What can we discover about a place by exploring the histories of those who once lived there–and those who live there still ? In what ways do cultures build upon each other as populations come and go? How do they complement each other, interact, and leave their marks on the people that come after them? And are cultures truly ever lost, even if the people move on or evolve and adapt? Lost Cultures: Living Legacies—the award-winning podcast from Travel + Leisure—returns for Season 2. This season, we’re diving into the stories of vibrant communities around the globe, including the Kānaka Maoli of Hawai‘i, the Sámi of Norway, the Baghdadi Jewish community of India, and more!
The Bible is a huge book that drives at a single question: Do you believe this? Your answer will determine the course of your life. The famous eleventh chapter of Hebrews described what the heroes of faith did because of what they believed. Through faith ordinary people, "conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises" and "were made strong out of weakness" (Heb. 11:33, 34). Their faith—not their eyes—enabled them to see that he was doing all things well. And this confidence kept them on the path of righteousness. Again, Ezekiel helps us to see what the eye overlooks. Ezekiel's host asks this question, "Son of man, have you seen this?" He'd heard that question before. In chapter 8 Ezekiel virtually toured the Jerusalem temple that was still standing. It seemed holy. But God allowed Ezekiel to see deeper into its hidden sinfulness. Now the imagery is reversed. Ezekiel sees God's healing river flowing from the temple into the dry land of Israel. If "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), we need to know that God is healing the world even when we can't see it.
The Bible is a huge book that drives at a single question: Do you believe this? Your answer will determine the course of your life. The famous eleventh chapter of Hebrews described what the heroes of faith did because of what they believed. Through faith ordinary people, "conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises" and "were made strong out of weakness" (Heb. 11:33, 34). Their faith—not their eyes—enabled them to see that he was doing all things well. And this confidence kept them on the path of righteousness. Again, Ezekiel helps us to see what the eye overlooks. Ezekiel's host asks this question, "Son of man, have you seen this?" He'd heard that question before. In chapter 8 Ezekiel virtually toured the Jerusalem temple that was still standing. It seemed holy. But God allowed Ezekiel to see deeper into its hidden sinfulness. Now the imagery is reversed. Ezekiel sees God's healing river flowing from the temple into the dry land of Israel. If "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1), we need to know that God is healing the world even when we can't see it.
In the book of Revelation God "show[s] his servants the things that must soon take place" (Rev. 1:1). And it reveals the future for a specific purpose, so that the church might be faithful. "Blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near" (Rev. 1:3). This vision helps us to be realistic. It tells about the struggles believers will face. It is honest about the shortcomings every congregation will have. It insists that we stay on mission. And it holds out the hope of heaven to everyone who endures to the end. In the opening chapter John summarizes the gospel, reminds us of our calling, and assures us of Jesus' return: Christ has "loved us and freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father … he is coming" (Rev. 1:5–7). That is the book of Revelation in summary. He begins to unpack the Christian life by showing us that Christ is with us now. While John was on the island called Patmos he heard a loud voice telling him to write what he saw to the seven churches. He turned to see who was speaking to him. The sound came from one "like a son of man" (Rev. 1:13). This is our Lord Jesus' the favorite self-designation. What John encountered when he heard and saw Jesus is crucial for the faithfulness of the church today.…
Paul's announcement that people of all sorts are one in Christ Jesus is the dramatic climax of his argument for justification by faith alone. And it is glorious. No matter who you are, if you are trusting in Jesus, you are a son of God! Unfortunately, Galatians 3:28 has been used to defend such positions as female church leadership and transgenderism, as if in Christ, men and women transcend gender. So it is vital that we understand what Paul isn't saying, what he is saying, and what it means for us.…
It is possible to teach only the Bible and yet proclaim a false gospel. That's what happened in Galatia in the days of the apostle Paul. His opponents in the church could say they were only teaching Scripture; they required believers to do things that they could reference with chapter and verse. But by using the Bible wrongly they had put themselves under God's curse. By confusing promise and obedience the Galatian teachers were perverting the gospel and troubling the souls of their hearers. In his letter to the church he has asserted that "a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ" (Gal. 2:16). But it remained for him to spell out the relationship between the law and the promise of the gospel, something we must learn as well.…
The believers in Galatia had a problem: Though they had learned to trust in Christ alone, they were feeling pressured to rely—to some extent—on the works of the law for salvation. This may sound foreign to you. But relying on the works of the law is still a common strategy. Only 57% of American Christians agree with the following statement: "God counts a person as righteous not because of one's works but only because of one's faith in Jesus Christ." I hope 100% of this congregation would agree with that statement! But what we believe is sometimes different than what we feel. You believe that salvation is only in Christ alone. Yet haven't you felt that God likes you better when you obey the law? Don't you feel tempted to ensure your salvation by keeping the law? We need the same message the Galatians needed. Trusting in the law and trusting in Christ are two completely different ways of salvation. And only one will succeed.…
