Restitutio

This is the third and final part of our series, God at Work in Kenya with Maurice Chahilu of Kingdom Life Ministries.  We’ve come to see so much about what is going on over there, but there’s still more to learn.  Last time I had asked bishop Maurice about his greatest challenges and what he is doing to overcome them.  He shared about a number of concerns, but the last of them was about raising enough money to do outreach and support himself.  This time, we pick up where we left off to hear about an innovative solution Maurice has proposed to become more financially independent. Additionally, for those of you who are visiting on Restitutio.org, I’ve included a video below of Maurice that Joe Martin did in 2018.  This way you can put a face to the voice. https://restitutio.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Maurice-Chahilu-interviewed-by-Joe-Martin-2018.mp4   —— Links —— Email Maurice Chahilu (mchahilu@yahoo.com) and Joe Martin (jmartin@atlantabiblecollege.com) Lord’s Harvest International missions organization (LHI), the missionary wing of the Church of God General Conference Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Maurice Chahilu and Rebekah Martin This is part two of our series on God at Work in Kenya with a focus on Kingdom Life Ministries and Maurice Chahilu.  In our last episode we saw how Maurice got started in his ministry.  (If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, go back and listen to it first).  Today, we’ll hear about some of his major challenges, his emphasis on the great commission, and a little more about his needs for growth.  What will come through in this episode crystal clear is this man’s utter dedication and commitment to proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom no matter the cost. —— Links —— See part one here: Interview 57 God at Work in Kenya 1 (Maurice Chahilu) Email Maurice Chahilu (mchahilu@yahoo.com) and Joe Martin (jmartin@atlantabiblecollege.com) Lord’s Harvest International missions organization (LHI), the missionary wing of the Church of God General Conference Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

God is doing something in Kenya and churches are forming and growing rapidly.  Today we are beginning a series of shows on the work of Kingdom Life Ministries and the visionary who began the work there, Maurice Chahilu. A few weeks ago I went to Africa to visit Maurice and the churches he oversees.  I was part of a team of missionaries who were going over to support the work that has been going on in western Kenya for the last 8 years, including Joe and Rebekah Martin, Rolin and Linda Carlbom, and Lacey Dunn. On my last day there, I asked the team for their impressions of what it was like and also recorded Maurice sharing his story. —— Links —— Email Maurice Chahilu (mchahilu@yahoo.com) and Joe Martin (jmartin@atlantabiblecollege.com) Lord’s Harvest International missions organization (LHI), the missionary wing of the Church of God General Conference Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Today is the second and final part of my interview with Leah Fronczek on detoxing your brain.  See part one here.  We begin by talking about the importance of free will in effecting change before getting into the specifics of how to combat toxic thinking.  Learn about multitasking, daydreaming, community, forgiveness, and honesty as ways to combat negativity.  This episode will help you in your quest to “be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12.2). —— Links —— Check out these books by Carolyn Leaf that we mentioned in this podcast. Check out our past young adult event, “Revive“ Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

