yearning for peace is a human yearning, not a christian yearning

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We can find Peace by: 

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1) Accepting Instability
-  Macdonald-isation

we can get what we want, when we wanted it. we build systems to be like that

a) Effectiveness

b)efficiency

c) predictability

d) control

we can get these unless a black swan comes in. every year there are always black swans.

- instability is the new normal we can be certain of the continuation of instability

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we require some sort of anchor outside of the storm. 

it doesn't matter how good our boat or anchor is, unless it's transcendentally attached, it's useless in a storm

that's what the Christian faith access, a stabilizer that transcends the storm that we face 

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2) Deal with Suffering

- different worldview of suffering. 

a) god doesn't owe you anything, your suffering is your own problem

b) any suffering you experience is your own fault

c) suffering is just an illusion, the problem leading to suffering is desire. we all need to meditate ourselves out of desire

d) atheistic worldviews. your suffering is meaningless. because everything is meaningless to an atheist. we are just "time + matter + chance"

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Christian Worldview towards suffering (Through Jesus)

- suffering is real and terrible, a reflection of the brokenness of people

- steps down into our suffering, takes it to Himself and dies on the cross, offering us 2 things: to comfort us and to promise us an eternity that there will be no more suffering.

a God who suffers for us and with us

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3) Find Hope
- abstract hope? we need an enabler to actualize our hope

Meaningful Hope:

a) Grounded in Evidence (Reasonable)

- the claims of the Christian faith is not a leap of faith, it's a reasonable step of faith. it's grounded in evidence.

b) Experiential Relevance 

- unlike any other worldview, the christian faith manifests relation-ally

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Q&A

1) Why did God allow Covid-19 to happen

- majesty of God and the smallness of human kind. this question assumes that everything that God does and allows, we will understand. if we believe who God is in the Bible, it's clear that there are things we cannot understand. 

- careful to ascribe cause and effects to God. this is most probably a completely man made virus. alot of this is one us... 

- God could've stopped it because He is sovereign. He might have been trying to get our attention or trying to teach us certain things.  It doesn't really help us to speculate in these things. 

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2) Faith feels like a false kind of optimism 

- we need a realistic diagnosis of the problem

- the evidence that God show us is enough for us to trust him for things that we don't know

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3)

- my insufficiency to the world and the world's insufficiency towards me. (no matter how well I do, there's still something about myself that is not quite right) 

- other worldviews will say that if you come to this worldview, suffering won't happen to you. but Christianity is a God that conquers through the suffering, not around it. 

- God wants to be in a relationship in Him and to be in the world pouring out His love in a suffering world.

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4) if we only attribute the good things to God, isit a confirmation bias?
- christian scripture never promise us happiness but promises us joy.

Happiness is a feeling because of the environmental stimuli. You can generate your own happiness with your own strength

Joy is generated from a supernatural ability. Once we have a relationship with God, we are in a constant state of joy. Even the suffering of this world can make us unhappy but it can't take away our joy. 

- the reality of who God is isn't affected by what is going on in the world

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1 Peter 3:15

Peter is writing for defending the faith but he was famous for denying Christ. 

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"always be ready to give a reason..."

But that's not how the verse starts. "Set Christ as Lord.."

Jesus must be the primary reason.

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Jesus as the foundation of our reasoning and approach not just to learn evidences, to show scriptures are correct etc. (i'm not approaching the defense of faith with neutrality. approach with Jesus as Lord. that's what the apostles did. don't see apologetic and evangelism separate) 

Your defense for faith is mingled with your call to faith. 

(9.47)

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Acts 17

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we can do apologetics wrong from a biblical perspective. (arrogance, rude)

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Because of Eve, we had to bear the pain of childbirth, we had to bear to consequence.

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Do you know what you’re adopting by rejecting God?

If Atheism is true, there’s not even a basis for your worth. We’re just an accident.

Don’t just take things out of context. Look at what Jesus did for the girl who committed adultery. He stood up for her. See the special place that God has given to womanhood.

