Episodes

  • Why was God so Patient with Cain???

    Why was God so Patient with Cain???
    Sep 10 2024
    Well, I hope you got a good nights sleep. I'm in India and it means that I'm awake at three or 4 AM most days. Just can't get the transition right this time.Well, you can look at things as a curse or a blessing. I'm trying to find good use for all the extra time from waking up super early rather than just watching TV or looking at my phone. Today, I spent hours digging through the story of Cain and Abel. It's so tragic that in the first generation of natural-born humans the first baby grows up to be a murderer. Take a minute right now to read the story in Genesis 4Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[d] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”There’s a lot HereIt’s a very nuanced story, with lots of insights discretely woven into the way the narrative is delivered. I’m in love with Genesis 1-12. It’s a masterpiece. Every verse is important and I think this story has a lot to say to us—if we can just figure out what verse 7 is saying. More on that later.I guess the thing that's always bothered me in this story is how much Spotlight is on Cain, the selfish, entitled, stubborn, immature man-child, not Abel, the good guy who was sincere and did everything right. Abel is the first martyr, a man killed for his worship of our Creator. The scene describing the background and moment leading up to his murder is so painful. I can hardly read the story. Family is so important to me and to think that a big brother would use his little brother’s innocent trust to lure him away from the family so he could murder him just breaks my heart again and again. Which makes it even harder to understand why God spends so much time in this story engaging Cain and trying to help him process his emotions.Ruled by EmotionsEmotions, man, that’s the Gen Z theme! If the Eskimos have 1000 words for snow, young people today may end up with that many words for their feelings. In our generation, we were just told to suck it up and get on with life and not expect everything to be great. "Your attitude determines your altitude.” On the other hand, something very real is happening inside the minds of young people. New Zealand, of all places, leads the world in suicides by young men age 12 through 17.Cain was a man ruled by his emotions. In general, humans are portrayed as moral infants in the book of Genesis. God is working with us so we will grow up and assume the role for which we've been created. We are made to be the likeness of God in the world. We all have a long way to go. Perhaps Cain never got there. His name in the Old Testament is connected to the line of rebellious humans who always resist everything God wants to do.And yet, God is patient with Cain. He’s comforting him when most of us would kill him for what he had done to his innocent kid brother. (Maybe they were both teens, who knows?) How does this story affect you, emotionally? Leave a comment to share your processing of this tale.Word Salad in Verse SevenScholars tend to hover around verse seven, the most “obscure” (incomprehensible) Hebrew in the Old Testament. The English translations have simplified it by ignoring all the problems in it. The editors just come to the conclusion that the verse is about the power of sin, and they harmonize the pronouns that are out of whack. It's understandable to want to make things clear for the reader, but it's a real problem when you do it as a translator, in my opinion. I believe that everything in the Bible is there on purpose, so if a verse runs in the face of a cherished doctrine I think it's a dangerous practice to just "fix the verse”. I could show you a dozen places in any translation of the Bible where this has been done. I'm not saying that the English translation of this verse is heretical, just that the ancient writer knew his language perfectly, and if he wanted it harmonized, he would have used the proper gender in his pronouns. I explain more about all this in the video so if you're interested, I hope you will watch it. The point is whether this is a story where God warns Cain about the power of sin which is like a crouching lion ready to devour him, or ...
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    12 mins
  • Are you using these days to prepare yourself for persecution?

