Topic > Christianity & Culture
Do You Believe In Magic? Interacting With The Spirit World
Interest in magic and a fascination with supernatural knowledge and power have become a part of today’s culture. This fascination raises questions in the minds of many. Find out what the Bible has to say about magic, as author Dennis Fisher offers a biblical response to some of the questions you may have regarding popular views of magic, the dangers of experimenting with magic, and the difference between real and make-believe magic.
What it means to be “called” by God, and to have Him working in and through you
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another” (John 15:16-17).
IDEA: Being chosen by God carries reciprocal responsibilities.
PURPOSE: To help listeners think about what it means to be one of God’s “chosen people.”
How the chosen people of Israel impact our world and faith
Tuesday, July 24, 2012, Part 2
“You are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but, because the Lord loves you, and because he would keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Therefore know that the Lord your God, he is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant with those who love him and keep his commandments; and he repays those who hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates him; he will repay him to his face. Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them” (Deuteronomy 7:6-11).
IDEA: God deals lovingly with His people as they show their love to God by their obedience.
PURPOSE: To help listeners understand the extent and the limits of being God’s chosen people.
How the church can support those dealing with abuse in the home
We live in a fallen world. And Christian homes aren’t immune to abuse and suffering. Let's wrestle with the difficult subject of domestic abuse and how the church can help those dealing with it.
Biblical wisdom and hope for struggling relationships
Misapplying a biblical text can lead to dangerous consequences. We must realize that how we handle Scripture can have bad results if we misapply it.
Look at God’s ultimate design for marriage and find encouragement in the Scriptures
“Submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:21-33).
Looking to the Bible for hope as we wrestle with the difficult subject of divorce
“Submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5: 21-33).
Discover powerful truths in Scripture to strengthen your marriage
When we interpret a passage in the Bible, we must pay attention to grammatical structure. People tend to put submit with head, but grammatically we need to keep clear about the pairs of words in the passage. What can happen when we fail to do that?
When we do that, we miss the image of the wife as the husband's body and Paul's point that they are "one flesh" (Genesis 2:24).
A controversial text in Ephesians and an important message for your marriage
For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5: 21-33).
IDEA: When we interpret a passage in the Bible, we must pay attention to grammatical structure.
PURPOSE: To help listeners think about the structure of biblical texts.
Bringing clarity to the sensitive subject of submission in marriage
Friday, July 6, 2012
“Submitting to one another in the fear of God. Wives, to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:21-33).
IDEA: How we interpret the Bible or apply the Bible can have serious consequences.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that how we apply the Bible can have serious consequences.
Discovering what Ephesians chapter five says about submission
So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:21-33).
Let’s shed light on the controversial subject of submission
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband” (Ephesians 5:21-33).
IDEA: To misinterpret or misapply a passage of Scripture always has consequences.
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize the dangers that may grow out of bad exegesis.
The Offering Plate
Ed Dobson, my former pastor, often said that he disliked preaching about financial giving to the church. He said his previous job required fundraising, so he didn’t like putting any unnecessary pressure on people. But when he was teaching through 2 Corinthians, and he came to chapters 8 and 9, he couldn’t avoid the topic of giving. What I remember most about his sermon was the illustration he used. He placed an offering plate on the floor, stepped into it, and stood there as he talked about the importance of giving our whole selves to the Lord, not just our wallets.
A helpful discussion on giving from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount
“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you” (Matthew 6:1-5).
IDEA: God honors those Christians who live their lives before an audience of One.
PURPOSE: To help listeners see themselves living with God as their audience.
Understanding Jesus’ teaching on giving, and the motivation behind it
“Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full” (Matthew 6:1-2).
IDEA: We are to give generously, but quietly. (It’s possible to give to be seen by people and to encourage others to give to be seen by others.)
PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that what Jesus says does not refer only to the long-ago-and-far-away.
