Are there Conditions to Prayer?


God is no cosmic Santa Claus or fairy godmother standing by to grant any and every wish that comes His way. No, God is holy and in many ways does have expectations about what prayers He will answer and why. Fortunately, He has told us what to do. 

Perhaps somewhat obviously, we must be directing our prayers to God—the one true God of the Bible. It does us no good to pray to false gods, a god we construct in our own image, angels, dead people, or a higher power we assemble from the stuff we like from many worldviews. First Corinthians 8:5–6 says, 
"For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many 'gods' and many 'lords'—yet for us there is one God, the Father, from who are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist." 

There is one God who is true and only He is able to answer prayer. We have access to God only through Jesus Christ (John 14:6; Hebrews 4:14–16; 10:19–22; 1 Timothy 2:5). In part, it is for this reason that we are told to pray in Jesus' name (John 16:24). In fact, Jesus sits at God's side, making intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). 

In Matthew 21:22 Jesus said, 
"Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." 

James 1:6 also talks about this. Having faith is a condition for answered prayer. Of course, even the act of praying to God and believing He hears your prayer takes a certain measure of faith. Our faith is in God, not in how we want Him to answer our prayer or in the amount of faith we have. The faith to which God responds is faith that believes Him and trusts Him to do what is best. Faith is essential to pleasing God (Hebrews 11:6).

Continue reading here.




Bye Bye Baby: Women in Dublin Celebrate as Ireland Passes Abortion Law Allowing Them to Kill Their Unborn Babies on Demand

By Geoffrey Grider

“And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger” (2 Kings 17:17 [KJV]).

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article from the ultra-Liberal Buzzfeed.com shows perfectly the demonic spirit that is manifesting itself not only in Ireland. but around the world as well. It is hard for me to wrap my head around people joyously celebrating the passing of a law allowing you to kill your unborn baby in the womb. Oh the sheer irony of women demanding ‘women’s rights’ while at the same time denying them to their own flesh and blood. Women all over Ireland were quoted after passage of the new law as being ‘thrilled’, “overjoyed”, “electric” and “really, really happy”. Hmm…I wonder what the babies would say if they could be interviewed? But no need to worry about that, nobody cares about the babies.

Read/watch the details here.



Does God Create Evil?


Isaiah 45:7 and Amos 3:6 -
"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things" (Isaiah 45:7, [KJV]).
"Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?" (Amos 3:6)

Is God really the one who created evil? To answer the question we must first look at how the word for evil, "rah," is used in the Bible, examine the context of the Isaiah 45:7 passage, and look at other passages on the same subject.

First of all, the Hebrew word for evil, "rah," is used in many different ways in the Bible. In the KJV Bible it occurs 663 times. Four-hundred-thirty-one (431) times it is translated as "evil." The other 232 times it is translated as "wicked," "bad," "hurt," "harm," "ill," "sorrow," "mischief," "displeased," "adversity," "affliction," "trouble," "calamity," "grievous," "misery," and "trouble." So we can see that the word does not require that it be translated as "evil." This is why different Bibles translate this verse differently. It is translated as "calamity" by the NASB and NKJV; "disaster" by the NIV; and "woe" by the RSV.

Second, the context of the verse is speaking of natural phenomena.

"I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other, The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the Lord who does all these" (Isaiah 45:5-7).

Notice that the context of the verse is dealing with who God is, that it is God who speaks of natural phenomena (sun, light, dark), and it is God who is able to cause "well-being" as well as "calamity." Contextually, this verse is dealing with natural disasters and human comfort issues. It is not speaking of moral evil; rather, it is dealing with calamity, distress, etc. This is consistent with other scriptures. For example,
"And the Lord said to him, "Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him dumb or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?" (Exodus 4:11)
"Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?" (Amos 3:6)

Also, take note that Isaiah is presenting contrasts. He speaks of "light" and "darkness," "well-being" and "calamity." The word "well-being" in the Hebrew is the word for 'peace,' "Shalome." So, in the context, we are seeing two sets of opposites: Light and dark, peace and non-peace, or well-being and calamity. The "evil" that is spoken of is not ontological evil but the evil experienced by people in the form of calamity.

