What's happening: Ebola missionaries - how far is too far?
- How far is too far for a Christ-follower to go in helping people who are infectious, when it could endanger their family or country?
Dan (addressed by name) presents the news: missionaries infected with Ebola in Liberia are back in the US in quarantine, and some fear an outbreak. The panel debates how far a Christ-follower should go in helping the infectious: Eric (addressed in the audio as 'David Herrick') says lean toward sharing Jesus over relief work unless it advances the kingdom; Ben says don't close a door God hasn't closed, but don't 'jump into a pool of piranhas and yell Jesus on the way in'; Boova (addressed as 'Buba') picks 'every risk is acceptable' when making disciples of all nations.
More on Discernment
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'When God is silent': what counts as hearing from the Lord?
- What does it mean to 'hear from the Lord,' and how often should we expect it?
Mike brings a question from his Bible study, whose paragraph heading was 'when God is silent': the author wrote that he experienced God's silence for a couple of weeks and freaked out, and Ben expected a relatable years-long drought story — 'Oh, two weeks.
From No. 603 · Found Out
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Mike frames the question: are more people hearing from God?
- Does it seem like more and more people are hearing from God — and is that real or a lie and a huge distraction?
Ben asks Mike for a two-sentence framing; Mike says listening to the book of Job while mowing made him furious when Bildad 'received a word from the Lord,' turning a bad human argument into an unarguable divine claim.
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God
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Does God speak more now? Indwelling Spirit versus prophets
- Does God talk to people as much now as he did in the Old Testament or New Testament?
A host asks whether God talks to people as much now as in the Old and New Testaments. Ben's key distinction: the indwelling Holy Spirit means more people can have the experience…
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God
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How to tell your voice from God's: the Bible test and leniency
- How can you tell the difference between you speaking and God speaking?
Ella distills the question: how do you tell the difference between you speaking and God speaking? Her first answer: we have a Bible — what God is telling you is probably already in it ('Ben's gonna have a proud papa moment').
From No. 597 · Maybe A Word From God