Teleios: January 2020

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The Peace of God

Do you have personal peace - peace with God, peace with family and friends, peace of mind? Peace is one of the great quests of mankind! For those who know God through faith, personal peace is mentioned as one of the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22) that He desires us to have.

What does research show?

We explored this topic in a study performed in Bartlesville, OK at Grace Community Church (1). At services on one Sunday, we asked the adult population to complete a questionnaire regarding different aspects of their wellbeing, including peace, as well as their adherence to the practice of their faith.

How did we define adherence to faith? Using the Bible we delineated the following as ‘adherence to faith’ if they: proclaimed to be a Christian through personal faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross as a free gift of salvation; were secure in their salvation; and frequently utilized the five tools to maturity in their lives (prayer, praise, faith, reaching out and growing in knowledge of scripture) (Acts 2:42,47; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 3:23-26; 1 Peter 1:4-5; John 10:27-30).

The results of the survey showed, on a scale of 0-6 the average level of peace was 4.2 for the entire congregation (0 being least and 6 being most) - not bad! However, there generally was significantly greater peace in believers the more adherent they were in their Christian practice!

What explains the finding? Well, we don’t know for certain, but four potential reasons come to mind.

· Proper focus - The practice of Christianity causes us to concentrate on our almighty God who has purposes higher than our own. This focus may make help take our mind away from our own anxious or selfish thoughts.

· Prayer - We know from past research that people who pray possess better wellbeing (1-5). The adherence to the practice of Christianity provides for prayer to an accepting great high priest, Jesus Christ, who cares for our every need (Hebrews 4:14-16).

· Correct thinking - We realize knowledge is power. Christianity furnishes an excellent text, the Bible, which teaches us the truth, so we know how to think of ourselves correctly and do not believe lies about God.

· Outward vision - Christianity urges us to reach out by teaching others about our faith and being good to all people. Consequently, this helps us not to concentrate on our own anxieties and issues (2).

Can I have peace?

First, be assured you are a Christian and know that your sins have been forgiven freely by faith in Christ. Read the gospel message at https://teleiosresearch.com/consider-the-gospel/. You then should realize that God accepts you and this great salvation cannot be taken away.

Second, practice your faith balanced between the 5 tools of maturity, along with confidence in salvation (1 Peter 1:4-5). This will help build the mindset and practices which the Holy Spirit can use to build peace. It takes time and commitment, but you can do it. Learn the 5 tools to maturity at https://teleiosresearch.com/tools-to-maturity/. The results and blessings will be beyond measure (Galatians 5:22-23).

Thank you for joining me today and please return next time as we explore more about the amazing scripture that God has provided us.

For questions or to view more of our research…

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Disclaimer - This blog is provided for your use and enjoyment on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

1. MacIlvaine WR, et al. Association of strength of religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2013;19:251-5.

2. MacIlvaine WR, et al. Association of strength of community service to personal wellbeing. Community Ment Health J 2014;50:577-82.

Stewart WC, et al. Review of clinical medicine and religious practice. J Relig Health 2013;52:91-106.
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.
Stewart WC, et al. Association of strength of religious adherence to attitudes regarding glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Ophthalmic Res 2011:45:53-6.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Christianity Empowers Women

Women in free Christian countries and wellbeing

Protecting and providing opportunities to potentially vulnerable individuals mark an advanced and compassionate society.

Prior data by Teleios showed that populations in countries with greater freedom, which typically are Christian, demonstrated better overall wellbeing, and other legal, educational, and social measures that could enhance wellbeing, than in countries that persecute Christians (https://teleiosresearch.com/impactofchristianpersecutiononfreedomandwellbeing/).

Teleios recently also evaluated wellbeing and associated economic and legal measures that could affect wellbeing of women specifically, who in some cultures are considered vulnerable due to repression and abuse (https://teleiosresearch.com/the-effect-of-christian-persecution-on-wellbeing-of-women/).

For our analysis we used the top 50 countries from the Human Freedom Index compared to the 50 top countries persecuting Christianity from the Open Doors 2018 World Watch List (https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/world-watch-list/).

This study found that women in the freest countries, compared to countries that persecute Christians, demonstrated greater mean wellbeing (23% vs.18% thriving; scale range 0-100).

Further, women in freer countries also showed better scores in each measure analyzed that potentially could affect the wellbeing of women (free countries' values listed first): literacy rate (98% vs. 77%), life expectancy (83 vs. 73 years), school life expectancy (17 vs. 12 years), labor force participation (54% vs. 44%), maternal mortality rate (15 vs. 180 per 100,000), lifetime experience of violence (22% vs. 34%), sex trafficking (20 vs. 57; scale range 0-100), and life satisfaction (6.6 vs. 5.1; scale range 0-10; P ≤ 0.006 for each comparison).

In addition, of the top 50 countries on the Human Freedom Index, 35 were listed as Christian countries by the Central Intelligence Agency versus 4 of the persecuting countries (P < 0.01).

Our study suggests that women in countries that are most free not only demonstrate better wellbeing but these nations overwhelmingly are associated with numerous legal, security, health, and educational advantages potentially associated with enhanced wellbeing for women.

Importantly, free countries are much more likely to be Christian. In contrast, countries which persecute Christians also are associated with poorer measures for women's freedom, life satisfaction, and wellbeing.

Women empower the church

Women in the church offer a rich resource for all aspects of Christian life. So much of the work of the church rests on the capable shoulders of women. Christianity historically offered women the chance to progress in society, compared to prior Roman and Greek cultures, where their capacity to function outside the home was extremely limited. Even in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Enlightenment time-periods, women in Christian societies often amassed wealth and exercised political power.

In the Bible the Apostle Paul noted some differences between men and women, specifically when he was addressing specific issues of congregational worship within certain troubled churches (1 Cor 14:34-35; 1Tim2:8-12); and family structure (marriage exists to symbolize the role between Christ and the church as an evangelical outreach [Eph. 5:21-33]). However, the vast majority of promises and admonishments to holy living in the epistles are the same between women and men.

Women and men together serve in faith before God to spread the gospel do the work at the church. The Christian religion heightens the value and dignity of women both historically, and now, compared to other cultures.

Join us again soon as we explore more fascinating details of how the Bible helps our society and our individual lives.