President Obama Rejects God and Comes Out In Support of “Homosexual Marriage” — What Will It Mean for America, for Christians?

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:47 — 8.7MB)

“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 17:15).

This past Wednesday was a monumental day in the history of the United States.  For the first time, a sitting President publicly declared his support for two people of the same sex “marrying” each other.  In other words, President Obama, who professes to be a Christian, openly rejected God and His Word by calling good what the Bible calls an “abomination” (Leviticus 18:22).

Ironically, this news broke during the Minnesota Pastors for Marriage Conference (which I was attending) and one day after North Carolina became the 31st of 31 states to vote in favor of an amendment to the state constitution that will define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.

What does President’s Obama coming out in favor of same-sex marriage mean for our country and the agenda of the homosexual movement?  What does it mean for Christians who will, with God’s help, not capitulate on God’s clear moral standards in Scripture?  Tune into The Christian Worldview this Saturday as we discuss this explosive issue.

What is the Holy Spirit’s Role in Your Life? LIVE from the Psalm 119 Conference

Podcast: Download (Duration: 59:39 — 10.2MB)

Guests:
Todd Friel, Wretched Radio and TV
Phil Johnson, Grace to You
Milton Vincent, The Gospel Primer
R.W. Glenn, Redeemer Bible Church

The Christian Worldview Radio Program will be broadcasting LIVE and on-site from the Psalm 119 Conference this Saturday from 8-9am CT at Twin Cities Fellowship Church in St. Louis Park, MN.  The theme of the conference is the role and activity of the Holy Spirit in the church and in your life.

We will be interviewing some of the speakers at the conference including Todd Friel (host of Wretched Radio and TV), Phil Johnson (Grace to You), and Pastors Milton Vincent (author, The Gospel Primer) and R.W. Glenn (Redeemer Bible Church).

The conference goes from 9am to 5pm on Saturday, May 5th.  If you decide to come, be sure to come out early at 8am to watch and hear a LIVE broadcast of The Christian Worldview.  Full conference info here.

Did God Rest on the Seventh Day or the Seven Millionth Day?

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:49 — 8.7MB)

“By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done” (Genesis 2:2).

One would expect the unbelieving world to swallow the unproven, unsupported, unobserved, non-reproducible Big Bang evolutionary theory that the universe is millions of years old.  After all, “renown, peer-reviewed scientists” from prestigious universities say so.

But the disappointing part is that more and more professing Christians and pastors are saying are saying so too.  They contend that old earth evolutionary “science” is compatible with Scripture.  This is known as “theistic evolution”.

Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, will join us this weekend to talk about theistic evolution and why Christians need to hold the line on what the Bible teaches — that God created the heavens and the earth thousands of years ago and not millions.

Attention Minneapolis/St. Paul Listeners:  Ken Ham and Answers and Genesis will be in town Sunday-Monday, April 29-30 for a free conference at Grace Church Eden Prairie and you are invited!  Click here for more details.

The Coarsening of Christian Culture — Where Do We Go From Here? Part 2 of 2

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:45 — 8.7MB)

“… in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:6-8).

Have you noticed how what’s acceptable in “Christian culture” has changed in our lifetimes?

For example, it’s somewhat common nowadays to hear a professing Christians exclaim “This suc–!” or “That’s cra-”. Or, have you ever wondered how it became mainstream after centuries of congregational singing out of a hymn book for church services to now feature the world’s style of music complete with a rockin’ band, vocalists, and light effects?

Or what about the sexual topics many Christians now deem acceptable to discuss in public or in church? Next week, the historically conservative Liberty University has invited Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, to speak at their chapel and hold a conference on his recent book, Real Marriage, in which chapters graphically describe various sex acts to decide whether they are “biblical” within marriage.

Whether it’s language, music, dress, sex, tattoos, or piercings, it’s undeniable that Christian culture has changed big-time in the last few decades. You could say it’s “coarsened”. This Saturday on the The Christian Worldview, we’ll discuss the coarsening of Christian culture and what should be our response.

The Coarsening of Christian Culture — Where Do We Go From Here? Part 1 of 2

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:47 — 8.7MB)

“… in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us” (Titus 2:6-8).

Have you noticed how what’s acceptable in “Christian culture” has changed in our lifetimes?

For example, it’s somewhat common nowadays to hear a professing Christians exclaim “This suc–!” or “That’s cra-”. Or, have you ever wondered how it became mainstream after centuries of congregational singing out of a hymn book for church services to now feature the world’s style of music complete with a rockin’ band, vocalists, and light effects?

Or what about the sexual topics many Christians now deem acceptable to discuss in public or in church? Next week, the historically conservative Liberty University has invited Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, to speak at their chapel and hold a conference on his recent book, Real Marriage, in which chapters graphically describe various sex acts to decide whether they are “biblical” within marriage.

Whether it’s language, music, dress, sex, tattoos, or piercings, it’s undeniable that Christian culture has changed big-time in the last few decades. You could say it’s “coarsened”. This Saturday on the The Christian Worldview, we’ll discuss the coarsening of Christian culture and what should be our response.

What the Conversion of the Criminal on the Cross Teaches Us About Salvation

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:46 — 8.7MB)

“And he [the criminal crucified next to Jesus] was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!’ And He [Jesus] said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise’” (Luke 23:42-43).

Jesus Christ was not crucified alone.  On either side of Him were two criminals (i.e. violent robbers) who were being crucified as well.

Scripture says that the Roman soldiers, the religious Jewish leaders, and passers-by were mocking and hurling insults at Jesus as He was hanging on the cross … and the two criminals being crucified with Jesus were doing so as well.

