Who Told You That? God Is Responsible for Everything That Happens
We can evaluate God and His actions rightly based upon the parameters He has given in the Scriptures about Himself. When someone says “God did this” or “God did that” we must see if it fits with what we know about God.
Romans 11:33-36; Genesis 1:1-5 God is much bigger than we can know, a thimble compared to an ocean. However, there is much about Him that we can know by His creation and His Word. Ignorance and wrong teaching has muddled our thimble.
GOD HAS INTEGRITY – HE CANNOT LIE Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2
GOD IS LOVE – 1 John 4:16
GOD IS ALWAYS JUST – Deuteronomy 32:3-4; Psalm 89:14
GOD IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL James 1:17; Lamentations 3:22-23;
GOD IS LIGHT WITHOUT ANY DARKNESS 1 John 1:5 God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
GOD KNOWS THE HEART OF MAN Jeremiah 17:10; Psalm 139:1-4
GOD KNOWS THE END FROM THE BEGINNING – Isaiah 46:9-10
Humans have free will – Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15; Isaiah 1:19-20; 2 Chronicles 15:2, 4, and 15; Matthew 23:37
Adam, Eve and Cain had self-determination – Genesis 4:7
Cherubim and angels have free will – Ezekiel 28:12-19; Isai-ah 14:13-14
The devil is the cause of evil, not God -2 Corinthians 4:4, 11:3; Revelation 12:9
What is the cause of war? – James 4:1-3
Who is the cause of death? – Hebrews 2:14; John 10:10The post Who Told You That? God Is Responsible for Everything That Happens first appeared on Living Hope.
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Who Told You That? The Bible is Boring, Bigoted, & Backwards
Like the ancient texts in The Mummy, God’s “backwards” truths become the key to real victory and transformation.
1. The Bible is not Boring — It’s a Living Adventure
The Bible is alive and powerful: “For the word of God is living and active…”
(Hebrews 4:12).
Features real stories of adventure and faith, such as David vs. Goliath, Paul’s
shipwreck, and the Resurrection.
These are eyewitness accounts, not legends (2 Peter 1:16).
2. The Bible is not Bigoted — It’s Radically Inclusive
God’s love is extended to every nation and people group.
Women are empowered: Deborah, Mary Magdalene, Priscilla.
Outsiders are welcomed: The Ethiopian eunuch receives the gospel (Acts 8).
Scriptures: Galatians 3:28, John 3:16, Revelation 7:9 highlight inclusivity.
3. The Bible is not Backwards — But it is Backwards to the World
God’s wisdom often challenges worldly values.
True success means honoring God above all else, as modeled by Jesus.
“Backwards” actions: forgiving enemies, generosity, sacrificial living.
Scriptures: Matthew 6:33, 1 Corinthians 1:18 demonstrate the power and
purpose in “backwards” living.
Psalm 1:1–3: Those who delight in God’s law are deeply rooted and blessed.
The post Who Told You That? The Bible is Boring, Bigoted, & Backwards first appeared on Living Hope.
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Reaching the Lost
Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good;
Happy are those who take refuge in him.
The lost are those who have yet to take refuge in God. They haven’t tasted and seen that Yahweh is good. These are the people we are called to reach.
Luke 19:1-2 Zaccheus was a bad man, engaged in a despicable profession that betrayed and exploited his own people.
Luke 19:3-6 Jesus noticed Zaccheus. He wasn’t so busy or task-oriented that he missed the wealthy man who had climbed the tree. As a high-status rabbi, inviting himself over to Zaccheus’s house was a huge honor to Zaccheus.
Luke 19:7 There will always be critics when you spend time with the lost. Even so, we want to be like Jesus and seek out those who are spiritually hungry.
Luke 19:8-9 Zaccheus repented on the spot. He’s ready to change his life. Love calls for a response. Martin Luther King used to say that love had within it a redemptive power.
Luke 19:10 Jesus came to seek out and to save the lost. If you want to be like Jesus, you, too, should seek out the lost. Those who are lost really need help (Eph 2:12).The post Reaching the Lost first appeared on Living Hope.
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Progressive Revelation
Phase 1: The Garden of Eden ( Gen 1:26; 2:17 ) God’s policies were minimal and simple: ( 1 ) have children, ( 2 ) rule the world, and ( 3 ) don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Phase 2: The Old World ( Gen 4:26; 5:22 ) People invoked the name of God. Enoch walked with God, but over time, wickedness and violence spread like a plague resulting in the great reset of Noah’s flood.
Phase 3: The New World ( Gen 9:1-11; 11:6-9 ) God initiated three changes in policy: ( 1 ) humans could now eat meat, ( 2 ) no more global floods, and ( 3 ) capital punishment for murderers. Sadly, humanity rebelled with the result that God confused the languages.
Phase 4: Covenant with Abraham ( Gen 12:1-3 ) After Abraham trusted God, God committed to him and his descendants to be their God, bless them, and give them a land.
Phase 5: Covenant with Israel ( Exod 20:1-17 ) After rescuing Israel from Egypt, God gave Moses laws to write down. In the 40th year, God provided updates and new laws ( Exod 21:2 vs. Deut 15:12-14, 17 ).
Phase 6: New Covenant ( Luke 22:19-20; Jer 31:31-32; Psalm 110:4; Heb 8:13; 7:11- 12, 22; Gal 3:23-26 ) Jesus brought new instruction. His death ratified a new covenant, that opened up a new relationship on the basis of faith not ancestry.
Phase 7: The Kingdom of God ( Dan 7; Rev 21-22 ) When Christ returns, he will resurrect the faithful, establish God’s kingdom on earth, and usher in an age of enduring peace, justice, and loveThe post Progressive Revelation first appeared on Living Hope.
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Fantastic 4 and Belonging in Christ
Fail forward and don’t expect things to work out the first or 20th time. Find your superpower and put it to work in the church.
We need your light and the gifts that God placed in you!
1 Corinthians 12:12-27
A Family Forged in Crisis
Romans 12:4-5
You have to be ready for crisis by belonging and participating in the community of God.
Isaiah 41:10
Revelation 21:3-4
Facing Cosmic Fear Together
Staying in the fold of God keeps us safer together in numbers.
Psalm 78:4-7
Acts 2:39
2 Timothy 1:5
Plant Hope in the Next Generation
Ephesians 2:19
Galatians 3:28-29
A Chosen Family by Grace not by Genes
Acts 4:32-35
Hebrews 10:24-25
Guarding our words in order to build others up and not tear them down
Ephesians 4:29-32
Galatians 5:13-15
Colossians 3:12-14The post Fantastic 4 and Belonging in Christ first appeared on Living Hope.
A weekly podcast featuring the Sunday Bible teachings of Living Hope International Ministries (LHIM) in Latham, NY. You'll get practical Christian living, doctrinal teachings, as well as plenty of encouragement from a variety of teachers, including Sean Finnegan, Vince Finnegan, and Jerry Wierwille.
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