How we speak to each other is critical in living a godly life. Yet controlling our speech is quite difficult and rarely discussed.

Teleios Research recently evaluated adolescents and millennials regarding their speech. The survey was promoted on the Christian Instagram accounts, InstaPray and GodsHolyScriptures. Of the 215 participants the majority were: female (52%), <30 years old (93%), from the United States (83%), and evangelical (68%).

The top 3 responses nicely show a strong minority, at least on a list provided by a survey, are cognizant of the need to help others with speech and to discuss our great God with others.

Table 1: What is the primary purpose of biblical speech for Christians

Table 2: How should I speak to the needs of others as the Bible commands in Ephesians 4:29?

Not bad responses!

From a biblical standpoint, how do we speak “Christian” with each other? Like learning any language, it takes some discipline and training, but it is doable.

Fortunately, with biblical input and thinking, we will find it much easier to speak in a fashion that loves and encourages people as well as pleases God. However, biblical speech patterns do not come naturally. Here are some hints how to speak effectively as a Christian:

• Consider first speech is not about you – Have you ever noticed that people generally talk about themselves, even at church? However, unless we really need someone else to bear our burdens (Galatians 6:2) speech should not be about us but about the other person (Ephesians 4:29). Biblical speech should address other people’s needs. This is a huge transformation in thinking for many of us but it’s an important first step to converse with others as God desires.
• Realize you have much to give– Remember, the Bible is true and good for anyone who hears it (please see the Teleios website for scientific proof). Therefore, when you are speaking scripture and its truth, commending, being thankful, and praising God, you are using your speech as a powerful tool to help others.
• Think before you speak – Prior to meeting with somebody consider specific ways you can express gratitude, commendation and encouragement. Planning ahead may not seem natural but if we don’t consider encouragement beforehand, generally it will not happen. Be specific in your commendation and thankfulness; the more precise the better. Spiritually, plan ways to encourage a friend or colleague in Christ, whether by discussing an applicable Bible verse, teaching other people (formally or informally), sharing answered prayed or even imparting the gospel if needed. We are all busy, if we don’t consider positive biblical speech ahead of time, we generally won’t do it.
• Build a solid relationship – This is vital as people need to know that you genuinely like and respect them. There are many books on the subject and perhaps the best starter is the classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. You can buy a cheap used copy (or download a copy) at Amazon. It is easy to read and apply. Get a copy and read it!
• Ask questions – If you do not know how to encourage someone then ask them questions or search their on-line presence! People love to talk about themselves. The more questions you ask, and the deeper the follow-up questions, presented in an interested and genuine way, the more you will learn about your colleague, spouse, boss, friend or new acquaintance. They will think you are wonderful and the extra knowledge will help you better pray for them as well as help and encourage them.
• Build a solid spiritual relationship – This can be done by simply asking them about benign religious topics, progressing through such questions as:
  • Ask general questions about their life, family, or work. Follow up with more specific questions based on what they initially tell you. Show interest! Listen!
  • Go deeper, ask “What do you think about religious-based political issues such as Christian persecution?” Or “Does religion or the church help our culture?”
  • Ask their opinion about a challenging Bible verse, or a difficult doctrine like baptism or predestination.
  • Ask questions to help them based on everything that you have heard. Perhaps a question about the security of their salvation followed by an applicable verse such as in Ephesians 1:13-14 or 1 Peter 1:4-5. Perhaps they mention they struggle in their marriage and so you could take them to Ephesians 5:20-32.
• Final step, biblical speech – Use the information that you have gathered about a person to consider how to help them with your speech.
  • How can you express specific commendation or thankfulness for them in their character or actions?
  • How can you encourage them in scripture?
  • How can you urge them to greater Christian growth or actions? Summary, biblical speech is key to a functioning, effective, loving body of Christ.

Thanks for joining me today. Meet me here again next time as we discuss the truth and joy of God’s word and how it helps us live a fruitful and godly life.

Teleios Research has previously shown that Christians who adhere to their faith report better general wellbeing than those who do not routinely practice their faith, and the more one adheres generally to their faith the better their wellbeing (1,2). Here is the compelling evidence!