The charm and mystique of womanhood is both in its intellect and in its mystique.

Our culture always find somebody to oppress as a result we read verses in a vacuum, we don't read all the way when we see Him highlighting people like Sarah, Ruth, Deborah, Phoebe, Mary.

He tells a man to love a woman the way Christ loves a church.

We’re as valuable to Him as humanity is to Him.

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Ultimately, it was through the seed of Eve, where God brought the Redeemer ultimately and that’s what grace is all about.

See how Christ treated women. There is no other worldview that gives the respect to womanhood as Jesus does.

God often chooses the weakest to make His strength manifest. People said men are more cerebral and women are more emotional. Actually both are equally cerebral, but women are more consistent in being willing to let the thought be connected to the emotion, men like to hide from the emotional ramifications of the thought.

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Is the bible dishonourable to a specific gender?

The Bible speaks strongly of the equality of the gender.

If God discriminates gender, he would not have revealed Himself to the women after the resurrection to go and tell the message. That was completely counter cultural because women’s testimonies won’t even valuable to court at that time.  All of easter rests on the testimony of womankind. The women with the alabaster jar, Jesus told those around to be quiet and gave her the greatest compliment that wherever the gospel is shared, this story of this woman’s faith will also be told.

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He goes to Samaria and finds this woman who has 5 shattered marriages, socially outcasted. He made her the first evangelist to the Samaritan world.

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None of us is superior to the other, we only have the same privilege of taking our distinctives and complementary strengths and carry the message to the world. God is the God of humankind. The last thing Jesus said to His disciple when He was on the cross was to take care of His mother, because a sword was piercing through her heart.

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God placed a very special place in His heart for womankind. Luke is often described as the Gospel for women.

The word EQUALITY. Is not to be confused with the roles and responsibilities of the household and in a family. Mutually submit to one another is based on our love for each other.  

Logical Problem.​

What kind of culture are we living in?

Theonomy (“God’s-law”. When the law of God is so embedded into our heart that we all emotively think in the same categories, such as natural laws. Self evident laws such as respect for parents),

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Heteronomous (“another-law”. The main stream of the culture is dictated by the leadership at the top. Marxism, Islam - mullahs etc will tell the masses what to eat, wear, to be seen with etc. Few at the top dictated for the masses below),

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Autonomous (“self-law”. Each person dictates their own morals. If I answer your question are you going to give me the privilege of my autonomy too or as soon as you disagree with my answer you will switch to a heteronomous mode and dictate for me what I must believe. This is a sociological dilemma. Autonomous culture runs into a conflict where everybody has their own autonomy.)

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Theological Problem

“Christians are generally against racism but when it comes to the homosexuals, they discriminate against the homosexuals”. The first part of the question it’s an ism, an idea  and the second part is particularized to individuals. Race and ethnicity of a person is sacred. We believe in the absoluteness of sexuality is because it’s a sacred as well. Marriage is give by God to us, the most sacred relationship to which you will enter. Love is 4 words in Greek - agápe, éros, philía, and storgē. Marriage is the only one that pulls these 4 together. The Bible give the sacredness of marriage as Christ is to the church. The theological position is a consummate relationship between a man and a woman in the procreative act.

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Relational Problem

God gives you the most sacred gift of the prerogative of choice. But God does not give you the privilege of determining a different outcome to what the choice will entail. The consequences are bound to the choice.  Any change from it from the Biblical point of view is a departure from the Biblical mandate. But at the same time, the bible demands that we love even those whom we disagree with.

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Sex is a sacred gift of God

You can love your spouse with a 100% devotion but the human body reacts to the sight, entertained by imagination and give all kinds of false hints that stolen water will be sweeter. A disposition or a proclivity does not justify expressing them. That’s across for all sexuality. It was God’s plan to create man and woman. God said it was not good for man to be living alone. But Man wasn't alone, God was with him. He created the mystique and majesty and charm and complementary nature in womankind in a way that made it possible for her to meet his emotional needs that God himself put only within her. Outside of himself, from himself in her in that complementariness. “Dispositionally homosexual but never fulfilled that for the sake of Christ”.