Someday you may need to decide what to do with the body of a loved one after they die. You can influence those who will make the decision about your body. It isn't a happy thought. But it cannot be ignored. And as a Christian you will want Scripture to inform your decision. Until very recently, burials have been the norm for believers. That has changed. Many funeral homes now perform more cremations than burials. Does Scripture command burial? Some reformed believers have thought so. "Holy Scripture commands that the bodies of believers, which are temples of the Holy Spirit and which will rise from the dead on the last day, be buried in the ground reverently." Henry Bullinger says that "Scripture wills that the bodies of the faithful … should be … committed to the earth." It may be too strong to say the Scripture commands burial. Herman Bavinck observes that "Cremation is nowhere forbidden." But Scripture certainly commends the practice. And knowing that it does so and why should help us honor the bodies of the dead.…
By faith God has "seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6; cf. (Rom. 6:4). Though our feet are planted on the earth, we can worship him "in his sanctuary" and "in his mighty heavens" no matter where we are. Gathered worship is critically important. But your whole life can be worship.…
Psalm 150 is the final poem of the psalter. But more than that, it is like the closing argument in a court case. It is brief and strong, giving clear instructions regarding our most important calling in life, the worship of our triune God. Specifically, the list of instruments in verses 3–5 tells us how to worship. But like all Scripture, we need to interpret these words with care. They teach us how to worship, but their message may differ from what first meets the eye.…
It is Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection. But you might not feel victorious. Jesus' disciples didn't. An old Latin hymn says, "That Easter day with joy was bright: the sun shone out with fairer light when to their longing eyes restored, the apostles saw their risen Lord." That verse isn't wrong. But for most of that first Easter Day, the sun was not brighter than normal, and the apostles' eyes weren't longing. The day felt dark. The apostles were scared. The message of Easter was exactly what they needed. And it is what you need too. Only the resurrection of God's Son and the defeat of death can bring God's people "into joy from sadness," as another hymn puts it. The apostle John tells how Jesus surprised the apostles with joy, and commissioned them to spread the good news that the risen Lord will forgive the sins of the vilest offender who truly believes.…
It is easy to grow accustomed to even a high level of disfunction. I once asked a friend in college what he missed about his hometown of Benton Harber. He said, "Boarded-up windows." But windows aren't supposed to be boarded up. Neither should spouses become cold and independent of each other. But we can grow used to such things. Being familiar, they can even feel safe. The same thing can happen in worship. We can go to church without drawing near to God. Worship can become uneventful. We can expect little, receive little, and give little. Yet, we can feel that all is well; we've performed a religious task. We constantly need Jesus to refocus our worship. This is what Christ did at the temple in Jerusalem in the final days before his death.…
No chapter in the Bible concentrates on the praise of God like Psalm 150. Every phrase centers on the word praise. Praise is the only verb in the entire psalm. And all thirteen times it occurs, it is an imperative, a command. But while praise is the most basic rule of Scripture it is never an arm-twisting order; it isn't like "go to work" or "clean your room." Praise exactly what we should want to do. If we don't there is something wrong with us. If you know God as he truly is, the only appropriate and soul-satisfying response is worship. Here are two reasons why you should make the praise of God your chief end.…
Christians are people of truth. Jesus came to bear witness to the truth. Those who are of the truth hear his voice (John 18:38) and become witnesses of what they have seen and heard. In other words, believers have something to say. But, like many things speaking well is both a science and an art. We have to both learn what to say and how to say it. In other words, a truly biblical message requires a biblical method of communication. And Proverbs 15:23 provides important insights into how believers can best say what we know. Specifically, the verse praises "a word in season, how good it is!" What does this mean and how can this encouragement help us communicate like God?…
Who needs a sermon on the last judgment? Unbelievers may find this topic offensive, and even some Christians are embarrassed by it. The theme may strike us as negative and impractical. This is exactly how historic confessions can help us. The first words of the Belgic Confession's last article clearly make the point: "We believe" in the return and judgment of Christ "according to God's Word." The final judgment is not just mentioned by Scripture; it is the culmination of the entire drama of redemption. It is the full realization of God's promise to crush the serpent's head and restore God's people to himself. It is the only appropriate conclusion to the entire system taught in the Bible. And this is exactly how the Bible teaches it. The final judgment is the theme of Jesus' last sermons (Matt. 24, 25). It frequently undergirds Paul's most comprehensive and passionate pleas for personal godliness (e.g., Rom. 12:19; 1 Thess. 4:13–18). And it is integral to the apostolic presentation of the gospel (Acts 17:31). Without the final judgment, you have an unfinished story of "a nobleman [who] when into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom" and never returned to look after his servants (cf. Luke 19:12). We can be thankful that the ancient confessions remind us of a truth we need to hear but sometimes forget and undervalue.…
Few theological issues are thornier than a Christian approach to politics. Even Christians with similar commitments to Scripture disagree over policies, political platforms, and particular politicians. We even disagree over how much people may disagree with our views. These divisions won't be resolved in this present age. But to step in the right direction, we should temporarily set aside specific issues and consider the big principles that the Bible teaches about the reason for government and the responsibilities of those who govern and those who are governed. To have a biblical view of the civil government we must make at least three affirmations.…