And yet a short time later, Luke records in his gospel account that, suddenly and shockingly, one of the criminals made a complete about-face, rebuking the other one for mocking Jesus and asking Jesus to “remember me when You come in your kingdom.”  Jesus responded by assuring the condemned criminal that he would die “today” and then would spend eternity in “Paradise” (i.e. heaven).

So what are we to make of this criminal’s “deathbed” conversion?  What does it teach us about God’s terms of salvation?  And what was it that changed the robber’s heart from mocking to believing?

This Easter Weekend on The Christian Worldview, we will discuss the conversion of the criminal on the cross and what it means for you and me today.

Go to Dark Gethsemane

published with permission from Kevin DeYoung

And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” (Mark 14:32)

Sometimes we picture Jesus far too serene. We imagine him in the garden praying rather stoically, “Not my will, but yours be done.” But the mood at Gethsemane was anything but tranquil. Mark 14:33 says Jesus began to be greatly distressed and troubled. Verse 34 says his soul was sorrowful unto death. And in verse 35 Jesus fell flat on the ground. Here is a man with the weight of the world, and heaven and hell, on his shoulders.

Never has a man prayed facing more temptation than Jesus faced in the garden. Never has a man prayed awaiting so much suffering. Never has a man prayed with such emotion and anguish. Luke records that “being in agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat become like great drops of blood falling to the ground” (Luke 22:44). It’s called hematidrosis: under intense pressure or fear, the blood vessels around the sweat glands contract and then dilate violently, causing them to rupture. Blood then enters the glands and is secreted through the pores of the skin. The endocrine system knew what was coming.

It is impossible to exaggerate the depth of Jesus’ anguish in the garden. Imagine knowing your child would die later today or that the planes were going to crash into the Twin Towers or that you’ll have a terrible car accident next Friday. That’s what Jesus knew was coming, only terribly and eternally worse. Jesus was facing more than death or sadness. He was facing God-forsakeness.

Jesus stared at the worst drink a man could drink–the cup of God’s wrath. He gazed into its bitter poison. He thought of draining it down to the dregs. And hoped for another way.

But there was no other way. Upon making his request three times–”Remove this cup from me”–Jesus was not set free from the suffering before him. Just the opposite. After praying in the garden, his closest friends disappoint him (Mark 14:36-41), one of his disciples betray him (14:42-49), and all his companions desert him (14:50).

This is dark Gethsemane where Jesus Christ–the perfectly obedient, perfectly faithful Son of God in perfect relationship with his Father–did not get his request granted. At least not his first one. The cup was not taken from him. The wrath would not be assuaged another way. Jesus could not avoid his infinitely grievous dark weekend of the soul. God’s will would be done. Not the way Jesus had hoped. But the way he was willing for it to be.

For us. For joy. For glory.

Highlights of the Shepherds’ Conference 2012

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:46 — 8.7MB)

“Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2).

Sure, there are plenty of discouraging indicators that the world and church are heading in the wrong direction but here’s one sign in the midst of it all that should encourage you: the Shepherds’ Conference, which is held annually at John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church in Los Angeles had its highest attendance ever last week!

That’s right, over 3300 men — pastors, elders, and laymen — from all over the world literally overflowed the church sanctuary to hear expository preaching by John MacArthur, Al Mohler, Steven Lawson, Phil Johnson, Voddie Baucham, and Tom Pennington.  In the midst of a darkening world, this is a very positive sign that God is still at work and motivating men to faithfully preach His Word.

I was one of those men fortunate to attend the Shepherds’ Conference last week and this Saturday on The Christian Worldview, I will share some highlights of the preaching, including the trustworthiness of the Word, the importance of the Holy Spirit, leadership in our homes, and much more.  Be sure to tune in!

Audio of Shepherds’ Conferences messages.

Giving The Gospel At Christmas (previously aired 12/18/2010)

Podcast: Download (Duration: 50:46 — 8.7MB)

Guest: Greg Gilbert, author, What Is the Gospel? (9Marks)

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

This program was previously aired on 12/18/2010
“Gospel” is a word that is bandied about almost everywhere nowadays.  So much so that “the gospel” has taken on different meanings for different people while the real meaning found in Scripture has become unclear, even amongst Christians.

So what is the gospel?  Is it limited in scope to the “good news” that God has offered to reconcile condemned sinners to Himself?  Or does it have a much broader definition relating to good works that bring about social change and justice?  And what does it have to do with the Christian life once one is saved?

This Christmas season as you gather with family and friends, you may have the opportunity to talk with someone about the gospel.  How will you explain it?  Is there a simple way you can communicate the gospel so anyone can understand it?  What are the fundamental elements that need to be included so that you can give a faithful gospel message?

Greg Gilbert, author of the concise book, What Is the Gospel? (9Marks), joins us this weekend on The Christian Worldview to help us be crystal clear about what the gospel is, what it isn’t, and how we can better understand it ourselves so we can better communicate it to others.

Reversing Course for the “Backsliding” Soul

Podcast: Download (Duration: 31:45 — 5.5MB)

“My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).

“Backsliders.”  It is a word not found in Scripture but it is commonly used to describe someone who professes to be a Christian but currently is “not living the Christian life.”

We all know examples of Christians who continue to practice sin for extended periods of time (think of King David or Lot).  Maybe we have been one of them ourselves.  Just last week we discussed the tragic life of Whitney Houston, who started her life in a church singing gospel songs and was a professing Christian, but then recently died after years of living in highly publicized sin.

So is prolonged “backsliding” an indication that a person wasn’t genuinely saved in the first place?  If so, how much time and what indicators would lead to that conclusion?  Or is a “backslider” a true believer who is being defeated by the flesh — as every believer sometimes is — and thus, their salvation is not in doubt?  And finally, what can we do to avoid “backsliding” in our own lives and to help others out of it?

I hope you’ll join us this Saturday on The Christian Worldview as we discuss this interesting and important topic.

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