The Be A Berean Network Podcast: Recent Episodes
Paul Engel
In Acts 17:10-11 we're told that the Berean's were more fair minded then others because they not only received what Paul was saying, but searched the Scriptures to see if it was true.
On this podcast we'll search the Scriptures to see what is true.
Each and every one of us is blind to something our lives. Just as Bartimaeus, we have a choice. Do we sit by the side of the road and beg or do we cry out to Jesus for mercy? More important, how do we react when Jesus calls us?
This week I have a question for you. What offends you? More important, take some time and ask why it offends you? Are you more worried about offending the world, or offending God?
Many people are put off by the blood and guts of Old Testament books like Leviticus and Deuteronomy. When I see the sacrifies and rituals, I don't just see the blood and guts. I see what it takes to allow people to live in the presence of God.
God asks us to do many things. But have you gotten the "hard ask" from God? Has God called you to do something truly difficult?
We all know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego. But is that story still relevant today? Do christians bow the knee to the world's golden idols?
Do you remember Paul Harvey and his tagline, the rest of the story? Many people read Epheseans 5 or Colossions 3 and think that God hates women. Today, we will take a look at the rest of the story.
As we celebrate Christmas, join me as we follow an Engel Family tradition. We'll read the story of Christ's birth in Luke chapter 2, and expand on the thought that the great shepherd was born dependent on His sheep.
This week we ask a simple question. What is more important, what you say or what you do? That's not the question. The question we answer today is do we act like that, or are we just saying so?
David was a man after God's own heart. That does not mean he never acted cotrary to God's will. When David called for a census without God asking for it, many of his people suffered and died. This led David to move from arrogance to humility.
This week, we celebrate Thanksgiving. We have quite a lot to give thanks for, but as I was reading in the Gospel of Mark, I was struck something that made me think there is more to be thankful for that we think of at first.
The miracles of creation are all around us, but how often do you take the time to see it? From the beauty of a flower to the natural laws that make everything work, the miracles of God's creation should be awe inspiring. Today, I want to tkae a look not only at a few of these laws, but how we can find them in unexpected places.
This week we will answer Cain's question "Am I my brother's keeper?" We'll look for that answer in Ezekiel chapter 3, and the question of the duty we have as watchmen.
This week, we look at a time that Israel lost the ark of the covenent, the symbol of God's presence. We also look at what symbolizes God's presence in out lives today, and what we can learn about how we treat it in our lives.
As a teacher and preacher, James warns me that I shall receive a stricter judgement (James 3:1). Think of the burden that service, any service, places on the server. Are you prepared to carry the mantle of servcie? How can you prepare to carry that burden better.
This week, we look at the story of a man of God, the message he delivered, and what happened when he failed to follow the word that God had given him.
There is plenty of advice in Scripture about seeking counsel. From Moses' Father in law to the Apostle Paul, we see not only advice about counsel, but examples of both good and bad counsel. Today, we look at not only seeking counsel, but testing it to see if it is good.
Interpreting God's Word is something mankind has done since Genesis 2. Today I want to look at a command God gave to Saul, then how Saul thought he had fulfilled it.
As Samuel's life was coming to a close, Israel wanted a king. Not simply to judge them as Samuel had, but to be like the other nations. Christians today often orgnize themselves and their churches to be like the other groups rather than to be ruled by God.
Before I became a follower of Christ, I encountered Scripture in society without even knowing it. Today, I want to take one of those examples, the song "Turn, Turn, Turn", which is an almost exact quote from Ecclesiaties, Chapter 3
Scripture tells us not to worry. It also tells us to fear God but not man. So how do we go about our lives if we are not to worry or fear what the future might hold. I believe we can understand if we investigate what Scripture says about fear, worry, and care.
We are all, probably, aware that sin costs us. But have you thought about how your sin will impact others? Not just the sin, but the consequences of those sins. Today, we look at an example from King David where his sin cost others quite a lot.
Last week we looked at the vision God gave Ezekiel of a valley of dry bones, This week we look at how many got to the point of dry bones. God's search for a man to build a wall and stand in the gap.
This week I want to take a look at an experience that Ezekiel had when God showed him the spiritual state of Israel. Then I will compare that to the state of the church and America today.
Today, I'm not starting my resurrection story with Passover, The Lord's Supper, or even the curcifixtion. I'm going to start in the middle of Jesus' second trial before Pilate because, while studying for this message, something in that interaction caught my attention.
In Scripture, people are given positions in order to serve others. Human nature is to use those positions to exercise power. This week, I want to look at the aftermath of a miracle to see the arrogance of both tradition and power, and the example of how one formerly blind man stood against it.
When Paul left Berea, he went to Athens. This week we'll look at how the citizens of this city reacted to Paul's preaching in the synagogue and marketplace. Paul's speech on Mars Hill is not only an overvew of his faith, but leads to a better understanding of God.