Suicide is complex, assisted, taking machines off, dramatic implications from medications etc.

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“I don't want to meet the Lord after I have committed suicide”.

Because in Genesis, murder is the ultimate attack on the image of God. Violating the image of God whether in others or in myself is the ultimate display of a lack of faith. And without faith it is impossible to please God.

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I cannot stand as  judge and tell people that whoever has committed suicide, that’s the end for them. I have to leave it to God to stand judge and be the peace for them. The fact that I tried to take my life was a devastating thought to me. The only consolation that I have is that I didn’t know Christ at that time. In Romans 14, it tells us that whatever is not of faith is a sin. If you violate a conviction that God has placed in your heart clearly, it’s a sinful thing to do. If anyone is toying with the thought of taking their life that’s what I would say to them. Don’t even think about it. It’s the most sacred gift God has given to you, don’t use your freedom to violate your freedom.” Trust and pull through and when you see Him face to face you’ll realize He sustained you the greatest in your darkest struggles in the soul.

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“I said to the man of the gate to the year. Give me a light that i might walk safely into the unknown. “Give me a light  that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

Religions are fundamentally different and at best they are superficially similar.

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What are the fundamental differences?

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In buddhism, the goal is to extinguish hunger. Extinguish desire. There was this christian leader who has phd in philosophy and all he was being interviewed the first buddhist monk to be ordained into priesthood. And he asked her, do you have children. She said yes, and he asked but you stay in the temple in the forest by yourself. And she started crying. She’s trying to extinguish the desire for her children. Dalai Lama has his primary pursuit now, the freedom of Tibet. Why does he desire that.  

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If we look at all the other world religions and see where these 4 questions are dealt with.

Origin, Meaning, Morality and Destiny.

They must be answered in 2 ways, 2 tests, correspondence and coherence. Correspond to truth either in empirical form (history) of measure or through logical process. They must not be in incoherence.

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The Quran is the ONLY historically claimed document that denied that Jesus was crucified and died on the cross. THe Greek historians said he died on the cross, ROman, Jewish, Pagan and Christian historians say that. So historically it’s making an affirmation that is not true.

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All religion can be group into 3 categories.

1. Only the universe exists (atheism)

2. Only God exists

3. Both God and the universe exists. (Judaism, Christianity and Islam)

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You just need to know what are the basics beliefs the fundamentals for you to critic and know them.

Islam View

- Jesus claimed to be a prophet himself. A prophet is someone who speaks for someone's behalf. If Jesus speaks on behalf of God, He is not God. 

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- when Jesus called himself 'son of God', he means that he is someone who is loved by God. Jesus was teaching monotheism, he also prayed to God. 

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- The writing & rewriting of the story of Jesus in the 4 gospels changed the perspective of who God is. 

mark vs matthew's gospel. 

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- Mark's gospel made it uncertain if Jesus really died. Pilate wasn't very keened to kill Jesus so he closed one eye when Jesus was taken down from the cross alive. (Jesus is a prophet, servant, messenger, teaching islamic mono and jewish theism. Prove that he rose from dead is not clear in NT and quran has insights that it has doubts concerning the death. Jesus was rescued and raised to heaven by God.)

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Christian View

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Mark 9:31 (son of man will be killed and will rise 3 days later)

mark 10:45 (did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many)

Mark 2:28 (lord of sabbath)

matt 22:41 - 45 (lord of king david)

matt 25:31 - 46 (final judge, decides who goes heaven and who goes hell)

matt 11:27 (absolutely unique relationship with the father)

john 14:13-14 (answer prayers)

matt 18:20 (present wherever his followers are gathered)

matthew 28:18 (all authority)

john 16:15 (all universe belongs to him) 

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All these were the verses quoted to disprove Jesus as God. Why believe in half but not the other? 

in order to preserve the view that Jesus is a prophet, muslims need to claim that the msg of Jesus has been corrupted. 

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1) quran states that Jesus is messenger and prophet. Jesus started preaching as a baby, the same msges that abraham and moses preached. 