Wellbeing is improved in Christians or religious people in Christian countries, affecting:

• Demographics – All age groups (10 years and older), both genders, and African-American as well as Caucasian races (2-11).
• Broad wellbeing effect – Specific wellbeing related measures such as: sense of purpose, satisfaction, hope, stronger social relationships, and ability to forgive (1,12).
• Social measures – Vital areas of life such as the family, career, a sense of community and socialization.
• Family life – Christianity is associated with good health and higher levels of education and less substance abuse in the children (13). Family religiosity predicts better functioning for parents (14), better social network, and ties with families of friends (9). Further, church promotes happy marital relationships by encouraging spouses, especially the men, to live decent lives and to treat their partners decently (15).
• Careers – Christianity helps people’s ability to make career decisions and assists them to being open to a variety of career options. They also have been shown to have more positive feelings toward work (16,17).
• Service – Those who serve in or outside the church have better wellbeing questions including contentment, peace, joy, purpose and community acceptance (1).
• Practice of the faith – Those who practice the faith especially engaging in prayer, praise, fellowship, church attendance, studying the Bible and outreach to others have better wellbeing than those who do not. Further, the more one practices their faith the better generally will be their wellbeing.
• Physical health, healthy and patient populations – Christianity assists wellbeing in specific diseases including: glaucoma, rheumatoid arthritis, various cancers, chronic pain, fatigue, diabetes, diabetic eye disease, congestive heart failure, and HIV (18-23).

Teleios recently explored the effects of Christianity by evaluating evangelicals versus non-believers and self-reported levels of wellbeing. This is the first survey, to our knowledge, evaluating wellbeing in young Christians versus non-Christians. These findings make sense based on prior research.

The survey was conducted on two Instagram accounts frequented by adolescents and millennials; one being mostly followed by Christians and another by the general population. There were 1186 responses. The majority of responses were: female (68%), < 30 years (76%), and primarily from the United States (40%) and Europe (16%).

The respondents identified themselves as: evangelical Christians (33%), social Christians (29%), Christian seekers (5%) and non-Christians (33%). Personal wellbeing was better among evangelical Christians (4.6, on a scale of 0-6 with 6 being highest) compared to social Christians (4.1), Christian seekers (4.0) or non-Christians (4.3, P=0.001). The findings for wellbeing were also supported by further results that evangelicals were more content (P=0.001), at peace (P>0.001), and joyful (P=0.002) than the other groups. No differences between groups were observed in feelings of guilt (P=0.426).

We do not know all of the factors associated with good wellbeing and Christianity, but here are a few good potential reasons:

• A sure confident relationship with God leaving guilt behind
• A source of truth for daily living which helps avoid unethical people and damaging situations while allowing you to conduct a healthy life with good professional and family relationships
• A confident hope for the future, and that no matter what happens in this life as well as in death, you have a sure home with God

In summary – Our gracious and loving God has provided us a wonderful salvation and a way through scripture to live a wise, fruitful and joyful life. Join us again soon for another exciting blog in the benefits of scripture.

References

1. MacIlvaine WR, et al. Association of strength of community service to personal well-being. Community Ment Health J 2014;50:577-82.
2. MacIlvaine WR, et al. Association of strength of religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2013;19:251-5.
3. Francis LJ, Kaldor P. The relationship between psychological well-being and Christian faith and practice in an Australian population sample. J Sci Study Relig 2002;41:79-184.
4. Francis LJ, et al. Religiosity and general health among undergraduate students: a response to O’Connor, Cobb, and O’Connor (2003). Pers Indiv Differ 2004;37:485-94.
5. Leondari A, Gialamas V. Religiosity and psychological well-being. Int J Psychol 2009;44:241-8.
6. Koenig LB, Vaillant GE. A prospective study of church attendance and health over the lifespan. Health Psych 2009;28:117-24.
7. Krause N. God-mediated control and change in self-rated health. Int J Psychol Relig 2010;20:267-87.
8. Hamilton JB, et al. Reading The Bible for guidance, comfort, and strength during stressful life events. Nurs Res 2013;62:178-84.
9. Smith C. Religious participation and network closure among American adolescents. J Sci Study Relig 2003;42:259-67.
10. Demir M, Urberg KA. Church attendance and well-being among adolescents. J Belief Values 2004;25:63-8.
11. Markstrom CA. Religious involvement and adolescent psychosocial development. J Adolesc 1999;22:205-22.
12. Stewart WC, et al. The source and impact of specific parameters that enhance well-being in daily life. J Rel Health 2016;55:1326-35.
13. Caputo RK. Parent religiosity, family processes, and adolescent outcomes. Fam Soc: J Contemp Soc Serv, 2004;85:495-510.
14. Agate ST, et al. Praying, playing, and successful families: an examination of family religiosity, family leisure, and family functioning. Marriage & Family Review 2007;42:51-75.
15. Wilcox WB, Wolfinger NH. Living and loving “decent”: religion and relationship quality among urban parents. Soc Sci Res 2008;37:828-43.
16. Duffy RD, Blustein DL. The relationship between spirituality, religiousness, and career adaptability. J Voc Behav 2005;67:429-40.
17. Martinson OB, Wilkening EA. Religion, work specialization, and job satisfaction: interactive effects. Rev Relig Res 1983;24:347-56.
18. Stewart WC, et al. Association of strength of religious adherence to attitudes regarding glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Ophthalmic Res 2011:45:53-6.
19. Chen S, et al. Prevalence and correlates of supportive care needs in oral cancer patients with and without anxiety during the diagnostic period. Cancer Nursing 2010;33:280-9.
20. Cotton S, et al. Exploring the relationships among spiritual well-being, quality of life, and psychological adjustment in women with breast cancer. Psychooncology 1999;8:429-38.
21. Matthews D, et al. Effects of intercessory prayer on patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Southern Medical Journal 2000;93:1177-86.
22. Silvestri G, et al. Importance of faith on medical decisions regarding cancer care. J Clinical Oncology 2003; 21:1379–1382.
23. Stewart WC, et al. Review of clinical medicine and religious practice. J Relig Health Mar 2013;52:91-106.

