Whatsoever Is True

Work can be frustrating.  In this episode we explore the reality of vocation and we delve into the absolutely necessary reality that each of us is responsible to work...for Him, not merely for ourselves.  All that we find to do should be theological in its origin and ultimate destination.  Developing a theology of work protects us.  It builds up our spiritual immune system and saves us from the prevailing false doctrines of the age.  Come and learn about the reality of living and working in a fallen world when you're redeemed by Christ.  

Being a Christian can be confusing.  How are we supposed to "present our body as a living sacrifice" (Romans 12:1) at work?  What happens if I'm struggling with my job or I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing for a job?  What am I supposed to think about frustration over money and working hours and all that too?  These are serious questions that should be talked about more.  The answer to all of them is to develop a sound biblical worldview first and then apply the principles of Scripture to our individual situations.  In this episode we show that the dominant philosophy of the age is wrong and how that can lead us into a sinful view of labor.  Instead of seeing work as a means of glorifying the Lord and serving our neighbor, we can fall into greed and resentment if we aren't careful.  Take a listen and be amazed at how the Bible puts it all into perspective.  

In a world of often astonishing stupidity (foolishness) we can sometimes be overwhelmed.  Government officials and economists act as though $34 trillion in debt is, well, okay.  School officials teach that life is ultimately an accident, not created by God, and yet wonder why depression and meaninglessness stalk our youth.  Yes, foolishness is everywhere.  But we shouldn't despair.  The source of it is explained in the Bible and, praise the Lord, the answer to it all is found in Christ.  To live wisely is to live a gospel saturated life.  

How does Resurrection Sunday prove the truth about God?  How does it change everything about your life?  In this short message learn how Easter changes everything to the glory of God and what that means for your life.  Nothing else does this...no other worldview or philosophy.  Everything else skirts the question of death or ignores it altogether.  Nothing else answers why death exists and what is done about it.  Christ does.  That's the whole point and power of the gospel!  He lived and died and rose again to set us free from this world of sin and death!  

So take a quick listen.  We kept this short so you could hear this powerful truth...this life changing truth and glorify God this Easter Sunday.  

Wisdom, the Bible says, makes our face shine.  Bitterness, on the other hand, causes a harshness of expression.  The latter is the result of living in God's world as if it's one's own.  Bitterness sets in when we fight God rather than repent and follow Him.  Wisdom is the antidote to frustration and bitterness in that it sees God and His Word as ultimate in life rather than oneself.  

But this isn't merely a thing for believers over against unbelievers.  On the contrary, a good many Christians reject and ignore the great treasures they have in Christ.  By ignoring prayer and the great implications of the gospel, many of us struggle with our frustrations.  Bitterness is, for the Christian, prayers unprayed!  Instead of taking our struggles to Him, our disappointments, our fears...even our hot anger, we stuff it down.  We suppress it.  Oh, what folly that is.  He cares about us and is there for us to cast our worries and concerns upon.  What a great treasure prayer and worship is!  

In this episode we explore the reality of how wisdom makes our face shine and how to develop the right attitude toward reading Scripture as well as how to use it (the Bible) to teach us to pray.  

The fact is, the world is tough.  Life is tough.  Sometimes things look downright bleak, don't they?  Events can seem totally out of control.  This is especially true when we run into apparent contradictions in life.  The ungodly look like they're being blessed, but the people of faith suffer.  Maybe you're there right now.  If you aren't, assuredly you'll encounter a hard winter of the soul.  It's for this reason that we need to take seriously ALL of what Scripture says.  You see, the Preacher in Ecclesiastes is talking to YOU...he's making sure you aren't taken by surprise by life's apparent contradictions.  He's lovingly and wisely trying to prepare you for real life in a fallen world.  

