Iron Sharpens Iron Ep. 1: If God, Why Evil?

Join DJ Allan of Homegrown Ministries and I as we discuss the incredibly complex and difficult topic of suffering. If God exists, is good, and all-powerful, then why is there evil in the world?

Music and the Believer

Our question for today was sent in via YouTube, which is great to see. Engagement like that is a big help to Quest Forums, both in giving me content to create and in gaining exposure. Thanks for asking, and hopefully it will be an encouragement for others to do the same! As for the question itself, I was asked,

Why is Christian music its own genre, and is it a sin to listen to non-Christian music?

According to Mark: Lacking Fruit

Last week, we saw a major shift as Jesus turned toward Jerusalem and spelled out the reason for His coming, “to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). In Mark 11, He reaches the city and begins the final week of His ministry, which will be the subject of the remainder of the gospel. Today, we will be looking at this chapter and the first few verses of Chapter 12.

The Makings of the Mark

Ok, so I’ve got one today that is going to be a bit on the weird side. I’m going to ask you to bear with me here. There were a couple of odd pieces of financial news in the past few months that were not really related, but between which I saw a loose connection. The first was the announcement of an effort to force Mastercard to ban right-wing groups from receiving payments through the credit giant. The second was the announcement that Facebook would be looking to develop a digital currency called “Libra. 

According to Mark: Depending on Christ

We are a little more than halfway through our study of Mark, but in an important sense, we are nearing the end. That is because, starting in Mark 10, Jesus turns resolutely toward Jerusalem and the destiny that awaits Him there. His credentials have been established for all those who care to see, so now the time has come for Him to complete the great work of providing redemption for mankind.

Breaking the Heart of the Spirit

Today’s question comes from a steadfast friend of Quest Forums who wants to know,

What does it mean to “grieve the Holy Spirit”? And what are the ramifications of it?

According to Mark: Progressing in Faith

If you have been following along in our study of the gospel of Mark, then you know about his penchant for unifying themes. The overarching one in every passage is to present Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). Our target text for today, Mark 8:22–9:50, is no exception. Of course, it also has an undercurrent of its own. Mark, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wanted to send a message about the progression of faith. Personally, I find it to be the most impactful lesson of this book, and I hope it will make that same impression on others.

What is the Trinity?

One of the most awe-inspiring and important doctrines in Christianity, as well as one of the most difficult to understand, is the Trinity. In fact, there is a sense in which you could say it is impossible to understand. That might be discouraging to hear at the start of a discussion on the subject,  but acknowledging it ultimately permits us to come to terms with it. We are attempting to discover an intimate aspect of the nature of God. We, with our finite and fallen minds, cannot really expect to tie everything up nice and neatly. Concepts like this must, at the last, be taken at face value. The truth comes from what God has told us, not from what we can figure out on our own. We can still form a partial understanding, though, and it is important to try.

According to Mark: Universal Soul Care

For this entry in our study of the second gospel, we will be looking at Mark 7:1–8:21. We saw last time that Jesus calls His followers to look to Him for provision. As Mark moves forward with his narrative, he builds on this by developing the theme that Jesus provides for all people, not just for the Jewish nation of which He was a part.

Morality with God

The article I wrote last week, which you can view here, was a response to an idea sometimes repeated by atheists. They say that Christians are frightening for saying that it is impossible to be moral without believing in God, and I explained that is not the heart of our position. Rather, it is impossible to have the concept of morality without the existence of God. You can do the right thing without believing in Him, and you can do the wrong thing while believing in Him, but “right” and “wrong” make no sense without an objective, eternal standard.