We have been discussing why we share the gospel and how to share the gospel. What exactly is the gospel, anyways?

Teleios recently completed a survey about the gospel. We had 539 participants, of whom 64% were <30 years, and 85% evangelicals. In total 92% believed they were saved by grace through faith and 44% thought they could not lose this salvation.

We asked participants, what were the elements of the gospel message they needed to transmit to an unbeliever. We were heartened to see that generally adolescents and young adults, when presented with a written text, agreed with the basic elements of the gospel which included:

• 92% stated we should tell people that they had sinned
• 83% agreed that this sin deserved punishment by a just and holy God
• 92% indicated that God provided his Son, Jesus Christ as a perfect sacrifice for man’s sins that when accepted by faith, is the only provision needed for salvation (Romans 3:23-26, Ephesians 2:8-9).

However, 75% of participants noted that, although salvation was by grace, a person also needed to make Jesus lord of their life. In contrast, 17% said salvation was by grace alone.

How does one resolve the difference between the two statements that salvation is by grace, but also required making Jesus Lord of your life? This is a critical question. Let us see what scripture says:

• Work/Grace combination – This scenario indicates that although salvation is by grace, we must work to make Christ Lord of our life while receiving more grace, allowing us to better submit to His lordship. This scenario is very close to Catholic dogma which indicates that we receive grace by the sacraments and work towards our salvation, receiving more grace as we do so, hopefully leading to salvation. There’s no basis in scripture for this belief.
• Make Jesus Lord – In this scenario, salvation is by grace, but we must make Jesus Lord of our life to maintain or prove salvation. Scripture clearly says that a true believer should show signs that Christ is Lord. This is the primary purpose of 1 John 2:4, giving tests that Christians can use to determine if someone is really a believer. Since we do not have access to the Book of Life up in heaven, while on earth we can be confident of a fellow believer’s salvation only by assessing the quality of their beliefs, obedience and love. Other scriptures also provide tests that we can use to assess others (Galatians 5:22; 1 Timothy 3). However, to say that we believe in salvation by grace, but we must work to make Jesus Lord of our life to prove and/or maintain salvation contradicts the security of our wonderful salvation in scripture on four levels.
  • Direct quotes – The Bible indicates we are secure (1 Peter 1:4-5; Romans 8:28-39; John 10:28-30).
  • Perseverance – God alone causes us to persevere, not us! It is out of our hands (2 Timothy 1:12-14; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).
  • Positions – We have unchangeable morphological and legal positions in Christ including being: justified, adopted, regenerated and sealed by the Spirit (Ephesians 1:1-14; Romans 3:23-26; Romans 6:2-9).
  • Insult to Christ! – Not to believe in security denigrates Christ’s gracious death for us! Otherwise, His amazing gracious sacrifice was sufficient for all our sins for all time. Therefore, we are to ‘get over’ our past sins and leave behind the things of salvation. If we do not, and keep trying to prove ourselves worthy, we are saying to Christ that His sacrifice was insufficient and to sacrifice Himself again, putting Him to public shame. This is certainly very bad and scripture says as such (Hebrews 6:1-8; Hebrews 10:26-39).
• Lordship comes from regeneration – This is a vital and underappreciated biblical point. When we believe at salvation the Holy Spirit enters us and regenerates us into a new person. The old person is dead and no longer functions to prove or disprove Jesus is Lord (Romans 6:2-9; Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians 2:11-13). There is a new person created by God who then, and only then, can be obedient and do His works.