From the above two verses (Exodus 4:11; Amos 3:6), we can see that the Lord is involved in calamity and problems in the earthly realm. Exodus 4:11 is speaking of human frailty, and Amos 3:6 is speaking of woes in a city. It is not a moral evil that God brings but calamity and distress upon people. 

Of course, this raises other questions of why God would do such a thing, which I won't cover here. But, we can trust that whatever God does is just and is used for teaching, guiding, and disciplining His people.

Third, there are other verses that clearly show that God is pure and that He cannot approve of evil.
“The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He" (Deut. 32:4).
"Thine eyes are too pure to approve evil, and Thou canst not look on wickedness with favor" (Hab. 1:13).

We can see that the Bible teaches that God is pure and does not approve of evil, that the word "rah" (evil) in Hebrew can mean many things, and that contextually the verse is speaking of calamity and distress. Therefore, God does not create evil in the moral sense but in the sense of disaster or calamity.

Has the Great Falling Away from the Faith Begun? – Part 1


There have always been passionate preachers who warned of the approaching apocalypse and denounced the corruption of society. What is different today?

The Bible speaks repeatedly of “falling away.” Sometimes the word “apostasy” is used, meaning rebellion or turning away from something that you had believed in.

In the Old Testament, terms such as “backsliding” appear (Jer 2:19; 5:6; 8:5; 14:7; Hos 11:7). When it came to apostasy in Israel, it was a turning away from the Word of God, from His will, and from His presence. This has always been associated with idolatry, immorality, social injustice, egoism, and sooner or later the judgment of God. Among other things, Daniel uses this word for the time of the Antichrist: 
“With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant (apostatized), but the people who know their God will firmly resist him” (Dan. 11:32 [NIV]).

In the New Testament, we find various passages that speak of apostasy from divine truths.

The first to speak of apostasy in the end times was the Lord Jesus Himself. He prophesied that in a coming time of tribulation this would be seen in a particular way, 
“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people” (Matt 24:10-11). 

The same word is used in the parable of the sower and the four soils. From the seed that falls in stony places, it says: 
“But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away” (Matt 13:21). 

Although the Word of God has had some effect on them, they fall away as soon as there are problems.

The Lord Jesus called deception one of the most important end-time signs before His coming in glory. It is the only sign that is repeated three times in Matthew 24 (verses 4-5, 11, 23-26). And, although the culmination of the seduction will come in the last great tribulation period, we already see the harbingers of it.

Continue reading here.




LGBT Activists Next Target: Charitable Status of Churches


Over the past decade, attacks on Canada's Christian communities by LGBT activists have escalated significantly. 

In Alberta, Education Minister David Eggen is threatening to defund and possibly shut down religious schools that do not accept Gay-Straight alliance clubs. Canada's Supreme Court recently ruled against Trinity Western University, a private Christian institution in British Columbia, for having students agree to a lifestyle contract upon enrollment. 

And of course, attempts to force schools to teach gender ideology are taking place simultaneously in nearly every province across the country.

I've seen many Canadian Christians post articles describing these events on social media, often accompanied by the million dollar question: "What's next?" 

I suspect that I've known the answer to that question for some time, but recent events in Ontario indicate that it could happen sooner than I'd thought. The potential catalyst is a story that has been reported on breathlessly by Canadian media for just over a week now.

Continue reading here.




Liberal Churches: Compromised & Infiltrated


As liberal churches began to permit same-sex relationships, take steps towards the ordination of gay clergy, and make approving noises concerning gay marriage, gay activists were able to send a loud message to a culture that was awaiting the Christian response. 

They could effectively push to the fringe orthodox Christian denominations who held to 2,000 years of Christian teaching on sexuality, while declaring that the liberal denominations, (those who endorsed love in all its forms) were the true representatives of Christianity in the West. 