    Are you using these days to prepare yourself for persecution?
    Aug 27 2024
    10,000 Years from TodayIf you believe the Bible, then you will know that you will be alive and conscious somewhere 10,000 years from today. Oh, your current existence will be behind you and you will have probably passed through death into the new creation, but you will be alive again with the memory of the year 2024. Your current concerns about a stock market crash will seem silly then. For that matter, all your worries will be exposed as a complete waste of time and energy. You will be in the new kingdom of the Lord Jesus, the undisputed victor of the war for the world. He will reign in the New Jerusalem forever.On that day, you and I are going to really wish we had done a better job with this season in our lives. We will be in the group that can tell the story of what it was like to live in the post-Covid era of total surveillance, the early dominance of technology, and the open worship of Satan at the Grammys, the Olympics, and a host of other formerly normal events. These were the beginning of the sorrows.Some disciples will be highly honored for letting their light shine and using these days to evangelize and share their testimony daily. Others won’t have much to show for their life as a believer. They basically lived as quiet and comfortable a life as they could and they went to church sometimes.Persecution Prepares us to Face the LordNo matter your view of the end times (I’m mid-trib) you cannot escape the reality of persecution.“…All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Ti.3.12 NKJVChristians have always been persecuted. Sometimes it's cultural pressure fueled by the devil. He always resists the message of Jesus and the true embrace of the kingdom of God. At other times persecution is bloody. We’ve have 2000 years of Christian blood shed across the world.When Sherry and I moved to Asia in 1990, that region of the world was averaging 250,000 martyrs a year. The 90’s saw the resurgence of radical Islam and many precious believers were killed from Saudi Arabia to Iran for following Jesus.Persecution in America???—Never!I never dreamed there could be federal persecution of Christians in the United States of America. When I heard this preached as a boy, it just seemed totally impossible that churchgoing America could ever become a place where believers might be persecuted. The behavior of the government from President Clinton using RICO extortion laws to jail abortion protesters, to the weaponization of the FBI justice department, and the collaboration of internet media giants from Google to Facebook reveals that the persecution of believers has, in fact, already started. The only question is how far, how fast?You can lose your job now for simply stating what the Bible says. In England, over 3,000 people were arrested last year for something “offensive” they said on Facebook, Twitter, or on a post-it note on their desk. One man’s crime was posting Bible verses on a screen in his small store.First, we are witnessing a campaign to silence us and get our voices off the internet. Then the narrative can be controlled and all the “breaking news” stories can paint Christian individuals and groups to be dangerous monsters, intolerant, and right-wing extremists with no one to say differently.What Should We Do About it?The #1 thing Jesus said about living in these days was to not be anxious from overthinking about it. Sherry and I have seen a spirit in people from the persecuted church that is bold and confident, hardened by their own response to the pressure that wants them to bend. Those who will not bend become stronger from the pressure. Think of the three Hebrew boys when threatened by the fire of the king. “16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” Dan. 3.16-18 NKJVFire hardens steel. Persecution prepares God’s true people to shine.Let’s not waste these days. Let this early pressure steel our resolve to sit among the valiant ones 10,000 years from today. Sherry and I are determined to live more confidently and boldly than ever. We want to be more loving and careful in all our words, especially toward those who are opposed to our Lord, but to make certain that everyone in the heavenlies and those around us know that we honor Jesus for all he has done for all of us. We want everyone we meet to receive a chance to know him too. That’s what’s keeping Jesus from coming already so let’s get stronger and bolder day by day.In His Love,Chuck and SherryThe attached video is about believers overcoming the rise of the Beast in Revelation 13. Hope it ministers ...
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    10 mins
  • Walk with God--how I started

    Walk with God--how I started
    Aug 13 2024

    One of the best parts of creating and posting content online is the occasionally great conversation you have with someone who follows you. In the last week I’ve been talking with someone who has walked away from faith in Christ. He/she disagrees with me on most points fundamentally, but we’ve have an honest dialog that hasn’t gotten snarky. That’s a big deal in the online world.

    When I hear of someone walking away from Jesus and Christianity it always seems they are primarily walking away from doctrines and traditions and their family habits of church. It makes me wonder if they ever had a personal encounter with Jesus.

    Knowing Jesus or Going to Church

    I didn’t fall in love with the teachings of Jesus, the doctrine of the cross or how awesome our pastor’s preaching was. Jesus himself intercepted my life. He followed me around in my consciousness and would not let me go. This personal encounter started my transformation, but it didn’t stop there. He’s never left me alone since. I’m challenged, encouraged, inspired, and instructed daily by the voice of Jesus working in me through the Holy Spirit.

    This experience isn’t unique to me. It’s the new birth and it is offered to everyone who will return to him and submit to his lordship. Most of you reading this doubtless have your own story to tell. This is our testimony, the origin story of how we were and then what Jesus did to “fix” us once we opened to him.

    The stories are always so fascinating to Sherry and me. Once we know that a person is in Christ, we always ask how it happened for them. They smile immediately at the opportunity to share again all that the Lord has done for them.

    This installment is a video I made for newbies to help them in their first steps. Rather than saying, “Find a good church and read your Bible,” I want to say, “Get to know the LORD and spend time with him daily.”