Therefore, lordship can only be proven by the old person, being saved by grace and regenerated into a new person, and is only then able to do the works of God by His grace (2 Timothy 2:1). The work of salvation, from His gracious choosing us to taking us home to heaven, is totally a work of God, to His deserved praise and glory, not our own.

Accordingly, Teleios research has shown that people who believe in salvation by grace and in the security of their salvation report better wellbeing, anchored in the love of God and our eternal home.

Thank you for reading my blog today. Join me next week as we continue to evaluate scripture and its influence on our wellbeing.

We continue discussing how, as part of our Christian walk, we have the privilege to participate in God’s plan for other people’s lives, which can include sharing the gospel.

Teleios recently evaluated attitudes in sharing the gospel in young Christians. There were 457 total participants of whom about 2/3 each < 18 years of age, protestant and evangelical. More results can be seen at here.

The results showed that these young Christians recognized the need to share their faith. However, many feared sharing the gospel generally, mostly because of social awkwardness, not knowing what to say, how to answer questions, and the contents of the Gospel itself.

In fact, verbally expressing the gospel to others was their fifth favorite way to share the plan of salvation (7%) whereas lifestyle, encouragement, praying and loving others were the preferred choices.

How then do we share the gospel without necessarily being a social outcast? This may not be easy to avoid always because Christ says that “they will hate us as they hated Him” (John 15:18-25). However, here are some tips that might help.

Mental preparation

• Great message – Remember the Bible is true and good for anyone who hears it (please see our website for more scientific proof). What the world has to offer as a replacement god, for example humanism, statism, and atheism is hateful, bigoted, anti-freedom and very dark.
• Don’t be legalistic – Do not tell people the plan of salvation through guilt producing legalistic schemes. We have a great message which we can tell others with joy.
• Don’t feel guilty – The epistles tell us to be obedient (just do it!) and does not mention guilt. We have the joy to tell others about salvation. It is the hearer’s responsibility to accept God’s message. Further, it is God Himself, not us by our efforts, who brings people to faith (John 6:44; John 16:8-11)
• Learn the gospel – It is short and easy (Please see bottom of page).

Preparation to share

• Plan – Most of us are too busy to remember this share the gospel. Therefore, think ahead of time about who might be responsive and plan an approach to tell them about salvation. I usually allow about 6-12 months to accomplish this goal.
• Prepare the conversation – If you haven’t already, take time to get to know the person with whom you wish to share the gospel. People generally like to speak about themselves. They want to know that you like and respect them. This means first listening to them about their life. Then ask questions about things that are important to them. Listen!
• Bring God into the discussion – Over time, hen begin to ask how they were raised religiously, about church background, and what they think about God. Ultimately, you can ask them what they perceive their church teaches about Christ and what they believe about Christ. Our Savior is the key issue! At this point, you know what they think and their needs. You can then tailor-make your message to meet their needs. It can be as simple as after they tell you their beliefs about Christ, you can say ‘this is what scripture says is His message’, then simply tell them the plan of salvation.
• Tell them the gospel – Be direct and do not be confusing. The gospel message is simple so be succinct. It ultimately requires a ‘yes/no’ response or ‘I’m thinking about it.’ Often, I will use the offer of a 4-week Bible study to discuss the claims of Christ and let them see it for themselves.
• Follow-up – If the person with whom you are sharing accepts Christ as Savior, then follow up with them in a Bible study (such as in the book of Ephesians) or refer them to your church or somebody who can teach them. Make sure they have fellowship. Remember, it is God who causes a new believer to stand and it is not our work (Romans 14:4). So be responsible but don’t be personally responsible. If they say no or if they’re thinking about it, then follow up with them over weeks or months and ask them what they’re thinking.

It’s a privilege to share the gospel and be a part of God’s plan in people’s lives, and to see its power to change lives!

Thank you for visiting my blog today. Please come back again next week.

As part of our Christian walk we have the privilege of being a part of God’s plan for other people’s lives, which, depending on the situation, includes sharing the gospel.