What are you afraid of? Fear is simply a feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something. Real men fear. David was a leader and a warrior. But he was sometimes afraid. "My heart is in aguish within me … Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me" (Ps. 55:4–5). David's psalms can help men admit the fears in their own lives. And being honest about our fears is the first step in facing them.…
We cannot say for sure that the writer to Hebrews had in mind the examples of Abraham and Lot. But he seems to assume that his Jewish hearers would appreciate the illustration without needing further details. And their stories certainly fit the point of Hebrews 13:2 and reveal to us God's will for our hospitality.…
Some may try to object to or evade the justice of God by claiming that God is unjust, hoping that God will not be able to bring everyone to justice, or appealing to his mercy in hopes that he will compromise on justice. However God's just requirements for humanity are still just even though, since the fall, all humanity has been unable to meet and keep these just requirements. God made us completely able to keep his just commands, and it is only by the fault of Adam and Eve that we are no longer able to keep them. God also is fully able to bring all those who disobey him to justice. Many sinners suffer the wrath of God in this life but all will suffer the full wrath of God on the day of the LORD. God is merciful but his mercy will not conflict with his justice. This means that his justice needs to be satisfied. The good news of the gospel is not that God has overlooked all the sin of those who believe in Jesus Christ but that God's just requirement of righteousness and just wrath against their sin has been satisfied in Jesus' life of obedience and sacrificial death on the cross.…
"We believe that this good God, after he created all things, did not abandon them to chance or fortune but leads and governs them according to his holy will, in such a way that nothing happens in this world without his orderly arrangement" (Belgic Confession of Faith Article 13). The reason this doctrine of the providence of God gives the Christian unspeakable comfort is the very nature of God himself and our relationship to him. God is first of all, almighty God. All things are competently held in his hands and controlled according to his will. We see here that God is able and diligent in his sovereign rule over all things. But this alone is not a comfort to us. God is sovereign creator and ruler over all people but he is only the loving heavenly Father of those who believe in Jesus Christ. Because this almighty God is our loving heavenly Father who will never cast us out, we can truly rest in his providence knowing his love for us is as unfailing as his power over all things.…
Have you ever asked, "How did I get here?" Perhaps you've been lost in the woods. Maybe you've found yourself in a marriage or other relationship that started well but is way off track. When you've gone astray it can help to retrace your steps to where you started. That's Jesus' admonition to the church at Ephesus: "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first" (Rev. 2:5). This is also Paul's approach to the Galatian Christians; they started well, trusting in Christ alone, but are now on their way to building a new religion by making their obedience part of the gospel.…
On the night that Jesus died he shared a meal with his disciples. They ate because they were hungry. The meal fed their bodies. But this was a special meal called the Passover. It commemorated the Lord's provision of a lamb whose blood protected believing families from tragedy. At the dinner Jesus "took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sin'" (Matt. 26:26–28). Jesus transformed the Passover into the Lord's Supper. By use of this meal Christ's body and blood can "preserve your body and soul unto everlasting life." But only if we understand and use it properly. To do so requires discernment, right judgment, and self-examination (1 Cor. 11:27–29).…
By this point in Paul's letter to the Galatians his thesis is clear: The gospel declares salvation through the work of Christ alone which we receive by faith alone. This truth is so familiar to us that it seems obvious, noncontroversial. But this theory often gets tested in practice. It is possible for our "conduct [to be] not in step with the truth of the gospel" (Gal. 2:14). We can believe that we are saved by grace alone but behave as if our justification depends on the works of the law. Paul tells of how he rebuked Peter for just this kind of gospel hypocrisy, and then further explains the life-saving truth of justification by faith in Christ alone.…
As Jesus was preparing to return to the Father, having received "all authority in heaven and on earth," He gave this simple instruction to the eleven disciples: make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:18, 19). A disciple is a student, an apprentice, one who is learning to live like his master. And Jesus defined the disciple-making process with these two directives: baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all of Jesus' commands. Christian baptism is disciple's identification with the holy Trinity and a critical step in the process of walking with Jesus. So it is vital that we understand the sacrament of baptism.…
People who compromise are the best. They are easy to live with because they don't insist on their own way. They work, sometimes against their own purposes, to reach a mutually-beneficial settlement. Like Christ, they look not only to their own interests but also to the interests of others (Phil. 2:4). They are interested not in being served but in serving and giving (). The gospel should make Christians the most agreeable people on the planet. As we bear the fruit of the Spirit we should be easy to get along with in the ordinary course of life. Paul engendered the spirit of compromise when he was willing to become all things to all people (). But our willingness to compromise must have limits. As we keep "in step with the truth of the gospel" (2:14) we will become increasingly inflexible on gospel issues. When the truth of the gospel is concerned we must "not yield in submission even for a moment" (Gal. 2:5). In the first part of Galatians 2 Paul gives an example of his gospel inflexibility. This story authenticates Paul's claim as an apostle sent directly from Christ and teaches us to stand firm when we must.…
플레이어 FM에 오신것을 환영합니다!
플레이어 FM은 웹에서 고품질 팟캐스트를 검색하여 지금 바로 즐길 수 있도록 합니다. 최고의 팟캐스트 앱이며 Android, iPhone 및 웹에서도 작동합니다. 장치 간 구독 동기화를 위해 가입하세요.