    Jesus will reveal himself personally to them and guide them directly. Church and Bible are great, but knowing Jesus is essential. You can walk with Jesus even if you are illiterate, blind, deaf or isolated from others.

    That’s the approach we take in our missions work in SE Asia. We lead people to know the Lord personally and the rest will sort itself out.

    I’d love to hear your story. Medialight can teach you how to share your story through short videos online if you’d like. Just visit Medialight.network for more.

    Walk with Him!

    Chuck



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chuckquinley.substack.com
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    11 mins
  • Is Civilization Crumbling Around Us?

    Is Civilization Crumbling Around Us?
    Aug 6 2024
    Hi! I don't know if you fly much, but we’ve done millions of miles and lately we get the feeling that our airline infrastructure is crumbling. Recently, it took us 48 hours to travel from Portland, Oregon to Atlanta—four canceled flights, two overnight delays. It was clear from the stranded business crowd and the airline personnel that this was now quite normal.Then there’s this week’s big world news as the steep crash in the Japanese stock market has sent ripples throughout the stock markets of other nations also since the markets are connected.A Big Little BookThis week I want to promote another important book. It’s a lightweight 80 pager about a weighty matter. It’s called Immoderate Greatness, Why Civilizations Fail by William Ophuls. Ophuls explains what makes every attempt at building a great society fail. It starts with the dream itself. Each civilization dreams of their own greatness. To get there, they make endless growth an obsession. By demanding growth month after month, year after year, they drain their abundant resources, then enter into endless wars to take the resources of other nations. As they create new technologies, their systems become increasingly complex. When they are rich and fat, they fall apart morally. Finally, they collapse on the weight of their own unchecked “greatness” as the weight of their endlessly expanding support system pulls them under. Is there still time for us to learn this lesson?Living on the Outer EdgeComplex systems operate right at the edge of failure. “As long as nothing goes wrong” the system buzzes along, but when one part fails, the failure cascades. There has never been a more complicated system than our current civilization. Don’t Our Leaders Know?Leaders even from the Roman Empire days knew all about the past failures, yet astonishingly, each new civilization still follows the same path as their predecessors, somehow expecting a different result, because they believe themselves “special”."Forests precede civilizations and deserts follow them."—François-René de ChateaubriandHard to Put it DownDespite its ominous outlook, the book is incredibly engaging. Ophuls writes with clarity and eloquence, making complex ideas easy to understand. I think it’s important to make ourselves think about unpleasant things like writing a will, getting life insurance, and going to the doctor to check on that lump. Crises will come into every life. We can’t always stop them, but by thinking ahead we might keep a systems problem from becoming a total disaster.Is There a Happy Ending?Ophuls listens to his critics who complain that he isn’t giving us a “solution.” His reply is that the only solution is for a change in the human heart. He explains that throughout the centuries and in every culture, human motivations are selfish. Our greed is insatiable. We refuse to limit our consumption. We will not cap our greatness.So, the weight of our excessive lifestyle, the cashflow it requires, and the upkeep on the massive infrastructure puts an impossible load on an ever-crumbling system. The final stage before the great breakdown, according to Ophuls, is intentionally allowing economic inflation. “Why would anyone do this?” you might ask. The simple answer is that inflation allows a nation to pay their bills and still avoid having to make sacrifices. It’s like putting all your debts on a new credit card each month, letting the interest accumulate. The ones in charge don’t want the party to end on their watch, so they play games with the economy to let the good times can go on a little while longer. It’s like watching a dam break in slow motion.Can one election solve such a situation? Sadly, Ophuls says, “No, the entire system that runs the “greatness” of the nation is the problem.” The nation would have to be willing to sacrifice so they could put things right and no civilization has ever been willing to do that.My Favorite Insight—God is SmartMy favorite insight from this book is, “The only way to avoid the bust is to cap the boom by not allowing cheap credit in good times.” It made me think about the Sabbath Year and, especially, The Year of Jubilee in the law God gave Moses for Israel. Jubilee was a total economic leveling experienced once in every generation. All greatness was dismantled. All properties reverted to the family that originally owned it. Slaves went free. All debt was cancelled. The banks had zero loans on their books. A system like this is the only way to prevent the collapse of a civilization.Sadly, we don’t find a single time in Bible history when Israel followed this law.What Can We Do?* Anchor our heart to God and His coming Kingdom. It’s the permanent solution for this recurring problem.* Pull Together as Families.* Do what we can to avoid personal catastrophic loss. This isn’t a good time to “bet the farm” on a new idea. Play defense. Cut back on your own “greatness” of lifestyle...
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    18 mins
  • How did Satan get to Rule the World???