Teleios recently evaluated 370 midlife evangelicals in a well-taught Bible-believing church in the Midwest about their attitudes in telling others the plan of salvation. We found that there was widespread hesitancy to share the gospel mostly because of social fear, not knowing what to say, nor answer objections. These church members opted for other perceived avenues to share the gospel such as lifestyle and invitations to church as opposed to explicitly stating the plan of salvation. More results from this study can be seen at https://teleiosgrant.com/explaining-the-gospel-and-wellbeing-among-christian-evangelicals/.

Teleios also evaluated the same type of questions in young Christians. There were 457 total participants of whom about 2/3 each < 18 years of age, protestant and evangelical.

The results showed that young Christians recognize the need to share their faith with most doing so about once a year or once a month (62%) although some never tell others (17%). They indicated on average less fear in sharing the gospel (80%) or any aspect of their faith (53%) than their elders in the prior survey. However, they also seemed to have high levels of guilt for not sharing the gospel (96%) and thought they should tell others more (98%).

Like their older counterparts those who feared sharing the gospel generally did so because of social awkwardness, as well as not knowing what to say, how to answer questions and the contents of the Gospel itself. In fact, verbally expressing the gospel to others was their fifth favorite way to share the plan of salvation (7%) whereas lifestyle, encouragement, praying and loving others were the preferred choices.

Importantly, almost all our participants (>90%) indicated the Bible is inerrant and true. More results from this study can be seen at https://teleiosgrant.com/young-christians-need-help-sharing-the-gospel/.

The results of the survey are encouraging because it demonstrates there exists a young population of ardent evangelicals believe that the Bible is true and that the gospel should be shared.

However, like their elders, young Christians have inhibitions in expressing the gospel and do not know its contents. The survey participants may be unfamiliar that scripture says for people to believe they explicitly must hear the gospel message (Romans 10:14-17). Otherwise, people are unable to interpret our love and lifestyle as knowing how to accept Jesus Christ as Savior. It takes a succinct verbal expression of the gospel for people to understand and believe (please see bottom of the page).

To the participants point, however, our lives must be framed in godliness (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12) to be an effective witness for Christ. But that life would be wasted if we cannot teach others how to become Christians.

For example, if your teacher stood before class and said nothing while living a good quiet life and then handed out a test, and you failed because you didn’t know the information, you might be furious because she failed to teach you. Same with the gospel, our lifestyle just doesn’t teach what God intended and we need to say it.

Another vital point from the survey, believers saved by grace through Christ should not feel guilt. Those forgiven have no reason for guilt and there is no injunction in the Bible to suffer with it.

At the Teleios Foundation we believe the Bible is true instruction to salvation and healthy lives. What we offer to society is correct and true. In contrast, what the world offers through globalism, humanism, communism, identity and statist politics cannot match the glory and the benefits from of our blessed Savior. We should not recoil from the world but realize what we have is good for our family, friends and society.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Next week and we will discuss ways to share the gospel and avoid those awkward fearful emotions. Please join us then!

Be convinced and rely on these four simple truths!

1. Man sinned.
2. God is just, requiring a punishment for sin.
3. But out of love God sent His Son, Jesus Christ who by dying on the cross, provided forgiveness of sins in taking man’s deserved punishment.
4. Therefore, by faith alone in Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and belief in His resurrection, man can gain eternal life.

 (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10, and Romans 3:21-26)

Welcome back to my blog. I am glad you are here.

The topic of tithing to the church can be a difficult question. To investigate young believers’ beliefs’ over this fascinating issue we recently surveyed visitors to the Instagram account, DailyBibleVerses. In total, 548 persons completed the survey of whom 80% were female, 82% evangelical, and 85% were <40 years of age and 40% <18. How the participants tithed is described in Table 1.

Further, 82% said that missions or parachurch organizations could receive part of their tithe while 60% indicated material possessions or time could be part of their tithe. Table 2 addresses the participant’s biblical basis of their tithing.

Tithing is a concept introduced in the Old Testament law and refers to 10% of gains in crops and herds be given to the use of God (Numbers 18:24-28; Deuteronomy 12:6-12; Deuteronomy 14:22-28). One prior mention of tithing stretches back to Genesis 14 in Abraham’s tithe to King Melchizedek after his great victory over the Mesopotamians.

