Posts by: Staff Writer

Jesus’ Parable – The Vine

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Huda tells us that one of her favorite parables of Jesus is that of the vine and the branches. In this clip we show a reality clip of her and Dr. C looking at vines, and hear Barbie explaining why this is also one of her favorite parables.

In John 15:1-8, Jesus uses the powerful parable of the vine and the branches to illustrate the importance of abiding in him. He spoke these words after his last supper with his disciples on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane, probably as they were walking through a vineyard. (This is another example of where the context of a story helps strengthen its impact.) He takes the metaphors of himself as the vine and his followers as the branches, and expands it into a parable with the heavenly Father as the Gardener. If we stay attached to Christ, and let his word live in us we will bear fruit. Simply trying to do it on our own, in our own way will accomplish nothing worthwhile for the eternal kingdom of God.

The Power of Parables

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This clip opens up with the real life situation of Dr. C having forgotten something important. That reminds her of Jesus’ parable of the young women who were not ready for the wedding feast and missed out (Matthew 25:1-13). We certainly want to be ready when the Lord returns for us, don’t we?

Dr. C tells shares with us the scientific basis for the power of parables.  Modern psychology has discovered that if we can use a fitting word picture to illustrate a point that touches the emotions it give the story more impact. Huda confirms this by telling us that she loves Jesus’ stories, and that the power of Jesus’ parables is such that she will never forget them.

Misuse of Parables

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Beware of the misuse of parables, especially by enemies of the cross. Jesus’ parables were used to illustrate a point, not as a basis for theology. Dr. C has seen parables not only used out of context, but deliberately twisted to make a point by enemies of the cross.

For example, Dr. C cites the parable of the talents in Luke 19:11-27, and the misuse of this parable by an imam. At the end of the parable the king says, “Those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them – bring them here and kill them in front of me.” Dr. C heard this Islamic teacher publicly misattribute this quote to Jesus himself, saying that Jesus told his followers to kill their enemies.

Jesus never told his followers to kill his enemies, nor did he teach the promotion of faith by force, rather the opposite (Matthew 13:24-30). Mohammed however did have his enemies killed in front of him and did teach to promote his faith by force.

Peace and Purpose in the Garden

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Dr. C likes to remind us that her view of the Christian life is Peace and Purpose. The three kinds of peace are with God, ourselves, and other people. We balance that with fulfilling God’s purpose for our individual lives.

Some places and situations make it easier for us to sense God’s peace than others. In this peaceful garden, the way the pond reflects the beautiful trees and pleasing Japanese design illustrates how we should reflect Christ in our lives (II Corinthians 3:18). Such reflection of Christ brings together both peace and purpose.

Enable Us Music Video with Words

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Enable Us, our original theme hymn, debuted in the series’ final episode as a music video. The song is based on the prayer of the church, recorded in Acts 4:29,30, that God enable them with his power to boldly speak forth his word.

Enable Us is also posted on YouTube. But here, you can catch a view of ministry supporters and professional musicians performing it here before it went public.

(Copyright . You, your church and your worship team are welcome to perform it in worship services at no charge. Obtain permission for publication or recording.)

Three Keys to the Truth with Georges Houssney

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Many in the Muslim world, and elsewhere, are disenchanted. They feel that the teachings they grew up with lead to practices they see every day and dislike: terrorism, Muslim on Muslim violence, mistreatment of women and minorities. Many want to find the truth.

In this clip, Rev. Georges Houssney, world-wide teacher and evangelist from the Middle East, gives us three keys for finding the truth:

#1 Be Sincere, #2 Pray, #3 Compare Teachings and Leaders.

Be Sincere: Do we truly want to find the truth? It takes courage to openly examine what we have been taught or grew up believing, but if we are sincerely open and sincerely seek truth we are putting ourselves in the position to find it.

Pray: This can be difficult if you do not believe in God. Many agnostics however have prayed, “If there is a God, reveal yourself to me!” And it has happened. If you do believe in God, pray that he show you which holy book and teachings reveal him and his way.

