Reliable Truth

What do you think a false Christian is? Someone who goes through the motions? Someone who thinks doing good things will get them into heaven? Well, that’s what the Pharisees thought. And yet, Jesus says in Matthew 15:7-9 that, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules."Jesus had great concern for this group, and He addresses this often in the Bible. But, what is true belief? You see, true belief transforms who you are, because it involves the heart, and not just the head. That is where repentance comes in. The surrender of your heart to Christ. How is your heart toward God?

How would you describe the quality of your life? We are back in the book of John, continuing our study in chapter 6. In the Greek language there are two different words that are used for the English word "life" - bios and zoe. Bios is the physical and biological life - our physical bodies. The life of the body. The experience of the body. Zoe has to do with the quality of your life experience. You see, you can be physically alive and have a horrible quality of life. In the book of John, every time you see the word “life”, it’s the Greek word zoe. In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” We are not here just to exist. God’s will is that we really live, and this is what zoe is. This is what Jesus offers. To live with a sense of purpose and joy and exhilaration. The abundant life.Is this true of your life?

Who was King David of the Bible? Dr. Mark Gignilliat joins us today, exploring the fascinating and complicated life of King David, found in the book of Samuel.Mark discusses the implications of David's life, his call, but also David's sin.The Bible teaches that no man - no fallen human - can escape the corrosive effects of power over his life.Plato talks about putting on the ring of power. Tolkien picked this up in The Lord of the Rings. If you put on the ring of power, there are all kinds of temptations that await you. Even sweet Bilbo Baggins, the little hobbit from the Shire is deeply affected by the putting on of the ring of power.Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yGzNnYrHeIIDr. Mark Gignilliat is professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School, where he teaches courses in Old Testament and Hebrew, and also serves as theologian in residence at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Birmingham. Dr. Gignilliat is married to Naomi, and they have four children.

Should certain sexual behavior be declared morally right because I have a desire to do it?Are we going to allow God's truth to shape sexual morality or allow sexual desires to determine what is true and moral?And does God care about this at all?As I mentioned in Part 1, my objective in this 2-part series is to produce light and not heat. To bring enlightenment, but not anger. Watch on YouTubeWatch Part 1

How is homosexuality impacting the church?You might think that this subject does not relate to you, but it does. We all need to know how this relates to the church and to our faith. This is a significant issue, a very current issue and a hard issue.My objective in this 2-part series is to produce light and not heat. To bring enlightenment, but not anger. As Christians we are called to love.The bottom line is ultimately moral authority. How do we determine what is moral? I believe examining this will help us understand how we've come to the place where we are today. Watch on YouTube

Do you believe Christianity is true? If so, what is the evidence that you’ve built your faith on?​Conversely, have you rejected the existence of God? What is your basis of that decision?​The famous scientist Francis Collins was an atheist and incredibly well-educated. One day an older woman asked him about his faith.​​And it just kind of dawned on him. Collins said, “As a scientist, I had always insisted on collecting rigorous data before drawing a conclusion. And yet, in matters of faith, I had never collected any data at all. I had never examined any evidence at all. I realized I didn’t know what I had rejected.”​​In other words, Collins was saying, "I had rejected God, I had rejected Christianity, but, in reality, I didn’t know what I had rejected. I had never looked at any evidence."​As Francis Collins began to examine the evidence, he was shocked at what he found. Today, he’s a very committed, outspoken Christian and one of the most prominent scientists alive today.​You see, evidence is important.​​In fact, we should want evidence, because the more evidence you have, the stronger your faith will be, just like if you’re trying a case in a court of law, the more evidence you have as the prosecuting attorney, the better the chances are that you’re going to win.​In this study we finish up John chapter 5.

Do you want to be well? Do you want to be made whole? I find that there are so many people who are not well, and not healthy, and yet they are scared to death of the process that would be required to get well. I’ve seen this over the years often. I saw it with a guy that came to see me about his finances. He had pride, and he was having problems. He showed me his income, and he showed me his expenses, and I said, "This is a simple math problem. This is why you’re in trouble. You’re spending more than you are making." I told him, "This is what we need to do. You’re going to have to eliminate some things." I don’t think he liked that. He didn’t come back to see me again. He didn’t want to be financially healthy.In John 5:24 Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged, but has crossed over from death to life." What is that worth to you? On that day? I contend that it is worth everything you’ve got.

What is your mission in life?As we continue in the book of John, in this study we see that this is the third time that we’ve seen Jesus contrast the physical with the spiritual. We saw that with Nicodemus, Jesus talks about his spiritual birth. And Nicodemus asks, "What do you mean? How do you go back in your mother’s womb and be born a second time?" He doesn’t get it. Then with the Samaritan woman Jesus starts talking about living water. She thinks He’s talking about something physical. Now as we read this, Jesus talks about having "other food." What is Jesus talking about? Jesus explains in John 4:34 that He has other food - that His food is the Will of God and accomplishing the work that God has for Him to do.Basically, Jesus is saying that we all have a window of time. We have each been given an allotted amount of time, and as we live this life, we are to do the work of God. And then Jesus says, in John 17:4, just before He’s taken, “Father, I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work which You have given me to do.” Over the years, that verse has always intrigued me because it makes me wonder, was that just specific for Jesus? Does God have a work that He wants me to do?

What is the thirst of the soul?We are in John 4, discussing Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. It is a fascinating conversation. He’s focusing on the spiritual need in her life and she’s thinking about not having to come to this well to drag water back to her house every day. The thirst of the soul.I read an older sermon by Tim Keller, and he talks about the role of water in your body. He says that our body is 50% water, and that if you are deprived of water you will die of thirst and dehydration. It is a terrible way to die. Thirst is a physical deprivation because you are made of water, and therefore, you crave it, and you need it. In the same way, Jesus uses the term living water, to tell this woman, "Your soul is craving for something that you don’t have and I’m the only one who can give it to you. It comes from Me."Where are you looking to quench the thirst of your soul?

We live in a time where many people just want to emphasis God’s love. But really, how do we know that He is a God of love? Does history tell us?Over the centuries, human society has had a good understanding that he is a God of wrath, who is righteous and puts down rebellion, who holds up the law of righteousness.But who came up with this idea of a loving God, a forgiving God, a merciful God–a God who will forgive people who are terribly wicked?Where did that come from? It came from one place. It came from one person–the God of the Bible. One of my favorite words to describe what God has done for us is the word rescue. Colossians 1:13 says that He came to, “...rescue us from the domain of darkness.” and I Thessalonians 1:10 tells us to wait for "...Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come."He came to rescue us, but you have to want to be rescued. And to want to be rescued, you have to realize that your life is in peril.