Tithing is not mentioned in the New Testament epistles for the church. Importantly, Christ said He is the end of the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4). Therefore, the law has been discontinued and does not govern the church; Christians do not have to follow it (Hebrews 7:12-22).

The New Testament does state (2 Corinthians 9:7), however, everyone should choose to give to God’s work, without sorrow, because God loves those who give joyfully! The Apostle Paul (Philippians 3:8) provides us an example when he states that he counts all things loss for Christ. Importantly, everything we do as Christians is done by faith, including the extent and manner of giving (Romans 14:23).

Many who adhere to Reformed Theology believe the church was mysteriously present in the Old Testament and so we must obey the law, including tithing. However, no one obeys all the law, so its practical application is selective and inconsistent. If the church was present in the Old Testament it is not mentioned specifically, it existed spiritually and here was certainly not a church structure that required a tithe.

In summary, tithing is based in the Old Testament law which New Testament believers are not required to obey because they follow Christ. In contrast, we have the opportunity to serve Christ with all our mental and physical possessions, in faith, as guided by the New Testament and prayer (1 Timothy 4:4-5).

Thanks for visiting and see you again next week.

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today.

We continue discussing the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We surveyed 475 young participants on the topic. All the findings, as well as other exciting Teleios research, are on our website.

The Holy Spirit is a very important yet controversial topic. However, there is often a general lack of knowledge of what scripture teaches about the Spirit. We are covering these pertinent topics.

I generally breakdown the Bible’s handling of the Spirit for the New Testament church into three basic realms:

• The Spirit’s work in salvation
• The Spirit’s role in our Christian walk
• The Christian’s duties to the Spirit

This week let us cover the last point, our duties to the Spirit. What our survey participants thought is in the below table.

What the Bible says:

Our actions towards the Spirit are nicely divided into two subcategories, what to do and what not to do. According to scripture, the Spirit dwells in us permanently from the time we believe unto the day of our redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14) and we have full use of the Spirit’s power available to us throughout our lives.

• What not to do!
  • Grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30)
  • Suppress the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

These verses do not explain how not to grieve or suppress the Spirit, but we might assume it’s related to sin that would make the Spirit sad, or suppress His actions in our lives, because we are seeking our own desires.

• What to do! – These amazing verses are mostly related to our seeking God and being obedient. Again, scripture does not tell us the specifics, giving us great freedom to live our lives in faith.
  • Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25) – The word ‘walk’ (peripateoo, περιπατεω) indicates our manner of life, especially in the moral realm.
  • Be mature in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) – The illustration in this great verse is not to be drunk. Alcohol literally can control brain cells by its chemical effect. In contrast, for mature Christians, their old actions are no longer possible as they have been changed by the Spirit.
  • Be zealous towards the Spirit (Romans 12:10)
  • Put to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13) – Last week we learned the Spirit helps us defeat sin but this verse also indicates that it is by our initiation towards obedience that we facilitate the Spirit’s gracious help.

Note: Do not commit the unforgivable sin by blaspheming the Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32) – Importantly, this verse often is taken out of context. In this passage Christ is directing His wrath towards the Jewish Pharisees. At Christ’s baptism, at the initiation of his ministry, the Pharisees had rejected the witness given by the Holy Spirit when He came down from heaven on our Savior.

Therefore, to blaspheme the physical manifestation of Christ on earth is forgivable but to reject God’s approval (signified by the Spirit) of his spiritual mission to bring salvation to man is unforgivable, otherwise by rejecting the salvation message.

Importantly, Christians are not in view in this passage as we to have the Spirit’s sealing until the day of our redemption, having accepted Christ as Savior (Ephesians 1:13,14 and 4:30).

Thank you for joining me today. Please join me again next week as we continue to explore fascinating results from Teleios’ research.

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today.

We continue discussing our recent survey about the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We surveyed 475 young participants and received some amazing answers! All the findings, as well as other research, are on our website.

The Holy Spirit is a very important, yet controversial and often emotional, topic. However, often people generally lack knowledge of what scripture teaches about the Spirit. We are covering some pertinent topics over the Spirit, examining what scripture alone says.

I generally breakdown scriptures handling of the Spirit for the New Testament Church into three basic realms:

• The Spirit’s work in Salvation
• The Spirit’s role in our Christian walk
• The Christian’s duties to the Spirit.

Today let’s examine the most common responses from our InstaPray participants regarding how the Spirit helps in our Christian walk (please see table).