    How did Satan get to Rule the World???
    Jul 30 2024

    Hi! I hope you're having a great day. This is the newsletter I've been waiting a long time to create. The video is as long as a church service, so if it feels too long you can either change the speed to 1.5 (just click the arrows by the play button) or just watch it in pieces but I hope you’ll watch it. Here’s what it’s about:

    Why is Satan the god of this world?

    It is always bothered me that the New Testament calls Satan, the “god of this world,” and that no one denies this as a fact, not even Jesus.

    I have always wanted to know how he got into this position.

    No Easy Answer

    There's no Bible story where God gave the devil the key to the world. I have read widely on this subject and asked many Bible-loving people their theories, and I am largely unsatisfied with the answers.

    I also don't agree that the Fall of Adam & Eve in the garden gave him the keys to the planet because I don't see that in scripture either.

    My Working Theory

    I have developed a working theory that makes sense to me and I want to share it with you in this video. To build the theory, we have to visit three different scriptures and tie them together.

    I do not present this as doctrine, but it is the best theory I can come up with since the Bible is generally silent about the workings of the demonic world. Satan loves attention and I think the Bible is determined to keep the spotlight off of him, but I think there is sufficient light to build a working theory.

    So this video is my offering to you on this subject.

    Next I want to develop a theology of blood and a view of the cross that focuses on the crucifixion offering as an act Spiritual War (since that’s mostly how Jesus himself talks about what he will do on the cross).

    Something happened on the cross that gave humans their first chance to break free from the “god (Elohim) of this world”.

    So that’s where we are headed in weeks to come.

    Why Does This All Matter So Much?

    Honestly, it's a fair question. I know I've been going on forever about Genesis 1-11, and I'm pretty much finished. It's just essential to get the backstory straight for the rest of it to make any sense.

    So many people are halfhearted in their faith. They get eight hours a day of screen time programming straight from hell and very little time spent digging through the word of God, so Yes! I'm concerned!

    I'm trying to help interested people build a mental framework to understand the truth about our world and the central message of the Bible.

    Jesus came primarily to free humans from Satan's power. When I hear him describe his own mission, this is what he says. The first thing that happens in his story is that he goes to the desert and fights the devil there.

    Then he starts casting out demons everywhere he goes. In the last week as he faces the cross event, he says "now the ruler of this world is cast down.” I think it's the most important aspect of the gospel and we won't understand how good the news is until we understand how bad the true situation is for the earth. There is an organized demon army in charge of every nation of the world. Every human institution is, invaded by their power.

    That’s where we’re headed. Here’s where we’re at today. Hope you are strengthened from this teaching.

    AND THANK YOU!!! to everyone who stands behind us as a couple on a mission! Your support keeps us engaged fully on mission in Asia and online as well.

    We love you and we pray for you,

    Every Blessing!

    Chuck and Sherry

    helpkidsfindfreedom.com

    ere’s the YouTube Version



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chuckquinley.substack.com
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    46 mins
  • The Tower of Babel: What Does it Really Mean?

    The Tower of Babel: What Does it Really Mean?
    Jul 23 2024

    Hi Friend,

    YouTube Version is Here



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chuckquinley.substack.com
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    35 mins
  • The Fall of Man and the Invisible War Behind it: What The Bible Says Is Really Happening Around Us

    The Fall of Man and the Invisible War Behind it: What The Bible Says Is Really Happening Around Us
    Jul 11 2024

    In his last years, my dad struggled with Dysautonomia which would suddenly drop his blood pressure to 50 or 60. When this occurred, something unusual happened to his sight. He said that the world went to grey except the human he was talking with. They alone remained in the image and they were clear.

    Our vision is a mysterious thing. Most of our brain’s power is assigned to creating images from the signals received through the eyes. Even then, we don’t see everything surrounding us.

    The Sun sends us at least 5 kinds of light, but the blue light is the only one we can see. Other light that bathes us is actually invisible to us.

    To believe the Bible is to believe that there is an entire society unseen to us, yet all around us. There are literal entities, personalities, and even the remaining consciousness of the dead surrounding us as “witnesses.” (Hebrews 12.1).

