If God is so powerful, then why is there so much evil?

This question came in from a listener and I decided to address it immediately, because it's important and timely.

Key Bible passages mentioned in this episode.

Genesis 3:16-19

16 To the woman He said,

“I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you shall deliver children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;

Cursed is the ground because of you; With hard labor you shall eat from it All the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; Yet you shall eat the plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Until you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

Romans 8:18-23

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.

Revelation 21:1-4

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

For another episode where I explore this topic:

https://www.johnwhittaker.net/podcast-1/episode-151

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https://www.johnwhittaker.net

Support this ministry:

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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Connect with John:

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Weak but Not Inadequate | Learning Leadership with the Apostle Paul, pt. 3

Paul's leadership and ministry is weak to all appearances, and the Corinthian church isn't impressed. They prefer their leaders with more charisma and credentials and power than Paul has.

In 2 Corinthians, Paul explains that his ministry takes the shape it does for a very good reason and even though its unimpressive by the standards of the world, it's full of God's power and it doesn't indicate any inferiority or inadequacy.

Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:

https://www.johnwhittaker.net

Support this ministry:

Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.

http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/

The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Connect with John:

Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram

Email - john@johnwhittaker.net

If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.

Is Discipleship the Wrong Paradigm for the Church Today? | A Conversation with Kyle Strobel

Kyle Strobel is a theologian at Biola University focused on spiritual theology, and he is the head of the Institute of Spiritual Formation at Talbot School of Theology. He’s also a teaching elder at his church. He, along with John Coe, has written what I consider to be one of the best books on prayer titled Where Prayer Becomes Real.

Earlier this year via his Substack, Kyle sent out a blog titled “Why Discipleship Doesn’t Work,” which pointed to the release of a mini-course on his Substack on “Reimagining Discipleship.” In it, Kyle questioned the entire discipleship framework that has been re-emphasized for the last 30+ years. Kyle’s major contention is that the framework of disciple and discipleship is a pre-Pentecost approach to following Jesus, it’s not found in the New Testament after Jesus’ ascension, and it is thus not a paradigm the church is meant to follow.

I resonated with a lot of what Kyle had to say but also found several things where I think he overstates his case. So we decided to record a conversation exploring the question of whether or not discipleship is the mission of the church today and the paradigm for spiritual growth.

Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:

https://www.johnwhittaker.net

Support this ministry:

Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.

http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/

The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:

https://www.listenerscommentary.com

Connect with John:

Social Media- connect on facebook and instagram

Email - john@johnwhittaker.net

If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.