At the beginning of each year, we have a young adult event called Revive in Connecticut.  This year Leah Fronczek was one of the workshop leaders.  Her topic was detoxing your brain and I asked her to come on Restitutio to share with you what she learned in studying this topic.  This is so important for us as Christians, because God expects us to be able to control our thinking (Romans 12.2).  How do you get rid of toxic thoughts?  Leah is going to help us think through not only how negative thoughts affect us, but how to combat them. Now, before we get into this, I want to make a distinction.  The mind, as we are using it in this discussion, is your mental state, consciousness, memories, feelings etc. , i.e. where you do your thinking, whereas the brain is the physical organ in your head that makes the mind possible.  Obviously, these two are connected, but they aren’t necessarily the same.  We’ll get into this more, but I just wanted to point that out before we get started. —— Links —— Check out these books by Carolyn Leaf that we mentioned in this podcast. Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Last Saturday while I was attending a Christian festival in Ohio, a 21 year-old man entered a Walmart in El Paso, TX and murdered 22 people, injuring 24 more, making it the 7th deadliest shooting in modern US history.  What’s so crazy about this, is that walking into a huge store like Walmart and shooting a semi-automatic assault rifle and hitting 46 people is only 7th!  Can you agree with me that we have a gun-violence problem in America? Then, the next day, a 24 year-old man shot 10 people outside a bar in Dayton, Ohio, injuring 27 more. He used another semi-automatic assault rifle.  What is the Christian response to all of this? Well, today we are going to hear from two Christians who think it’s time for Christ-followers to lead the way in enacting and living out the prophecies of Isaiah and Micah to beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks (and our guns into mattocks.)  In fact, they’re already doing just that. I went to see Shane Claiborne and Mike Martin on their “Beating Guns” tour when they came to New Haven, CT (the same town as Yale University).  I stood there outside the church watching as a woman whose life was traumatized by gun violence beat on a glowing hunk of metal, that had once been a gun, confiscated by the police and now being transformed into an actual garden tool.  As she brought the hammer down on the softened metal, she began weeping.  As she continued hitting it harder and faster she started wailing.  I stood there watching as she took out her overwhelming pain and personal loss on that piece of metal. It was cathartic, prophetic, and transformative. Now I realize that gun-violence is a hot-button issue in our culture today and that many of you listening to this own guns for a variety of purposes.  I don’t expect you to just change what you believe about guns after a single podcast episode, but I simply ask that you listen to these guys as they talk about this subject from a Christian perspective. —— Links —— Check out RAWtools.org and follow them on twitter @RAWtools Get the Beating Guns book in print or in audio format through Christian audio or Audible or visit the website You can follow Shane Claiborne on twitter @ShaneClaiborne Listen to Restitutio episodes Podcast 15: A Theology of Nonviolence, Podcast 67: It’s Just War (Debate), Off Script 38: Killing in War: A Christian View of Violence, and Off Script 43: Can Christians Use Non-Lethal Violence? (Q&A). Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

Bill Schlegel lived in Israel for 34 years, much of that time spent studying and then teaching about the geography of the scriptures.  In this interview he provides three reasons why every bible-student should study the land of Israel: historical accuracy archeological accuracy geographical accuracy He also talks about his upcoming tour to Israel (March 19-April 2).  Get more information about that here.  Lastly, he weighs in a little on the modern situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians. —— Links —— visit Schlegel’s new website at One God Report read his blog Land and Bible get the Satellite Bible Atlas the details about the trip to Israel Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

An Antique Map of Palestine What do you know about Palestinians?  In this eye-opening interview with Gloria Olivier, we discuss the plight of Palestinians today.  Did you know that thousands of Christians live in the West Bank today under Israeli occupation?  In this interview, you’ll learn a little about the history of this conflict as well as what conditions are like on the ground.  Now I realize this can be a sensitive subject, but I just ask that you hear out Gloria and keep an open mind on this important topic. Listen to this episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts Also, here’s a picture of some of Gloria’s family when she was only 9 years old and visited Ramallah.  (She’s on the right with white top and dark skirt.) —— Links —— Books mentioned in this episode: Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour, Fast Times in Palestine by Pamela Olson, Justice and Only Justice by Naim Ateek, and A Wall in Jerusalem by Mark Braverman Intro music: Jazzy Frenchy by bensound.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License.