That is why orthodox Christians who despise homophobia have found themselves consistently lumped in with the hatemongering Westboro Baptists--because the gay liberation movement has, through the careful cultivation of alliances with post-Christian churches, redefined for many in the culture at large what it means to be a Christian. 

Adhering to orthodoxy is no longer important, they say. Not judging the actions of your neighbors, however, is paramount: Judge not, except when you are judging those you find judgmental.

Read the details here.




Alyssa Milano Misuses the Bible and Science to Support Abortion


Actress Alyssa Milano has now marshalled the Bible and science to support her pro-abortion position. Unfortunately, she is wrong on both accounts. The Bible and science, rightly understood, are totally pro-life.

Tweeting on April 1 (with no apparent irony intended), Milano said:
“I love God. I believe in God. 
“But I don’t believe my personal beliefs of which we can’t confirm should override scientific facts and what we can confirm.

“‘If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?’” (John 3:12)

As for Milano’s love for God and belief in God, that is between her and God. At least she is not denying His existence. That’s a step in the right direction.

As for her quoting the Bible, the words are taken out of context and, in reality, work against her. I’m glad that she feels that quoting the Bible is important. We agree!

It’s just that she could not have chosen two worse witnesses to defend the “right” of abortion. To repeat: both the Bible and science, rightly understood, are pro-life.

Continue reading to learn her scientific/Biblical fallacies here.




Spiritual Deception of the Progressives


There was a time when ideas like yoga or eastern meditation in the church were only associated with Christ Science churches, Universalist Churches, and a few spurious non-biblical fringe places. In a few scant decades, the walls have been so completely torn down that we not only see no harm in these things, we promote them. This is exactly what Theosophist (Luciferian) leader Alice Bailey predicted would be part of the new age infiltration into the church.

So, in fact, this has been underway for some time. It probably began to get a real foothold in our present time with Norman Vincent Peale’s “Power of Positive Thinking” theology, quickly adapted by Rev. Robert Schuller who was really the first modern “megachurch” and “Seeker Friendly” church pastor. Their ideas were once considered a bit of an aberration from mainstream Christian doctrine. But here we are decades later, and seeker friendly and power of positive thinking is normal and unchallenged. The crack into Bible-based evangelical churches had begun to open just a little.

God help us to turn away from the slow poisoning of the church through breath-prayers, eastern meditation, mindfulness, yoga, etc. God help us to surrender our soulish ways of perceiving God based on a book that was written by a wounded man, William Paul Young – unhealed from abuse and bitter church hurts – whom those seeking to make a profit have promoted regardless of his spiritual fragility and woundedness – who rejected the God of the Bible for a god who would somehow ease his pain – one that eases your pain as it kills your soul. The Shack is the spiritual Jack Kavorkian of our age.

Pray for William Paul Young, that God would pull him out of this most dangerous and deadly strange fire.

Pray for the multitudes who are believing lies. And may God deal with those mercenaries and moneychangers who care more about what sells and profits them then about the care and protection of the flock of God.

Alice Bailey’s plans are about to come to full fruition. The greatest lie is just around the corner.

Examine the details here.




Four Progressive Steps into Apostasy


Throughout the 2000 year history of the Church, we have seen a continual departure of people and churches from the faith of the apostles. As incredibly tragic as this has been, it should not surprise us because Paul warned: “The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). Shortly after our Lord began building His Church, the apostle John records one of the first occurrences of apostasy. “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19). Since then, many other professing Christians, churches, denominations, and seminaries, who once upheld the truth and authority of God’s Word, have drifted into apostasy. One of the interesting characteristics of apostasy is that it does not happen overnight. It actually develops over a period of time through a process that can be categorized into four steps.
First Step into Apostasy

God’s word is neglected as the supreme authority for faith and practice.

Second Step into Apostasy

Scripture is twisted and distorted for self-serving agendas.

Third Step into Apostasy

Entertainment, idolatry, liturgy and rituals have replaced the Lord Jesus from the central focus of worship.

