The Watching World

In

part 4 of Knowing What You Believe and Why You Believe It, Les Norman and guest host Ed Croteau discuss rhetoric and how we can use it to persuade others of Biblical truths. Ed is the leader and founder of FSE (Faith, Substance, Evidence) University at Abundant

Life Church, Lee’s Summit. FSE University meets every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM, in room 1024 of the main building.

Last week, we talked about how people decide what is true. This week, we will learn how to persuade others to believe a truth claim. Rhetoric is an art form of persuasion or debate. It includes three forms: logos (facts and evidence), ethos (expert opinion or charisma), and pathos (appealing to emotions, dreams, and hopes).

Jesus used logos, ethos, and pathos when he taught.

Matthew 7:28-29: When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,

because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. (Ethos)

John 8:9: Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning

with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (Pathos)

Jesus is the logos.

Likewise, we can use all three forms to persuade and debate Biblical truths, such as how God is the best explanation for the origin of the universe. For example, we can present irrefutable facts that support that the universe has a beginning and use respected, non-religious experts to debate this point as well.

Abundant Life Church Website:

livingproof.co

FSE Website:

https://fse.life

In this episode, part 3 of learning about World Views, Truth and Evidence, guest Ed Croteau helps us understand how people decide what is truth.

Ed Croteau is the leader of FSE University at Abundant Life Church Lee’s Summit, MO, classes are every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM, located in room 1024 of the main building.

The Bible encourages us to examine ourselves. It’s important to be honest with yourself and your beliefs. When diving into the “why” behind your faith, ask yourself these questions: How did I come to believe this? How certain am I that the things I believe are true? Is it ok to admit I’m not 100% certain? What are my essential beliefs? How do my beliefs become convictions?

From here, ask yourself about how you decide when a belief becomes the truth. Is this belief something I am consciously aware of? Does it satisfy whatever caused me to doubt before? Does it motivate me to form a rule of action? Does it convict me to live by it?

When you are convicted by what the bible says, embrace God’s values even when it’s hard or uncomfortable, and actually do what Jesus says, you are showing to everyone else that you belong to Him, and you take your belief seriously.

Epistemology is the science of studying how truth claims are formed, usually falls under two sections, subjectivism (vs. objectivism) and relativism. What people take in as truth is mainly based on perspectives, our likes, and dislikes, whatever makes us most happy and comfortable. To be a Christian means to die to yourself and live for God and what He says. To be a Christian means not making truth claims in a subjective way, but yielding to what the bible says and taking the Word of God as truth.

Abundant Life Church Website:

livingproof.co

FSE Website:

https://fse.life

FSE YouTube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8SDiIK6Q1p0fIvPlxZIbxg

In part 2 of Why Christians Should Run for Public Office, Pastor Phil and Host Les Norman talk with local candidates Colleen Huff (Mayoral Candidate), Dr Joe Yacaginsky (school board candidate), Heather Eslick (school board candidate), Rach’l Aguirre (Missouri State Office), Rick Brattin (Missouri state office).

Colleen Huff: She had a desire and compassion for people. When Pastor Phil mentioned in a recent sermon that we needed to get into the game. She felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit and at first thought, she would run for the school board but felt the calling to run for Mayor.

Dr Joe Yacaginsky: His desire is to bring truth into education. He also felt the nudge to run for office from the Holy Spirit to bring biblical truth back to education. With his multiple levels of education, he has seen so many things change throughout the years. Dr. Joe is running for school board.

Rach’l Aguirre: Missouri State Office candidate. Rach’l has been involved in the pro-life movement for several years. Her father helped create the bill for life begins at conception. Being influenced by her father in politics, she decided it was her time to begin to run for office. She is running for truth for children, parents, and biblical and constitutional rights.

Heather Eslick is running for the school board. She wants to represent parents and children and have their voices be heard. Instead of being frustrated, she decided to take the step to run for office. She knew running for office would bring some tough times and they decided it was worth the fight.

Rick Brattin: Missouri State Senator and running for a House Seat. Rick looks at this as a mission field.

The Gospel is the answer to the deepest problems that we face as Americans. Christians are the preservatives of the society, the salt. Take the truth out into the world.

How can you get involved?

Register to vote: www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

Be active in your community and support the candidates that best represent biblical truth and that is bringing God glory. Get involved in committees.

Pastor Phil and Host Les Norman spend some time with some local candidates in the Kansas City Area that are running for public office.