In this episode we talk about how to overcome the great scourge of losing hope, of being battered by events, and living a defeatist life.  Yes, Christians can and often do live, though saved, as ones with no future.  We'll teach you in this episode how to live in faith throughout it all.  No, we don't know exactly what the course looks like but we know the finish line is Christ in heaven and that He anxiously awaits us there.  The course of life now, if we run it in faith, is meant to strengthen our faith muscles, so to speak.  That's the key!  Living by faith is always the key.  

Like a baseball player is supposed to "hustle" out of the box when they hit a ball, regardless of where or how hard they hit it, so a Christian should hustle too.  We don't know if we'll be out or safe on that play, but we know how the game ends.  And that's exactly how we keep our stuff together here "under the sun."  

"Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed..."  By what?  Glad you asked, "...by the renewal of your mind."  The Christian life is a life of joyful obedience to Christ and His word-law.  This requires that we're thoughtful and willing to learn.  That's the key.  All Christians are students of the Lord.  A disciple is a "disciplined learner."  We aren't to drift along emotionally, but we're called to grow wise in the Lord.  

We're told that all who hate correction are stupid (Proverbs 12:1).  This shows us that the Christian life is that of humble submission to His will for us.  It shows that we're to be seeking His instruction not only in the Scriptures but also through our everyday interactions...especially our frustrations.  Indeed, our frustrations and failures are wonderful opportunities that the Lord uses, if we're humble, to grow and be blessed.  Let's not keep wandering in the wilderness.  Let's be humble and submissive to Him.  Let's take correction well.  Let's not be stupid.  

America is clearly in trouble. Her politics are awash in acrimony, lies, and corruption.  Her media is basically an arm of the state, a propaganda machine rather than true journalists.  Her social structure, shot through by sexual anarchy and the collapse of the family, is crumbling.  Her wayward children, taught the lies of secular humanism and social Marxism in the schools, are suffering greatly from depression and anxiety.  Confusion and drug abuse reign.  

What should Christians think about all this?  Well, we shouldn't be surprised because the wages of sin, of rejecting God's moral law, are always suffering and death.  To this end we should be more vigilant in our own walk with Christ.  We should be compelled to pray for our country and all those who are trapped in despair because of the lies.  With true compassion for the lost, but with our spirits provoked by the lies like Paul in Athens, we must renew our commitment to the Great Commission.  We must bring the truth of the gospel to the world.  We're His ambassadors!  

Now, this doesn't mean that every single one of us is an evangelist that needs to go get a soap-box and street corner.  But it does mean that in whatever station we have in life that we understand it in the Lord and that we're faithful to Him, ready to give an answer to a world that desperately needs it (1 Peter 3:15).  The reason for all the conflict and decay is sin.  This means the answer is the gospel because only Christ can defeat sin.  To that we say: praise the Lord.  This is the Christian worldview.  In this podcast we'll explore this and how it applies to America today.  

A good many men these days are finding the philosophy of ancient Stoicism relevant and helpful.  Indeed, in an age where masculinity is under siege, lots of men see the wisdom in it.  But the thing is, what they truly need is Christ.  He's the true wisdom of God.  Though Seneca and Marcus Aurelius have many wise sayings, those uttering don't, in fact, answer the big questions of why and what for...in the end, it champions a form of fatalism.  

Christianity, on the other hand, teaches us the tough truths - the full truth - behind life's disappointments and struggles.  Christ Himself stands as our Alpha Male.  He brings all things into proper judgment and context so that we rest assured that we can endure through Him and in Him.  Rather than saying, "oh, it is what it is" we say, "the Lord is sovereign."  Yes, it's a sin-sick world but Christ has overcome sin and death and so we live humbly and faithfully.  

In this episode learn 10 lessons of a "Christian stoicism."  

Death and suffering can easily cause even the most faithful to struggle mightily.  In this episode we discuss how Christ has actually conquered death and what this means to our temporary - yes, temporary - setbacks in this lifetime.  The only thing that's truly final is His judgment of us as "righteous in Christ!"  Truly knowing this, and resting in it during tough times makes all the difference in the world.