Biblical Worldview

Our Leadership Role Model Chanukah, the national festival of dedication, teaches lessons of godly loyalty in leadership. But most Christians do not know these lessons. They are unaware of Jesus’ message at this time of year. Scripture makes it plain that we are to imitate Christ, patterning our lives after his example of godly loyalty in leadership. There will be a reward for all of those who are called into a covenant relationship with the Father. For if we follow Christ’s righteous example of leadership, we will be co-inheritors with him. How do we prepare for this future?

Red Lines and our Ethical Standards When an employer or a government official asks you to do something, are there personal ‘red lines’ that you will not cross? As we enter a time of uncertainty are we prepared, knowing our moral and ethical lines that must be preserved regardless of the pressure to abandon them. The religious authorities in Jesus’ day confronted him as he was in the temple celebrating the Feast of Dedication. They wanted to know if he was the Messiah, and what was the proof he could offer them. Jesus was not going to be bullied, but stated clearly that his works had already testified to his Messiahship. He made it clear that his ‘sheep,’ those that trusted and followed him, would follow his example. They would know what ‘red lines’ could not be crossed.

Another Great Miracle December 25th is memorable , but for another reason. Daniel prophesied of a time when a despicable person would seize the Kingdom of Judea by intrigue. Historical sources document the amazing accuracy of Daniel’s words. He described the events surrounding the rule of Antiochus Epiphanes, ruler of the Seleucid Empire. It was a story of apostasy, treachery, family in-fighting, and murder. That culminated in the installation of a statue of Jupiter Olympus (Zeus) in God’s temple. When? This abomination began on December 25 — Kislev 25 on the Hebrew calendar, just as it is this year. Yet, in this time of collaborators and foreign invasion, there were those who knew their God and eventually prevailed against the overwhelming odds. The result? “A great miracle happened there” as the temple was cleansed and rededicated to the worship of the true God.

Chanukah will begin in 2024 on December 25th. What are the lessons that Christians could garner from this winter holiday season? When Jesus spoke to his disciples about end time lessons for believers, they were looking at the magnificent temple. Herod’s temple was an amazingly beautiful sight. A wonder of the ancient world, its layers of blue, yellow, and white marble seemed to undulate like the waves of the sea. And yet, Jesus prophesied that it would all be destroyed. Of course, the disciples wanted to know when this would happen. Perhaps they were anticipating it to transpire in their own lifetime. But Jesus skirted the issue and related a series of events that would occur before his return. And he gave a them a warning. Do you know what it was?

Power of a Biblical Worldview The scriptures, the source of the biblical worldview, claim to be a "God-breathed." God's revelation of the reality of the world and our role in His plan. In teaching believers "how to live right" the scriptures challenge us to fulfill two overarching commands. "Live by every word of God" and "Bring every thought into captivity." This must be done in order to do our part in fulfilling Christ's will and accomplishing His purpose. But, this cannot be done, except that we have faith as a sure foundation — and this faith is strengthened as we read the stories of our ancestors in the faith.

The value system that leads to action is a worldview. So a biblical worldview is a set of moral beliefs/ethics that lead to righteous actions. It is grounded in biblical knowledge and awe of God. And, it is demonstrated through faith that manifests as positive, godly actions. The Barna survey concluded that parents were not guiding their children to adopt such a biblical worldview. For how can you give to the next generation what you do not have yourself…? http://www.cogwebcast.com https://rumble.com/c/c-1238254 https://www.minds.com/JudeoChristian/ https://odysee.com/@JudeoChristian:59dafee676c47dae75ce1f9db7bc0c7bc10e5883 https://www.youtube.com/user/cogwebcast https://www.facebook.com/pg/cogwebcast/posts/

Patrick’s Legacy In North America many celebrate with beer and revelry a day they say is in honour of St. Patrick of Ireland. But here again is a mystery! Very few acknowledge that Patrick was actually a scripturalist. He was faithful to a strongly biblical worldview. How do we know? We can let his own writing inform us of the reality. Patrick, unlike his Romani contemporaries, was a reformer. He did not follow the politically correct version of Christianity that appealed to tradition. Patrick made his assertions from the bible alone. He gave no credence to the authority of the Roman church! It was only centuries later that his legacy was co-opted. When his former rivals claimed his missionary work as their own.

The news is full of stories about the thorny question of immigration. Here in North America, in Europe and many other nations, political leaders are wrestling with this issue. Due to conflict, oppression, or economic deprivation in other nations, many people are fleeing. They are seeking safe havens for themselves and their families. So what should a nation consider in establishing a fair, compassionate, and wise immigration policy — one that serves the country’s citizens and the potential refugees or immigrants. There are those who advocate opening the floodgates. Others want to put up barriers to limit or control access. So what was God’s advice? Are we willing to listen to what God says about immigration?

The world is trying to grapple with the events of the past few months in the Middle East, but this is nothing new. Our present situation has a powerful connection to events of the past and the prophecy of Daniel about the Seleucid Empire's attempts to dominate Judea. And the question of good and evil is still the one that should be foremost in our minds. God warns us of the consequences of falling prey to the idea that good and evil are relative, or that good is evil and evil is good. Scripture also warns us that there is a price to pay if we do not resist the evil or if we fail to give aid to those who would otherwise be destroyed by evil. The prophetic message of Chanukah from Christ's perspective is both a warning to not be deceived by the evil and an encouragement to rededicate ourselves to God and the way of truth during this winter time of Dedication. http://www.cogwebcast.com https://rumble.com/c/c-1238254 https://www.minds.com/JudeoChristian/ https://odysee.com/@JudeoChristian:59dafee676c47dae75ce1f9db7bc0c7bc10e5883 https://www.youtube.com/user/cogwebcast https://www.facebook.com/pg/cogwebcast/posts/

There are some astonishing parallels between the challenges of the first century Christians and followers of Christ today. But we have the New Testament writers to thank for their warnings as they have given us wisdom to navigate the political and social turmoil of our time. In Paul's day in Judea there were four major factions all vying for political power and the church brethren were often in danger of being subverted by one group or another. Paul reminded them of the dangers of aligning with the world and the societies' struggles, while admonishing them to walk the straight path and pursue peace with all. Paul saw the divisiveness caused by those who brought party politics into the church and he appealed to the brethren to take up the responsibility of being Ambassadors for Christ. So are we heeding Paul's advice and avoiding the toxic attitudes and approaches of the social and political factions of our day? http://www.cogwebcast.com https://rumble.com/c/c-1238254 https://www.minds.com/JudeoChristian/ https://odysee.com/@JudeoChristian:59dafee676c47dae75ce1f9db7bc0c7bc10e5883 https://www.youtube.com/user/cogwebcast https://www.facebook.com/pg/cogwebcast/posts/