It has been a while, but we had some difficulty with our website, which had to be taken down until we were able to locate and eradicate the problem. It appears that the enemy will do anything to keep the message of the gospel of the Kingdom from the hearts and ears of those who desire to hear.
In case you have not been able to hear any of our Blogtalkradio episodes, you can listen to the archives here. You may want to start with our "holiday" episodes. While you are there, please take a minute to complete our survey as well. Your feedback would be deeply appreciated as we continue to develop our programming.
Please join us in not only welcoming, but also thanking our new producer, Donna Forte. Donna has been invaluable in arranging many of the interviews you have heard on the show, and keeping us focused on the show! Donna is a treasured member of the Breaking the Silence family. Thank you Donna!
Finally, make sure you check out our site, which is now back online.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
The True Cost of Discipleship
Last week on Breaking the Silence, we discussed the definition of disciple. The Greek word is mathetes, which means a learner.
Matt. 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The word teach in verse 19 is matheteuo, which means to disciple, instruct, or teach. Here, the Lord Jesus is instructing His disciples to replicate the pattern He began. The Lord Jesus taught by doing more than just speaking to the disciples. He spent time with them; He took them to the places He went. He withheld nothing from them. This was the pattern He instructed them to follow.
The word teaching in verse 20 is didasko, which means to teach. The word observe in verse 20 is tereo, which means to guard. The Lord Jesus was commanding the disciples to teach in such a way that those being taught would not only know the commands, but would do them and endeavor to guard them in their heart. Over the centuries, we have succumbed to the false teachings of others, and this process of discipleship has been superceded by making church members.
We must endeavor to work in unity to learn, do and teach the things the Lord Jesus imparted to His disciples. For in doing this, we will carry out His desire to establish His kingdom on this earth.
Matt. 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
The word teach in verse 19 is matheteuo, which means to disciple, instruct, or teach. Here, the Lord Jesus is instructing His disciples to replicate the pattern He began. The Lord Jesus taught by doing more than just speaking to the disciples. He spent time with them; He took them to the places He went. He withheld nothing from them. This was the pattern He instructed them to follow.
The word teaching in verse 20 is didasko, which means to teach. The word observe in verse 20 is tereo, which means to guard. The Lord Jesus was commanding the disciples to teach in such a way that those being taught would not only know the commands, but would do them and endeavor to guard them in their heart. Over the centuries, we have succumbed to the false teachings of others, and this process of discipleship has been superceded by making church members.
We must endeavor to work in unity to learn, do and teach the things the Lord Jesus imparted to His disciples. For in doing this, we will carry out His desire to establish His kingdom on this earth.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
We're moving!
This is an exciting time of transition for us here at Breaking the Silence. While Saturday, June 27 was our last show on traditional radio, it marked the beginning of a transition into Internet Radio. That's right; we are moving to BlogTalk Radio! Beginning Saturday, July 11, at 11:00 p.m. ET, you can catch us on the internet for a full hour! Click here to go directly to the show. Now, in addition to calling in, you can also post your comments and questions on the chat board! Can't listen live? No problem! On BlogTalk Radio, you can download previously aired shows at your leisure.
Don't worry, you can continue to count on us being the "Mike and Mike" of Christian talk radio!
Don't worry, you can continue to count on us being the "Mike and Mike" of Christian talk radio!
Friday, June 26, 2009
What are you doing with your 2 hours and 24 minutes?
2 Pet. 3:8 (KJV) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Most everyone has heard the news that Micheal Jackson passed away at age 50 yesterday. But it reminded me of a conversation that I had with some people recently that caused me to look at life a different way.
During one recent conversation, a brother shared an interesting perspective on the above Scripture. He mentioned that if a thousand years is as one day with the Lord, then 100 years would be 10% of that, or 2 hours and 24 minutes. So, if we lived to be 100 years old, it would be the equivalent of less than 2.5 hours.
Another brother put it this way - Jesus stepped out of eternity into time to accomplish His Father's will. He accomplished everything He needed to in 33.5 years, then returned to His rightful place. That 33.5 years would be the equivalent of 48 minutes, according to the above Scripture.
So, assuming that each of us would live to be 100 years old, it would be a mere 2 hours and 24 minutes in the kingdom of God.
The question today is, what are you doing with your 2 hours and 24 minutes?
Most everyone has heard the news that Micheal Jackson passed away at age 50 yesterday. But it reminded me of a conversation that I had with some people recently that caused me to look at life a different way.
During one recent conversation, a brother shared an interesting perspective on the above Scripture. He mentioned that if a thousand years is as one day with the Lord, then 100 years would be 10% of that, or 2 hours and 24 minutes. So, if we lived to be 100 years old, it would be the equivalent of less than 2.5 hours.
Another brother put it this way - Jesus stepped out of eternity into time to accomplish His Father's will. He accomplished everything He needed to in 33.5 years, then returned to His rightful place. That 33.5 years would be the equivalent of 48 minutes, according to the above Scripture.