Then compare the teachings of the major religions. You will see that although most have similarities, they vary in significant ways. They can’t all be true. When you compare the leaders of world religions, you will clearly see that there is no one who compares to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Is Detachment Good? with Luke Price

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In this clip Dr. C and Luke Price discuss the question, Is detachment good? and if so, to what extent. Eastern religions are now being strongly considered as alternatives faiths for people from both Muslim and general Western backgrounds. Modern life is hectic. Every day we hear of tragic violence. Thus, the peaceful concepts of Buddhism and Hinduism have a widespread appeal. These positive aspects of the religions are emphasized and promoted, while not much is generally discussed about their negative aspects. This is opposed to Christianity, which sets its negative up front, openly admitting people are sinners. So, Christianity is presented by the world as being negative. Once we get beyond that however, the good news of Christianity includes not only peace – with God, ourselves, and others – but also eternal life.

In this clip Dr. Cynthia discusses with apologist Luke Price the Eastern concept of detachment. Both Christianity and Eastern religions warn us of the dangers of attachment to worldly things. Eastern religions however, go farther. They tell their followers that the higher path requires them to detach from people – even their nearest and dearest. Dr. C tells about one of her friends, an internationally famous Muslim apostate who was considering Buddhism, but could not accept detachment from people. Many ills in their societies result from this teaching. Price shares his view that attachment shows our humanity and makes life richer.

Are All Religions True? with Luke Price

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This clip provides guidelines for someone who is searching for the true religion. Many Muslims are discouraged with Islam, and are wondering where to turn to find truth. A vast number of secular people in the West, raised without religion, are also looking for something to believe in. This is one of several clips that are directed to these seekers, and  to strengthen the faith and apologetics training of believers.

Price tells us that there is a classic law of logic called, The Law of Non-contradiction. This means that two claims which are contradictory can not both be true. Different religions have very contradictory claims. So, the popular claim that all religions are true is not logical, and is easily proven untrue itself.

The Bible is Written in Several Styles

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Is the Bible really written in different styles? Yes. Does this help us to understand why it is different from the Qur’an? Yes!

In learning about the Bible, especially if coming from a Muslim background, it is helpful to know that the Bible is written in several styles. At times the styles reflect the character of the author, their background, culture, or first language. It also includes what we would call different genres of literature, meaning different classes of writing. Some of the book is poetry, some proverbs – words of wisdom, some parables, some analogies, some history, theology, and advice for living. These examples show us how the Bible is written in several styles.

Inspiration of the Bible

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The inspiration of the Bible: How does the inspiration of the Bible differ from the way other holy books claim to have been inspired?

1 Peter 1:20,21,  tells us that Bible Scripture was inspired as a prophet was led along by the Holy Spirit. This differs from the dictation form of “inspiration” recounted by Mohammed. He claimed to have a series of revelations from “Angel Gabriel,” at least one for each book (surah) of the Qur’an.  (In fact, the hadiths, traditions, report that Mohammed was afraid after his first “revelation,” and not even certain if the angel that appeared to him was from God, or a demon.)  Joseph Smith also received revelation from an angel. For the translation of the cryptic tablets of Mormonism, English words reportedly appeared to him in a box-like device.

Most of the books of the Koran begin with an affirmative statement, “Bismallah ar-rahman ar-raheem” (in the name of Allah, the merciful, the compassionate), for example at the beginning of book 2, The Cow. To those used to reading the Qur’an, such words are a key that what follows is to be considered as coming directly from God.

The Bible does have verses which say this about God (Exodus 34:6, Jonah 4:2), but no books of the Bible start out with a similar queue. So, for a Muslim who begins to read the Bible, it can be difficult to accept that it is the inspired Word of God. Also, the Bible includes many details about patriarchs and prophets that Muslims have heard about. Not everything it says about them is flattering. The Bible is a book based in reality, so it records the truth about God’s people, their mistakes and sins, as the saying goes, “warts and all!”

In order for Muslims to understand the difference in Biblical inspiration from what they expect, Dr. Cynthia points out that although there are places where the Bible directly reports what God says, “This is what the Lord says” (Jeremiah 21), and very rarely a voice is heard from heaven, as with Moses and the heavenly voice at Jesus baptism. God as Jesus spoke directly to the people in his sermons, like the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and in instructions to his disciples.

God also speaks indirectly in the Bible. “Then the Word of the Lord came to me,” Zechariah says in 4:8, reporting to us who hear indirectly what he was told.

God’s word is often implied, as in wisdom presented in Proverbs, advice in letters of the New Testament, and in the lessons we absorb from considering the lives of Bible characters (1 Corinthians 10:11, James 5:10, Hebrews 11-12:3).

Arabic Translations of the Bible

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In this clip Huda asks if there is more than one translation of the Bible into Arabic. Dr. C tells her yes, and demonstrates several examples, explaining that some translations are easier for Arabs of Christian background, and others for Arabs of Muslim background.