What the Bible says

The scripture states that the Spirit plays a vital and active role in believers’ lives, and can divided into two basic types:

• Constant roles – The Spirit has several constant roles not dependent on us:
  • Points to Christ – The Spirit glorifies Christ, and gives and teaches us the information our Savior has given to him (John 16:13-14; 1 John 2:20,27)
  • Indwells us – Remember, we learned last week that the Spirit indwells us completely until the day of our redemption so we have full access to His power and help.
  • Prays for us (Romans 8:26) – This great truth indicates the Spirit prays on our behalf to God. What better source of prayer could we have?
• Believer dependent roles – However, importantly there are roles for which the Spirit assists us that are variable and depend upon our obedience. Two passages are critical to understand the Spirit’s help for us:
  • Romans 8:13-16,26
    • Stops sin (V.13) – As we are obedient the Spirit helps us put to death the deeds of the flesh.
    • Leads us (V.14) – Christians commonly believe this biblical concept but we should understand how He leads. In short, the Spirit use God’s word (please see below passage in Ephesians 6). Indeed, the Bible often tells us to be people of knowledge and understanding, for example in Paul’s prayers for us (Ephesians 1:17; Colossians 1:9).
    • We are God’s children (V.16) – The Spirit comforts us that we belong to God and not to be anxious over our eternal security
  • Ephesians 6:10-17 – The magnificent armor of God passage is critical to understanding our Christian walk because it instructs us how to access God’s power by describing a Greek hoplite soldier and his armament. Often Christians wonder how they can know the power of God. These great verses describe it! However, it is also important in showing the role of the Spirit because His mighty actions are linked to each of the pieces of armor in other scripture.
    • Truth (our belt to prepare us V.14) – Living in truth is a fruit of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:9) and prepares our mind to making proper decisions and actions.
    • Righteousness (our breastplate V.14) – A fruit of the Spirit is a holy heart that is set apart to serve God and perceives and rejects sin (Ephesians 5:9)
    • Share the gospel (the shoes to carry us to battle V.15) – By telling others the message of salvation we see the power of God to change others and positively affect our society, which is assisted by the Spirit (Romans 1:16-17; 2 Timothy 1:7; John 16:8-11).
    • Faith (our shield V.16) – A fruit of the Spirit also is faith in which we make all decisions and God desires from us (Galatians 5:22,23; Romans 14:23).
    • Eternal security (our helmet V.17) – The sound knowledge of our security of salvation protects our heads as we face troubles in this world and its function is from the Spirit (Romans 15:13).
    • The Bible (our sword V.17) – The power of God we experience in our Christian walk is through the action of the Spirit in accordance to the Bible.

Wow what great truths! These passages tell us how the Spirit acts in our lives to cause us to please God and to experience His power.

Join us again next week as we describe what are our responsibilities are to the Spirit so He’s free to act in our lives as described above. Thank you for visiting this week.

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. We are exploring relevant research findings from Teleios! More compelling findings are on our website.

Teleios examined the important role of the Holy Spirit in Christians’ lives in visitors to the Instagram account, InstaPray. We had 475 participants, 68% were adolescents (<18) as well as millennials (18-34), 78% evangelicals and 71% female. Wow, we received some amazing answers!

The Holy Spirit is a very important yet controversial and often emotional topic. Opinions vary widely about the role of the Spirit, from traditional orthodox to charismatic beliefs. However, in all groups there is often a general lack of knowledge of what scripture teaches. Let’s cover some pertinent topics over the Spirit examining what scripture says and perhaps we can all better shape our own thinking based on the truth of God.

I generally breakdown scriptures handling of the Spirit for the New Testament Church into three basic realms:

• The Spirit’s work in salvation
• The Spirit’s role in our Christian walk
• The Christian’s duties to the Spirit

Let’s examine what our participants said regarding the Spirit and salvation (please see table).

What the Bible says

Indeed, the Spirit in salvation in scripture is key. He performs the following vital functions.

• Convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8) – This role is vital because left to our own resources, as fallen man both physically and mentally, we would not come to faith and salvation by our own reckoning (Romans 3:10-12). Therefore, the Spirit is central to help unbelievers recognize their faults, coming judgment and God’s demand for righteousness.
• Baptizes (Romans 6:2-3,9; Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians 2:12-13) – In the epistles the word ‘baptism’ signifies spiritual baptism which occurs at our salvation by the Spirit. The actual meaning of the word baptism (βαπτιζω, baptizoo) is ‘to identify with’. Therefore, the Spirit baptizes us by identifying us with Christ’s death and resurrection.The incredible fact of spiritual baptism (which water baptism may symbolize) gives us surety for our great salvation as a new creature that cannot be slain and re-created our old dead self.
• The Spirit accomplishes this by putting to death our old person and resurrecting us to a new living person. ‘Regeneration’ and ‘born again’ are other concepts in Scripture signifying this important event (Titus 3:5; John 3:3). These wonderful verses demonstrate to us the profound importance of the resurrection because there is no eternal life without the resurrection and regeneration (1 Corinthians 15:13-19).
• Seals to Redemption (2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14) – This great promise indicates that each of us has the Holy Spirit from our time of belief in salvation until the day we die and go to be with God. Indeed, one of the definitions of a Christian is that we have the Holy Spirit for we if do not have it we are not yet a Believer (Romans 8:9).
• Places us into the church (1 Corinthians 12:13) – The spirit graciously has placed us at salvation into the universal church of Christ for which he is the head.

As you can see, the Spirit is integral in bringing us to salvation, completing salvation and bringing us to our eternal life. What a fantastic blessing that we have such a gift from God as the Holy Spirit!

Please join us next week as we continue the scriptural discussion of what the Spirit does for us. Thank you for reading my blog. I hope it is an assistance to you.

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. We are exploring research findings from Teleios! See all of our compelling findings on our website.

Last week we spoke about people’s fear in sharing the gospel, so this week let’s discuss some basic principles about how to communicate the gospel in an easy, acceptable manner that you can adapt to your lifestyle.

Fortunately, scripture does not tell us that we need to beat people with the gospel in a socially awkward and isolating way. So how do we relate the ‘good news’ to others in today’s world? Well there are many ways to share the plan of salvation, but here is a process that my wife, Jeanette, and I often use:

1. Prayerfully consider others – Most of us are so busy that unless we stop and specifically consider those around us we may easily miss wonderful opportunities to spread the gospel. Therefore, try thinking through the people you know and who might respond to the gospel. Many Christians say, ‘well nobody!’ So then, consider how you can meet more people and know your acquaintances better (please see next point). Start by praying for them!
2. Create a solid base for a relationship – This is vital as people need to know that you genuinely like and respect them. There are many books on the subject and perhaps the best starter is the classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. You can buy a cheap used copy (or download a copy) at Amazon. It is frightfully easy to read and apply. Do it! In short, good relationships are built on, at least in part: listening, asking inquisitive questions about people’s passions, work, interests and family. This should be done in a genuine, affable manner with a smile, gratitude, appropriate specific compliments, and saying ‘I’m sorry’ as needed. A solid relationship may take some time to build, months to years. Be patient.
3. Build a spiritual rapport – This can be done by simply asking them about benign religious topics, progressing through such questions as:
   • Were you raised in the church and what denomination? Did you like the church? Was it a good social environment?
   • What do you think about religious-based political issues such as Christian persecution? Does religion or the church help our culture, etc.?
   • Work towards issues pertaining to Christ, who is the major goal of the conversation, such as: what did their Church teach about Christ? What do they themselves believe about Christ? What is Christ’s role in salvation
   • Important note: You don’t have to respond to the above questions, it is better that you mostly just listen initially and gather information, again showing you respect for their opinions.
4. Identify a need – As you listen you should be able to perceive spiritual needs such as: are they are saved? Are they concerned about not going to heaven? Do they express reasons for guilt or unhappiness? Based on these issues you can develop a plan to assist them.
5. Make an offer – Based on your assessment of their spiritual needs, plan how to explain the gospel as a specific solution to their need. Make sure the offer is clear and unambiguous, that they must say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and they know what they are accepting. Although you may be able to discuss the gospel directly, I generally find it is helpful to offer a Bible study for 4 weeks to study the claims of Christ in Ephesians 1:1-14. During this study they can discover the truth themselves, ask questions and you can share the gospel as issues of salvation are raised in the text. Salvation is neatly packaged also in Romans 3:10-26 or Ephesians 2:1-10.

Even if this individual says ‘no’ to your efforts, the strong relationship you’ve built in the initial steps outlined above should overcome any social awkwardness. Through prayer and patience perhaps the opportunity to share again will occur.

If they say yes and believe, then praise be to God. What a privilege to see God save and change a life!

Thank you for reading my blog. Join me again next week as we continue to discuss Teleios’ findings and the wisdom of God’s word.