Jesus said in Matthew 5 that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Let your light shine before men. For far too long, Christians have hidden the light behind the four walls of the church. Church is more than Sunday and it is something we are not just we go to. We she be embedded in culture and shining our light in culture. Entertainment, media, arts, governments, education…Christians should be there and be involved. Christians get to be part of the process in electing their leaders. It doesn’t mean being political, it means being biblical.

Sophia O’Neal: God shared with Sophia last summer that as a single mom, she too can make an impact through the story of Moses. After prayer, God put it in her heart to run for the local school board. After throwing her hat in the ring, and the number of conversations and prayers she decided to step down and put her support behind other Christian candidates. Our heart is for a cause: Put Christian Leadership back into schools.

Jennifer Foley: Jennifer is running for Lee’s Summit, MO School Board. Jennifer is a parent of a first-grader in the school district and found herself experiencing school during a pandemic. She is wanting to bring values back into the school system.

Bill Irwin: Retired US Navy Seal. Deployed all over the world. Served with Lee’s Summit Police Department. But most importantly serves Jesus Christ. 4th District of the US House Representative. Duty, Honor, Country. Fear God, obey His commandments. Honor thy father and mother. Bill doesn’t consider himself a politician. He is running because he feels the country is not headed in the right direction. He describes himself as a strategic planner, team planner, and decisive executer.

How can you get involved? We are all called to be the salt of society. Get out and vote, not on political parties, but on biblical values.

Register to vote by March 9 for local elections. How to Register to Vote | USAGov

https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

Get involved with local candidates and their campaigns.

Continuing in our series on World Views, Truth and Evidence, Ed Croteau walks us through popular religions, cultures and philosophies we see today. Ed is the leader of FSE University at Abundant Life Church Lee’s Summit, MO, classes are every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM, located in room 1024 of the main building.

Different world views defined in this episode are: Deism, Pantheism, Atheism, Secular Humanism, Panentheism, and Theism. How people process information is reflected in culture as modernism, only believing in what one can see or reason out for themselves, post-modernism, believing there is no absolute truth, and Christianity, knowing the truth that’s revealed by God in the bible. This leads to differing philosophies: objective truth vs. subjective truth, and relative truth vs. an absolute truth.

Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” When someone chooses to reject believing in God, at the core, their reason isn’t evidence-based. There is something else going on in their hearts. It is difficult to let go of your original worldview and accept a totally new one.

As Christians, we are called to be a witness, sharing what we’ve seen and learned. It’s important to speak the truth in love. There is immeasurable meaning and purpose in this life that God created, and our hope is that people’s world views would change, and they would come to the saving knowledge and hope found in Jesus.

Abundant Life Church Website: livinggproof.co

FSE Website: https://fse.life

Lead Pastor, Phil Hopper, teaches in-depth historical insight in our new series on the book of Daniel. Follow along in person, or online with Abundant Life Church’s current sermon series on Daniel, for more background.

When studying the bible, there are three questions to ask: Historical Application, “What happened?” Doctrinal Application, “What is God teaching?” and Devotional Application, “How does this apply to my life?”

God teaches four points through His word: What to believe (Doctrine), What not to believe (Reproof), What not to do (Correction), and What to do (Instruction).

Pastor Phil states, “Daniel was humble, holy, and hopeful. He was not angry nor defiant. That is why he had such profound influence over even pagan and wicked Babylonian kings.”

Daniel was one of the many Hebrew children taken from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar and brought to Babylon. Throughout the bible, “Babylon” is used as a metaphor for a wicked world system, one that is always in opposition to God’s will. The plan was to indoctrinate these young Hebrew children to learn to ways of Babylon.

Daniel could never get out of Babylon, but they could never get Babylon into Daniel. He remained faithful to God even when it went against the culture around him. Let this be an inspiration to us today, as this Babylonian world system creeps in again, now dressed as Neo-Marxism, first feeding our children through the education system, and spreading to more areas of our government and culture.

The same advice is true for Daniel’s time as it is for ours today; ministry begins in the home. As our children are young and moldable, teach them the truth about who God is, be an example of a heart changed by Jesus, and stand firm in the truth.

livingproof.co

Joining host Les Norman in beginning part 1 of 9 of a new series, “Knowing What You Believe and Why You Believe it, World Views, Truth and Evidence” is guest Ed Croteau, leader and founder of FSE University at Abundant Life Church.