2) Jesus preached isalm and was successful. he had muslim followers

3) according to the quran. allah promised jesus that his followers will be superior to unbelievers (will not be led astray by apostle paul)

4) if there were 1st ce jews who converted to islam, they didnt last long because we have alot of historical evidences and sources on jesus' disciples, but no evidence at all that any of the followers believed in something remotely islam. 

5) according to islam, allah corrupted the gospel to lead ppl to believe that jesus died on the cross. (sur 4 v157 - 158) allah tricked ppl to believe that jesus was crucified by making one disciples look like jesus and he was crucified. 

6) allah helped the spread of the gospel. (sur 61:14) aided the followers of Jesus until they become uppermost. but the only disciples who became uppermost were those who believed in the death and resurrection of Christ which isalm dont believe in. 

7) sur 5:47. quran affirm the bible. 

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tbc

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Stephen Hawking in 1990, whole talk was on determinism and freedom,

he concluded: the tragedy with scientific materialism is that if we take its assumptions is that we are not free, we are totally pre determined. The only escape i have is that if i don’t know what’s predetermined, i might as well not be.

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Were you free to ask this question? Are you making a truth claim? Because if you are, you’re violating determinism, rising above the bondage of total subjectivity.  

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Why didn't God stop the trigger but allow for it and bring about some judgement.

The supreme of ethic that God has given us, is the ethic of love. The peak of all intellectual and emotional alignment. Which places value upon the other pers on of worth and as something to be protected.

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You cannot have love without the freedom of the will. If you are compelled by some machine to certain decision, you can never love. You can comply but you will never be choosing to express that sentiment in the reality of love. If love is supreme ethic and freedom is indispensable to love and GOd supreme will for you and me is to love Him with all our hearts and love our neighbours as ourselves, for Him to violate that free will is for Him to violate that love.

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If God stops that trigger, why not stop everything else? Next time you hold boiling water, he makes it frozen water instead. Next time you cross the road and is about to be hit, he holds your leg back. What you’re asking for is a different entity than humanity. As wonderful as it seems that in Him holding back, He is protecting you from what is destructive, you are actually asking for God to take away your free will to choose.

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You asking the question because you are free to ask it and you are free to ask it because you are free to love. And when you love Him inspite of all of the contraries that you see, you are trusting Him that He is the supreme being with the supreme wisdom.

We think for example that we know so much.

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Analogy: There’s a folk tale of a man that lost his horse that run away. The neighbour came and tell him, bad luck isn’t that your horse ran away. The next day, the horse came back with 20 other wild horses. The neighbour came back and said, good luck isnt, that you have so many horses now! That afternoon the man’s son was tending to the horses that came back, and one of the horses kicked him and broke his leg. Neighbour came along, bad luck isn’t that these horses came back and broke his leg. The next morning, a notorious gang came looking for young, able bodied young men to join their gang. Just as they were going to pick his son, they realized his leg is broken and left him alone. Neighbour came, good luck isnt your son’s leg is broken.

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In one series of episodes, we don’t know what lies ahead. Why don’t you wait till you stand before God face to face and you will find out that there were reasons why He didn’t stop that trigger so that you will see the drastic pain of evil and the majesty of His good.

God’s ‘love’ and our ‘love’ is the same word with a different meaning.

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Some words have the same meaning, if i say i love A and i love B, i prob meant the same thing. But if i say i’m a good soccer player and Ronaldo is a good soccer player, we’re prob talking about different things. A different context gives it a whole different meaning.

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When I tell you that I love you, and that God love you. It’s the same word, but it means different. 

If I love somebody and that person refuses to love me back, i hurt, because i’ve lost something.

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When God loves me and I refuse to love God back, He hurts. Not because He lost something but because i’ve lost something.

It’s like going to a doctor who’s forcing you to take pills when you don’t see any symptoms and you feel fine.

Don’t confuse physical contentment with spiritual contentment. If God does exist it has serious implications in my life.

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What you worship, determines how you live your life.