In our last episode, we laid the theological foundation for a new covenant doctrine: Christ fulfilled the Law and ratified the new covenant, which opened a new way of relating to God apart from obedience to Torah.  Now we will discuss a number of texts that sometimes confuse Christians into thinking the Law is still in effect today.  We’ll cover Jesus’ obedience to Torah, several scriptures that imply the Torah is forever, the sabbath’s association with creation, and a number of prophecies that mention keeping aspects of the Law in the kingdom.  Although, I realize these are not all of the texts and strategies that Torah-observant Christians use to make their case, these are some of the significant ones. —— Notes —— State the Doctrine Simply Because of Christ’s obedient life, atoning death, and justifying resurrection, he has opened a new way of relating to God via the new covenant.  Thus, the old covenant (the Law of Moses) is obsolete for both Jews and Gentiles. Texts that Support This Teaching Acts 15.23-29; Rom 2.25-29; 3.21-31; 4.13-16; 6.14-15; 7.1-7; 8.1-4; 13.8-10; 1 Cor 9.20-21; 2 Cor 3.1-18; Gal 2.14, 19-21; 3.10-29; 4.21-31; 5.1-6; 5.13-25; 6.15-16; Eph 2.11-19; 3.4-6; Col 2.11-17; Heb 7.11-12, 21-22; 8.4-13; 9.11-15; 10.8-22; 12.18-29 The Example/Teaching of Jesus Hebrews 4.15 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. in the context of Jesus’ life, sinless means he kept the Law just b/c Jesus kept the law, doesn’t mean we should continue to keep it, especially if his whole mission was to open a new way for us to relate to God Think of the generation that first received the Torah in the time of Moses. They were not free to continue living the old way if they wanted to relate to God through the new way Moses had delivered to them. Numbers 15.32-36 (the guy who collected sticks on the Sabbath) 32 While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation.  34 They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him.  35 And the LORD said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.”  36 And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the LORD commanded Moses. Matthew 5.17-20 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. booster rocket analogy of N. T. Wright Jesus did not abolish, but to fulfill the Law, but once he fulfilled it, a new way became available what is a covenant? it’s a way God has set up to relate to him all of Hebrews teaches that the new way is better he is a better mediator of the covenant than the angels (Heb 1) he offers better salvation (Heb 2) he is better than Moses as a son is better than a faithful servant (Heb 3) his priesthood is better than Aaron’s b/c it’s after Melch

We are now in our second-to-last episode in this 24-part theology class, covering the major biblical doctrines as well as various counterarguments.  Today we will focus our time on the New Covenant.  We’ll make our way through biblical history in order to understand the grand sweep of the bible, paying special attention to the old and new covenants.  Of special note for this lecture is what happened when Gentiles started entering Jewish Christianity.  We’ll briefly touch upon the first Jerusalem council, Judaizers, and Paul’s capitulation to Jame’s request.  Lastly, we’ll see how Paul’s epistles as well as Hebrews make it clear that neither Jewish nor Gentile Christians need to keep the law in order to be saved. —— Notes —— New Covenant Basics testamentum: covenant, testament, will your bible has one main division between Malachi and Matthew Old Testament relates to the old covenant and NT to the new that came through Christ Jer 31.31-34 is the origin for all talk about the new covenant Jesus’ ministry new wine into new wine skins antitheses in Sermon on the Mount Last supper is when Jesus talks about his death as ratifying the new covenant in his blood nothing happens until the Gentiles start to come in   Historical Progression Gentiles begin entering the church Samaritans? Ethiopian treasurer (he’s the first!) Cornelius, the Italian soldier Peter confronted for entering the house of “uncircumcised men” and eating with them (Acts 11.3) Peter defends his actions by telling them God accepted them so how could he stand in the way? speaking in tongues => God granted them spirit => God accepts them => Peter baptized them, accepting them into the family (Acts 11.15-18) The Antioch Church (lots of Gentiles enter) some Christians preached in Antioch to Greeks (Acts 11.19-21) The Jerusalem leadership sent Barnabas (Acts 11.22) Barnabas “saw the grace of God” and “he was glad” and lived there (Acts 11.23-24) Barnabas went to get Paul and ministered together in Antioch for a year (Acts 11.25-26) Antioch was B&P’s home base before going on missionary trips Paul’s Influence Cyprus: proconsul Sergius Paulus believed (Acts 13.6-12) Pisidian Antioch: B&P turn to Gentiles (Acts 13.45-47) other cities: Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, then reverse order and go back to Antioch Controversy Breaks Out read Acts 14.27-15.5 Paul confronts Peter:  “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews” (Gal 2.14) Jerusalem Council first council meets: council called to deal with controversy over Gentiles coming in Peter talks about Cornelius Barnabas & Paul tell about what God has done among the Gentiles James speaks they pen an official letter (Acts 15.23-29) double standard allows for table fellowship Some “Judaizers” teach Gentiles need to keep the Law, especially in Galatian churches Paul started Paul writes to congregations, strongly arguing against Law-keeping Gal 2.19-21 righteousness does not come through the law Gal 3.10-29 no one is justified by the law; Christ redeemed us from the law’s curse for disobedience by becoming a curse; Abrahamic promises before law; God gave law to deal with transgressions until the offspring of Ab. came; law was guardian until Christ came; now that faith