Fourth Step into Apostasy

Teaching is heavily influenced by doctrines of demons. Jesus has been removed from the church.

Examine the details here.




Scientist Proposes Cannibalism to “Save the Climate”


The Stockholm fair recently held a “Gastro Summit” event which discussed the “future of food”. And the future of food sounds terrible. Indeed, the summit featured a seminar led by Stockholm School of Economics professor Magnus Soderlund titled “Can You Imagine Eating Human Flesh?” where cannibalism was promoted to fight climate change, greenhouse emissions, and to encourage sustainability. Some of the topics addressed during the seminar were “Is Cannibalism the solution to food sustainability in the future?” and “Are we humans too selfish to live sustainably?”
 
On the Swedish television channel TV4, Soderlund stated that climate change will ultimately force people to “try foods they currently wouldn’t think of eating” such as pets, insects, and human flesh. To truly take on the effects of climate change, Soderlund states that we must “awake the idea” of eating human flesh and that it should be discussed as an option in the future.

The Stockholm fair recently held a “Gastro Summit” event which discussed the “future of food”. And the future of food sounds terrible. Indeed, the summit featured a seminar led by Stockholm School of Economics professor Magnus Soderlund titled “Can You Imagine Eating Human Flesh?” where cannibalism was promoted to fight climate change, greenhouse emissions, and to encourage sustainability. Some of the topics addressed during the seminar were “Is Cannibalism the solution to food sustainability in the future?” and “Are we humans too selfish to live sustainably?”

On the Swedish television channel TV4, Soderlund stated that climate change will ultimately force people to “try foods they currently wouldn’t think of eating” such as pets, insects, and human flesh. To truly take on the effects of climate change, Soderlund states that we must “awake the idea” of eating human flesh and that it should be discussed as an option in the future.

While he believes that cannibalism is the “future of food”, he is aware that work needs to be done to address the “widespread taboo” against cannibalism and the “conservative attitudes” of the masses.

Soderlund believes that people are not cannibals due to “selfishness”. However, as an expert in behavior, he thinks that people can ultimately be “tricked” into “making the right decisions”. According to him, if people were gradually be exposed to cannibalism, the idea could become mainstream.

Continue reading here.




LGBT Affirming Churches Add Glitter to Ash Wednesday


Last month it was the Anglicans who chose to "queer the liturgy" of evening prayer in honor LGBT history month by renaming the Holy Spirit "The Fantabulosa Fairy" and God the Father became "the Dutchess".

Not to be outdone, Catholic LGBT supporters and numerous left leaning protestant churches throughout the United States and Canada intend to show their support by wearing "glitter ash" on their foreheads to mark Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a period that extends until Easter Sunday where Catholics and some Protestants ceremoniously place plain gray ashes on their foreheads, often in the formation of a cross, to spread a message of repentance and change which often involve fasting, moderation and self-denial.

A New York-based advocacy group called Parity however, is asking Christians who favor LGBT equality -- "queer positive Christians," as they call them -- to show support by wearing "glitter ash" on their foreheads.

Continue reading here.




Archaeologists Discover Massive 4,000-Year-Old Bomb Crater at Site of Sodom and Gomorrah Destruction

By Geoffrey Grider

According to the Bible, the ancient cities, thought to have been located on the Dead Sea, were wiped away by God for the sinful behaviour of their people. The preliminary findings of US scientists suggest that this region witnessed a major calamity almost 4 thousand years ago, which left it uninhabited for centuries.

God looks down on man’s nuclear weapons, and I believe He laughs at our puny attempts at warfare. He has things in His arsenal that make our most powerful nukes look like firecrackers. We first read about these weapons in the 38th chapter of the book of Job. The weather is the strongest weapon that has ever been created, and there is no defense against it. Think about that the next time your ‘small talk‘ revolves around the weather, no small matter there.

“But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground” (Genesis 13:13, 19:24,25 [KJV]).

