archaeologists have strongly disagreed as to whether it actually happened. The parting of the Red Sea in the Old Testament allowed the Israelite's to flee a pursuing Egyptian army and escape to freedom while Pharaoh’s soldiers drowned. It's the stuff of blockbuster movies like Cecil B. Demille's "The Ten Commandments." Documentary filmmaker Tim Mahoney took 20 years investigating the biblical story. The two-part documentary will have a one-time showing as a Fathom Events selected theaters on February 18th and May 5th. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Mahoney talks about his film, "The Red Sea Miracle", and his interviews with archaeologists and scientists on both sides of the debates, to bring both the Hebrew and Egyptian perspectives on the Red Sea parting, to uncover a range of evidence concerning the event described in Exodus 14. The Israelite's freedom comes after what is now commemorated as Passover. It's the last and final plague that God sends, the death of every first born. Only the blood of a lamb over the door posts saves them from death.

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