Translations of the Bible and Qu’ran

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In our current era we are blessed with an abundance of translations. This enables us to find just the right phrasing for the right society and educational level. However, this diversity of wording can be confusing to Muslims, who are used to a single wording in the Arabic Qur’an. Dr. C points out in this clip that not only do different English translations not mean different Bibles, but that there are multiple translations of the Qur’an into English as well. (See also “Are there Many Bibles?”)

Are there many Bibles?

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The large variety of Bibles available today can often be confusing to Muslims and other un-churched people. In fact, you may hear, as we often do, “There is only one Qur’an. You have so many Bibles! How do you know which one is correct?” In this segment, Dr. C shows us many types of Bibles and explains that different methods of packaging the Bible with commentary in different sizes and colors does not mean many Bibles. (See also “Translations of the Bible and the Qur’an”)

What’s in the New Testament? – Part Three

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What is in the New Testament? This video reminds us that there are four Gospels, those of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the Acts of the Apostles, 21 Letters to the churches, and the final book, Revelation. The “Epistles” or letters to the churches were written by apostles like Peter and Paul. They talk about theology – God and his grace and salvation through Jesus, and how to live a Christian life.

Revelation is composed of prophecies from visions given to John while he was in exile on the island of Patmos. Besides messages to 7 specific churches in Asia Minor, it touches on the end of the world, Christ’s return, the final judgment, and what heaven will be like.

What’s in the New Testament? – Part Two

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What is in the New Testament? The Qur’an tells us that Jesus brought a book. Actually the Injeel, as Muslims call the New Testament, was written by Jesus’ followers in the decades after his death and resurrection.

Some Muslims and other unbelievers say that it is bad that Jesus did not write the New Testament himself. They are wrong. Actually, it is good! The Old Testament prophecies about Jesus the Messiah as God and his sacrifice for our sins was so strongly stated, that the church began with Jesus’ followers teaching from the Old Testament. There was no need to wait for his disciples to write new material. People in Jerusalem and Israel already knew that Jesus did amazing miracles and then died on the cross. The task of the early disciples was to point out that this was all in fulfillment of Old Testament promises, and that he rose from the dead to prove it!

What’s in the New Testament? – Part One

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What is in the New Testament? The New Testament are the holy writings that came after Jesus Christ. It contains 27 books: 4 gospels – the life and teachings of Jesus by his early followers, Acts – the story of the early church, and 22 books about Christian theology and living. We learn in the New Testament how the Old Testament’s teachings and predictions were fulfilled. The New Testament is much smaller than the Old Testament, and is about the size of the Qur’an.

What’s in the Old Testament?

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What is in the Old Testament? The Torah (called Taurat in the Qur’an) is the first five books of the Bible. Genesis, called Taqueen in Arabic, means “Beginnings” in both languages. It tells us how people were created and where things come from. The Torah is of interest to people from Muslim background because it include many of the patriarchs they have heard of (and call “prophets”). For example, we meet Adam, Noah (Nuh in the Qur’an), Abraham (Ibrahim in the Qur’an), and Moses (Musa in the Qur’an) in the book of Genesis.

The Old Testament also includes books of history, poetry called “psalms” (the Zabur in the Qur’an), other poetry and wisdom, and the prophets. The books of the prophets are divided into first the “major,” and then the “minor” prophets. This distinction is based on the length of their writings, not their importance. It is wonderful that the Bible preserves the words of so many previous prophets.

In learning about the Bible, we learn about the books written before Jesus, called the Old Testament, as well as the books written after, called the New Testament (see “What Does Injeel Mean?”). Dr. C tells us that the Old Testament contains not only the Torah (known to Muslims as the Taurat), which are the first five books of the Bible, and the Psalms, (known to Muslims as the Zabur), but other books as well. These include books of history, and the words revealed to multiple prophets. The books of prophecy are divided into Major Prophets and Minor Prophets, not because of the importance of the prophets, but in reference to the size of their books.

Psalm 23 with Bob Siegel

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Apologist Rev. Bob Siegel, of Jewish background now a Christian pastor, shares with us one of his favorite Bible passages, Psalm 23. During the challenges he has faced during his journey from Judaism to Christianity the words of this psalm (zabur) have comforted him, especially knowing that surely goodness and mercy will follow him all the days of his life and he will live with the Lord forever.