In today’s episode, Ed takes us through some shocking parallels that led to the collapse of ancient Rome, and our American culture today. Mentioned in the book “The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” by Alfred Edersheim, there are five main points about specifically Rome. In Rome, there grew a culture of entitlement, an increase in atheism and self-deification, rejection of absolute truth, end of traditional family and marriage, rise in abortion, and hopelessness.

America was founded on biblical principles, but now we live in a place where objective morality is replaced by personal feelings, which is leading to a similar culture to that of Rome. It can be difficult to tell the difference between holy and profane, man and animal, man and women, man and God. The lines are being blurred.

As Christians, we need to stand firm in the faith in order to combat these evil ideas, and it isn’t enough to stand on our emotions as our foundation for being Christians. Christianity should be followed simply because it is true, and we can have understanding. If you’re not sure about this, come to FSE University and learn more about your faith.

FSE University is a class that gathers every Sunday at 9:30 AM in room 1024 at Abundant Life Lee's Summit Campus, Main Building.

Abundant Life Church Website:

livingproof.co

FSE Website:

https://fse.life

Abundant Life Church’s Women’s Ministry Leader, Jennifer Spears tells us her story, how she came about being the Leader of Women’s Ministry, and what it all involves.

Being raised in a Christian home, Jennifer knew about God. She was 8 years old when she understood the gospel, knew she was a sinner, placed her trust in Christ, and got saved. It wasn’t until she was married that she really let God take a hold of her life. It was as she grew in a relationship with her savior that she wanted to use her life to love him.

When the option to be a women’s ministry leader came up, she said “No” on multiple occasions. She was humbled and changed her mindset after the Word pierced her heart.

She read John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” Despite her anxieties about this leadership position, she said “Yes” to God’s calling, and hasn’t regretted it one bit!

Jennifer is so passionate about what she does as the Women’s Ministry Leader, she oversees all women’s groups, Bible Studies at all campuses and online, The Gathering, greeting and visiting with women looking to get connected.

If you’re interested in going to The Gathering event, volunteering, or a leadership role, contact Jennifer Spears.

livingproof.co/women

Our special guest today has a very unique story. Vanessa Johnson, one of Abundant Life’s Fusion volunteers shares with us her childhood in New Orleans in the 1960s, and how close to home the American Civil Rights Movement was, being that her own cousin, Gail Etienne, was one of the “New Orleans Four”.

Vanessa describes her childhood as a good one, being close with her big family, having friends, black and white, in the neighborhood to play with, not yet seeing the intense racial divide that the country was still going through.

Her family protected her against a lot of the evil surrounding her, but as she went to public school, she watched as her close friend down the block went to a much nicer school. Vanessa’s school was low quality, physically and educationally. It was like this, segregated and unequal, even though laws had changed, people’s hearts were still so hardened.

Her cousin Gail Etienne had been selected to join an integration movement in the public schools, at only six years old! Having Gail, along with only three other black children, enter McDonogh school, a predominantly white school, the white families began taking their children out of school, and even moving away. The white population dropped by 70%. At school, Gail was abused, spit on and beat with a baseball bat.

Even by high school, these schools were more integrated, but unfortunately every day there would be racially motivated fights.

Today we see a lot of people turning from God, and a lot of racial divide. As Christians, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, it doesn’t matter what is on the outside, Jesus unites us with His spirit. He is the answer.

https://livingproof.co

https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_d507518c-839c-11ec-8d00-ff3a062a1d6a.html

Join today’s guests, and Fusion staff members Savvy Hughes, student operations coordinator, and Paytn Godshall, student events coordinator, as we learn about their personal testimonies of being called into ministry.

It was in college that Savvy felt the Lord stirring a desire in her heart about ministry. Though she was majoring in elementary education, she was drawn to ministry while leading at “OneWeek.” Feeling uncomfortable and unequipped is exactly where she had to be to see that God was with her and equipping her for this calling.

On her road to becoming a nurse, Paytn went on a mission trip to Jamaica, where God tugged at her heart to change career paths. She began to prayerfully consider what else God could be calling her to. She realized her soul was satisfied when serving in student ministry and decided to pursue that path instead.

Ministry work is a big calling, it comes with physical, emotional, and spiritual fatigue, but it gives even more opportunity to trust in the Lord and be fully dependent on Him.

“We can make our plans but the Lord determines our steps.” Proverbs 16:9