So, assuming that each of us would live to be 100 years old, it would be a mere 2 hours and 24 minutes in the kingdom of God.
The question today is, what are you doing with your 2 hours and 24 minutes?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
I found this interesting post at the Vital Signs blog. It seems that the "left" does not seem to be threatened by Christian radio. Our question is, should it be? Are we trying to be like the rest of the world? Or are we trying to do our Father's will, and bring the word of truth? The politics of the Kingdom looks nothing like the politics of the world. The politics of the Kingdom requires that we speak the truth in love, and serve others. In other words, we, as disciples exercise power under people. The politics of the world wants to exercise power over people.
How do we keep focused on the truth? We must endeavor to constantly speak about the Kingdom of God. This is what Jesus had a passion for:
Luke 4:43 (KJV)
And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
This is the passion we must have. Our passion must be to preach the kingdom of God. Our passion must be to speak the truth in love. This type of speech will never seem relevant to those who do not have a desire to know the Lord Jesus, or desire to be His disciples. And the more that we conform to our Lord Jesus, the more foreign we will appear to those who are carnal.
This week, we will continue our discussion on marriage and family. We will be talking about divorce. You won't want to miss this week's program!
How do we keep focused on the truth? We must endeavor to constantly speak about the Kingdom of God. This is what Jesus had a passion for:
Luke 4:43 (KJV)
And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
This is the passion we must have. Our passion must be to preach the kingdom of God. Our passion must be to speak the truth in love. This type of speech will never seem relevant to those who do not have a desire to know the Lord Jesus, or desire to be His disciples. And the more that we conform to our Lord Jesus, the more foreign we will appear to those who are carnal.
This week, we will continue our discussion on marriage and family. We will be talking about divorce. You won't want to miss this week's program!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Marriage and Family, Part 1
I am writing this as I am sitting in my hotel room at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in TN. I have met some wonderful people here already! This is my first experience here, but it is exciting to connect with so many people who are interested in using the various forms of communication to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom.
We will begin this week's post with a Scripture from the book of John:
42Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
John 8:42-45 (ESV)
Jesus was telling them that they heard and believed the lies for so long, that when the truth came to them, they thought the truth was a lie and rejected it. Why is this so important? Because it continues to happen today, and it happens among Christians. This is especially true when it comes to our understanding of marriage and family. We use secular and worldly advice and instruction to build a Christian marriage. Is it any wonder that we see an enormous number of failed marriages among Christians? It is impossible to build a Kingdom marriage on a worldly foundation.
At Breaking the Silence, we know that the next few weeks may be tough for some, because there have been so many lies about marriage and family that have been reinforced, that when the truth about these issues come, it is easier to reject the truth and continue to subscribe to the lies that have been told. We pray that your eyes are opened during these next few weeks.
Why is this issue important? First, and most important, is that marriage is the first institution that God ordained in the Bible. That tells us something about how important marriage is in the Kingdom of God. And the composition and the structure of marriage has not changed since God established it.
Next, a marriage is a type and shadow of our relationship with Christ. Consider what John wrote in the book of Revelation:
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;.
Rev. 19:7 (ESV)
Our marriages are an extension of the family that God ordained - where Jesus is the Bridegroom, and we are the Bride. This is what our marriages should reflect here on earth.
Over the next few weeks, we will be discussing a number of issues as it pertains to marriage and family. Feel free to send us your thoughts as well - we want to hear from you!
We will begin this week's post with a Scripture from the book of John:
42Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
John 8:42-45 (ESV)
Jesus was telling them that they heard and believed the lies for so long, that when the truth came to them, they thought the truth was a lie and rejected it. Why is this so important? Because it continues to happen today, and it happens among Christians. This is especially true when it comes to our understanding of marriage and family. We use secular and worldly advice and instruction to build a Christian marriage. Is it any wonder that we see an enormous number of failed marriages among Christians? It is impossible to build a Kingdom marriage on a worldly foundation.
At Breaking the Silence, we know that the next few weeks may be tough for some, because there have been so many lies about marriage and family that have been reinforced, that when the truth about these issues come, it is easier to reject the truth and continue to subscribe to the lies that have been told. We pray that your eyes are opened during these next few weeks.
Why is this issue important? First, and most important, is that marriage is the first institution that God ordained in the Bible. That tells us something about how important marriage is in the Kingdom of God. And the composition and the structure of marriage has not changed since God established it.
Next, a marriage is a type and shadow of our relationship with Christ. Consider what John wrote in the book of Revelation:
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;.
Rev. 19:7 (ESV)
Our marriages are an extension of the family that God ordained - where Jesus is the Bridegroom, and we are the Bride. This is what our marriages should reflect here on earth.