Contrary to modern-day Laodicean revisionists, the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of unrepentant homosexual behaviour. This was the place where the original LGBTQ lifestyle was founded, and when God pronounced judgement on it in a fiery blast from above, Sodom and Gomorrah ceased to exist. That area today, as you see in the photo, resembles a bomb blast crater after an horrific explosion has taken place. It remains uninhabited to this day.

Continue reading here.




Hate Speech: Christian Doctor David Mackereth in UK Fired and Deemed ‘Unfit to Work for Crime of Saying Gender is Determined at Birth'

By Geoffrey Grider
For 6,000 years of human history, no one has ever disputed the fact that there are only 2 biological genders of human beings. One is male, and the other is female, and for 6,000 years that’s the way it’s been. The Bible itself bears witness to the fact that God created only 2 genders, one male and the other female. Cased closed, right? Wrong.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:27 [KJV]).

The attack on our values, the Bible, our freedoms, common sense and even logic by the LGBTQ Movement across the world seemingly knows no bounds. Today we bring you the case of Dr. David Mackereth from the UK, who has dared to declared that there are only 2 genders when a person is born.

Continue reading here.




The Coming Literal, Visible and Physical Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ on this Earth from Jerusalem

By Geoffrey Grider
“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the LORD'” (Isaiah 2:2-5 [KJV]).

All through the Old Testament, the prophets speak of the Day when Jesus Christ will sit on the throne of David, and rule the world in righteousness. It is called the Day of the Lord, a time period which starts with the Rapture of the Church, then into the time of Jacob’s trouble, Jesus returns at the Battle of Armageddon, and a one thousand year reign of Jesus Christ will commence on this Earth. For all you Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Preterists, and every other sect that spiritualizes actual, literal and physical events in Bible prophecy, this will be quite an eye-opener for you.

Continue reading here.




“Ye shall Hear of Wars and Rumors of Wars”


“But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18).

What light is Solomon speaking of? Obviously, this is a prophecy of Israel’s Messiah, who later testifies: 
“I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). 

What if we neglect to walk in His light? Here Solomon answers: 
“The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble” (Proverbs 4:19). 

Note the words “…they know not at what they stumble.”

This is interesting, because it shows all of humanity. The natural man, when something goes wrong, in most cases blames someone or something else: be it circumstances, objects, family, relatives, neighbors, etc. Why does he blame others? Because that person is in darkness and does not realize why he has stumbled.

This can be applied to the nations of the world. Think of all the wars they have fought. While the nations proudly present their soldiers as heroes, erect great monuments, and exhibit their pride in military parades or special holidays, the real reason behind it all is: darkness. It is the work of the god of this world, who translates himself into light, but it is fake light. 
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Wikipedia has a daily column titled “On this day…”, where it lists several events that took place during that particular day. We notice that in most cases it is war.

Why war? Because one nation is being indoctrinated to such an extent that they wholeheartedly believe the other nation is wrong, and to solve the problem there must be war.

Not surprisingly, Jesus in His prophetic speech made this statement: 
“…ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars...”

Continue reading here.




MPs Want Birth Certificates Based on Feelings, Not Biology


"It is disturbing that politicians want to ignore biological reality in favour of an ideology with no scientific backing, and in the process, simply bring about confusion and ambiguity,” says Mr McCoskrie.
“A birth certificate is a historical record based on fact – not a political tool to further an agenda.”

Continue reading here.








'Hillsong' Pastor Carl Lentz won’t Say Abortion is a Sin on 'The View'


Almost an exact year ago, Carl Lentz was on Ophra’s Super Soul Sunday where he was asked by Oprah, “Do you believe that only Christians can be in relationship with God?”. Carl’s responses was: 
“No, I believe that when Jesus said that “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” the way I read that, Jesus said that he is the road marker, he is the map, so I think that God loves people so much, that whether they accept or reject him, he’s still gracious, and he’s still moving, and he’s still giving you massive red blinking lights, for chances to take a right turn when maybe you’d take a left, but I believe God loves people, and that’s what this whole gospel is based on, it’s love….”