    Some of these entities are benevolent. They even protect and assist us at times. Other entities are malevolent. They hate us and will destroy us if they can. We survive by the grace of God and the blood of Jesus.

    I’ve never lived in an age where these two invisible camps were so close to being visible. Jesus said that although we cannot see the wind itself, we can see the things in the world that it acts upon. So it is with these heavenly beings.

    Our society is convulsing from their activity among students in colleges, leaders of tech companies, and upon those who hold the power of government and media.

    Maybe reality looks like this…

    Or something like this…

    We really don’t know. The Bible really doesn’t allow much of a spotlight to fall on this dimension of our world. (The powers of darkness love to be glorified so maybe that’s why we are given only the necessary details.)

    The Heavenly Society is Fractured

    One thing we do know is that the free-willed heavenly society is broken. Some of the sons (that is what the Bible calls them) are loyal to the Father. Others are enemies of their Creator and do all they can to frustrate His will on earth.

    Maybe it all started when God said, “Let us…” make a world and beings in our image. They didn’t expect it when God put the humans in charge of this new world, not the heavenly sons.

    The heavenly sons were clearly superior, yet although this world was for everyone “in heaven and on earth,” it was the humans who were elected to have the dominion. Maybe this is what started a slow resentful rebellion among some of the heavenly beings. We can’t be sure, but there’s evidence for this theory.

    In this edition of the podcast we enter into the Garden of Eden and the moment the serpent/dragon is introduced into the Big Story of the Bible. It’s just the seed story, but the concept develops through the centuries of progressive revelation until the New Testament where Mark’s story of Jesus opens with Jesus in a desert doing direct battle with Satan, the dark prince of this world.

    Let’s explore it in the chat together. Hope you enjoy the video.

    Here’s the YouTube Version

    Thanks for reading Grounded! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work.



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chuckquinley.substack.com
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    19 mins
  • What the Forbidden Tree in the Garden Really Means

    What the Forbidden Tree in the Garden Really Means
    Jun 25 2024

    Hi Friend,

    Thanks so much for joining me in the study of God’s Word. This episode of the Grounded podcast was a labor of love. I really didn’t feel well but I had a cool paid location locked in so I rallied to do it.

    I started the podcast and this newsletter because I meet so many people raised in church who are becoming shaky in their faith (largely because they spend 8 hours a day watching TV and consuming other anti-God online content without spending even an hour a week feeding on God’s word).

    My burden for the first six months of this podcast has been on reestablishing the big story of the Bible.

    Once you understand the first three chapters of the Bible, you get a better feeling for who God is, what he has designed humans to be, and His plans and commitment to our world. I’m, so fascinated by the Genesis narrative. It’s bottomless, like John’s Gospel.

    In this episode I’ll cover:

    * Why it’s Not the “Tree of Good and Evil”

    * Why did God put a tree there if He knew they could ruin creation by eating from it?

    * What does God want from us anyway?

    * What does all this have to do with my life today?

    I hope you’ll watch the video and share your comments either on YouTube or here. I read them all and I’m so grateful for your engagement.

    What I didn’t get to talk about in the video is how often God does his business with humans around a tree.

    * In the garden

    * Moses burning bush experience (baby tree)

    * Abraham’s visit with God near the trees of Mamre

    * Gideon encounters an angel of the Lord under an oak tree

    OK, so that’s the game. I got it started. Trace how far this Tree concept goes throughout the whole Bible and post what you think of it in the chat here.

    What’s Next?

    In the next episode I want to talk about whether the devil/angels are really spirit creatures or also material in some way. Does the current “news” from the military and other sources about ongoing encounters with non-human beings of higher intelligence have any connection with the demons and principalities of the Bible? Lot’s to think about for another week or two.

    I’m praying for you if you’re on this mailing list. These are days of great upheaval and transition as we shift between the modern age into the unknown age (they’ll name it after we’re deep into it) and it’s getting pretty crazy in all directions. We can all be grounded even if the world is shaking. That’s the promise of God.

    Every Blessing!

    Chuck (and Sherry)

    PS: Some keep asking me what I’m reading lately so I’ll also be posting a few videos about the two latest books that have my attention.

    Thank you for reading Grounded. Please share it.

    YouTube Version



    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chuckquinley.substack.com
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    27 mins