Over the next few weeks, we will be discussing a number of issues as it pertains to marriage and family. Feel free to send us your thoughts as well - we want to hear from you!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Birth Control as economic stimulus?!?
You have to see this interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. This is clearly one of the most absurd things we have ever heard. In essence, she is implying that human beings are a drain on the economy. George Washington once said that it is impossible to rightly govern without God and the Bible. This is proof that what he said is correct. Please pray for all of our leaders, but also join us in letting them know that this type of philosophy is dangerous to our society. This is the exact opposite of what the Lord commanded us to do when He told us to be fruitful and multiply. It also shows you how the love of money is the root of all evil.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
What would you do?
In this interesting article it seems that some of Bernard Madoff's investors were able to make a profit before the alleged Ponzi scheme was discovered. The article says some of his investors are in an ethical quandry - should they keep whatever money they received, even if they know it was stolen money? What would you do? Post your thoughts; we will discuss this on Saturday's show.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Christians and Government Assistance
Let's face it; our country, and this world are in a serious economic crisis. We could go into a long list of reasons why we are where we are; however, the Bible clearly gives us the answer in 1 Timothy 6:10: For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Add to this our diminshing dependence upon the Lord, and a growing dependence on man's government, and the result is what we are seeing today. In fact, we have people who profess to be Christians that are more concerned about how to hold on to their jobs and their wealth than they are trusting in the Lord who created them and knows what their needs are. So, it should come as no surprise that many Christians are now turning to the government for help during this time. Is it wrong for us to turn to the government for help?
Not completely. For example, a person who has been involuntarily terminated from his or her job is eligible to apply for unemployment benefits. Since that person more than likely paid into the system while he or she working, that person has a right to receive such benefits. This is not a matter of someone living off of a public welfare system; these are temporary benefits from a system that he or she contributed to while the person was actively employed. Such benefits are not interminable, however. What happens after those benefits terminate?
It is in these situations where the body of Christ has a great opportunity to show love and compassion to our brothers and sisters; yet, we have Christians who are struggling in congregations, and they are unwilling to go to the church for assistance. How can this be? There are a number of reasons that Christians are reluctant to turn to their local fellowships for help. One issue may be pride; many people may be ashamed to say that they have a need because of how they may be viewed by others. What many of those people may not realize is that the Lord may have allowed that situation to occur so that they may deal with the issue of pride in their lives.
Yet, there is another, far more insidious reason that people may not approach their local fellowships for assistance. Many times, people either suspect or know that they will get turned away from the local fellowship, and they will instead be encouraged to go to the government for help. This is an indictment on the entire body of Christ. Consider how the first generation church responded to the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 4:
32And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
Notice that they trusted the apostles to distribute the money in such a way that no one lacked. Where is this type of trust in our local fellowships today?
We will be continuing this discussion this week. Let us know your thoughts, and we may discuss them on the air. Be sure to listen to us every Saturday from 12:30 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. on WCVX, 1050 AM in Cincinnati. You can also hear us live on the Internet; just visit us at our website and click on the link on our home page.
Add to this our diminshing dependence upon the Lord, and a growing dependence on man's government, and the result is what we are seeing today. In fact, we have people who profess to be Christians that are more concerned about how to hold on to their jobs and their wealth than they are trusting in the Lord who created them and knows what their needs are. So, it should come as no surprise that many Christians are now turning to the government for help during this time. Is it wrong for us to turn to the government for help?
Not completely. For example, a person who has been involuntarily terminated from his or her job is eligible to apply for unemployment benefits. Since that person more than likely paid into the system while he or she working, that person has a right to receive such benefits. This is not a matter of someone living off of a public welfare system; these are temporary benefits from a system that he or she contributed to while the person was actively employed. Such benefits are not interminable, however. What happens after those benefits terminate?
It is in these situations where the body of Christ has a great opportunity to show love and compassion to our brothers and sisters; yet, we have Christians who are struggling in congregations, and they are unwilling to go to the church for assistance. How can this be? There are a number of reasons that Christians are reluctant to turn to their local fellowships for help. One issue may be pride; many people may be ashamed to say that they have a need because of how they may be viewed by others. What many of those people may not realize is that the Lord may have allowed that situation to occur so that they may deal with the issue of pride in their lives.
Yet, there is another, far more insidious reason that people may not approach their local fellowships for assistance. Many times, people either suspect or know that they will get turned away from the local fellowship, and they will instead be encouraged to go to the government for help. This is an indictment on the entire body of Christ. Consider how the first generation church responded to the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 4:
32And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
Notice that they trusted the apostles to distribute the money in such a way that no one lacked. Where is this type of trust in our local fellowships today?
We will be continuing this discussion this week. Let us know your thoughts, and we may discuss them on the air. Be sure to listen to us every Saturday from 12:30 p.m. until 1:00 p.m. on WCVX, 1050 AM in Cincinnati. You can also hear us live on the Internet; just visit us at our website and click on the link on our home page.
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