To say “no” is to deny the heart of the Gospel, which is that Jesus alone is the sacrifice for human sin and the only way to be restored to the Father. Jesus says that nobody comes to the Father except through him, because Jesus gave his life to pay the penalty for the sins you and I committed. If we reject Jesus, we are still in our sins and alienated from God. This is the harsh reality of our condition and the glory of the work of Jesus.

Carl went on to correct himself, saying that he meant that that anyone can potentially be in a relationship with God if they believe on the Lord, not only those who currently identify as being Christian. In my opinion, that clarification doesn’t fit Oprah’s question. The answer to her question is still yes, only Christians can be in relationship. All those who can potentially have a relationship with God must first become Christians who are saved by faith.

What is the harm in being clear about what the Bible teaches? Christian’s want the truth, and the unsaved need the truth.

In this article we are going to look at an interview Carl Lentz did recently on The View where he would not come out and say that abortion is a sin. And yes, it is Biblical to address public figures in the Christianity community by name when they fail (dramatically) to uphold the word of God and their position of authority as Paul called out people by name in 2 Timothy.

Read the details here.




5 Changes Elementary Sunday Schools Need to Make...ASAP


As all the studies started coming out in the last decade on how at least two-thirds of young adults are turning away from Christianity, a lot of attention started turning toward high schoolers. 

That attention is rightly placed, given that high school-age kids need strong spiritual preparation for the college world they're approaching.

Some attention has also been given to middle school-age kids. This is critical, as studies have also shown that much of a child's spiritual formation is set by age 13 and these kids need a far more robust spiritual training than they've traditionally received.

Meanwhile, most elementary-age children are still coloring pictures of Noah's ark. Over and over again.

OK, that's an exaggeration. But not a big one. There seems to be a huge gulf between the level of spiritual training elementary-age kids are typically getting on Sunday mornings and the level they need for today's world. It seems that either no one thinks they're capable of more, or no one thinks more is necessary.

I firmly believe kids this age are capable of much more, and that much more is hugely necessary.

If I had the ear of every person in charge of a church's elementary Sunday school, these are the five changes I would suggest most urgently need to be made.

Continue reading here.




Sexual Immorality and Five Other Reasons People Reject Christianity


Why do people reject Jesus? As someone with a keen interest in doctrine and apologetics, I usually focus on the more intellectual reasons for disbelief. 

I have found that skeptics are generally ignorant of sound theology, sketchy on the facts of history, and shoddy in their use of logic and philosophy. 

As such, my goal is always to gently instruct them in these areas, using evidence and argument to help them understand the teachings of orthodoxy and the reasons for believing that the Christian worldview is true.

But I also know that even if I succeed in my argument, that’s won’t necessarily get a skeptic to turn to Jesus. There are a myriad of other factors at play. Here are six. 
  • Christians Behaving Badly
  • Heartbreak
  • Fatherlessness
  • Social Pressures
  • The Cost of Discipleship
  • Immorality
So Paul argues that the nature of reality is clear to everyone but people suppress the truth by their wickedness. Rebellious people become fools as they deny the obvious meaning of creation because of their sin. Their foolishness leads them to indulge in more immorality. Thus immorality is very closely linked to skepticism and we need to be aware that sin will almost always be at least an underlying issue in our conversations. 

Learn the details here.




How can We Tell when the Bible Condones what It Records?


The Bible does record some things that it doesn’t endorse. People doing and saying ungodly things is a sort of negative example - i.e. “Don’t be like Cain/Esau/Absalom.” There are a couple rules of thumb that you can use to discern whether the Bible condones a certain statement it records.

1. Who said it?

2. What’s the context?

3. When did it happen?

4. How does the description of the action line up with what the Bible commands us to do prescriptively?

5. Finally, God has given us a brain and a conscience, and in most cases those should be sufficient to discern whether the Bible condones or condemns the actions it records. When those are not sufficient, He has also given us local churches, pastors (Ephesians 4:11), and you can ask your pastor for guidance with a passage if it is confusing to you.

Read the details here.