When asked about my faith recently, I answered that I was a “Berean”. They didn’t understand what I meant, and I bet many of you don’t either. So this week, I look at Paul & Silas’ visit to Berean and answer the question, what does it mean to be a berean.
In the last of this series, we will look at three miracles that did not quite fit in the other messages.
You cannot have a series on miracles without talking about demons. This week we’ll look at several miracles involving demons and evil spirits, then see what we can learn from them.
There are two things I’ve been told to not talk about from the pulpit, money and politics. But Jesus talked about money and politics. So today, I will be telling you what I’ve found in my research on tithing.
This week we’ll look at two miracles that involve teh sea. While most people focus on what Jesus did, I want to look at what we can learn from how the disciples acted.
We’ve been looking at healing miracles for sevearl weeks. Today, I want to look at the ultimate healing, resurrection. As with the other miracles, the lesson is more than just the Jesus can resurrect us.
This week we’ll look at several miracles that don’t fit well into a single specific category.
This week I continue my series on the Miracles of Jesus, focusing on the heal of paralytics. There is plenty more to these stories than the impact on those healed. We can learn more from the people who witness the healing, than the healing itself.
This week I look at a couple of miracles Jesus did for VIPs. I think you’ll find out, by the end these stories tell us a lot about the people asking for the miracle and whether or not we look like them.
Starting a new series on the miracles of Jesus, this week we’ll look at the healing of lepers. More than just the miracle of healing, we’ll look at what we can learn and apply to our walk today
This week, I will take a look at a familiar story from the Gospel of John. By looking deeper at the differences between the languages, I’ll show you a different way of looking at the story of Jesus asking Peter three times if he loved Him.
This is the last in this series on the parables of Jesus. This week we not only look at greed, but we look at the greed in our own hearts and churches.
Do you know the difference between persistence and stuborness? This week we look at two parables about persistance.
While again reading the story of David and Goliath, God showed me something I had never noticed before. Just how much the church today resembles Israel in their battle with the Philastines.
Since it's Father's Day, I thought I would talk about fathers. While society tries to tear them apart, the role of father and husband are intimatly linked.
Many in America act like there are no consequences for their actions. Today we look at two parables involving the the consequences for our actions.
This week we return to my series on the Parables of Jesus. Comparisons can be helpful and quite dangerous. In the sermon we take a look at some of the parables that look at comparisons.
Since the time of Christ, there have been those who would percecute the church. What should the church do when confronted when confronted with those who want to shut us down. How should we react when confronted by those who demand we compromise what God's Word says? We can find some very good answers with Daniel and his friends.
This week we start looking at parables about obedience, starting with the examples of family.
Society seems obsessed with love. But would we recognize an act of true love if we saw it?
This week we look at three parables that show just how different the Kingdom of God is.
This time of year people focus on the Christ child, which they should. They also talk about the courage and faith of Mary. Again, which they should. But we don’t talk very much about the other half of Jesus’ earthly parents.
This week we again look at some parables about the kingdom of God. In this case, we look at how things are valued in that kingdom.
This week, we will look at parables Jesus used to describe growth in the Kingdom of God.
In this conclusion to our study of the book of Nehemiah, we see not only the need for good leadership, but the difficulty of finding good leaders.
This week, we see how the children of Israel follow up with the covenant they created in chapter 9
This week, we will look at the blessing the Levites call those in Jerusalem to participate in.
This week, we look into how those in Jerusalem react to the reading of the Law, and how the reading of God's Word shoudl impact us today.
This week we see Nehemiah being wise as a serpent but innocent as a dove. We also examine how and why we should be as well.
This week, we look at the chapter that most people think of when they think about Nehemiah, the rebuilding of the wall. We will see how this list of strange names and places should inform life for disciples of Christ today.
This Independence Day Weekend, we look at our duty to the laws of man, nature, and of Nature's God.
This week we see how Nehemiah gets his comission to repair the wall of Jerusalem and how he prpares to do so.
This week we look at the parallels between the state of Jerusalem and the state of the church in America today.
Israel had memorials. The church has memorials. Our country has memorials. But what happens when we focus on the memorial rather than what we are supposed to be remembering.
We finally get to the end of the story of Joseph. This week, we will review what we have learned from this study of his life.
Today we remember probably the most important day in all of history. The day our Lord and Savior, the creator of heaven and earth, fulfilled his purpose in becoming a man. Not simply dying to pay for our sins, Which is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! But being resurrected as a promise for our faith.
As we look at Jacob preparing for the end of his life, l think we should take some time and consider how we look at the end of ours.
This week God gave me a message about how His children should be reacting to the COVID-19 scare.
This week, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. We also see their reaction and that of their father.
After the brothers have lunch with Joseph, he tests them to see if they will protect their brother or leave him behind.
This week, Joseph's brothers return to Egypt. We'll look not only at how the Brothers react before and during their trip, but how Jacob reacts to sending Benjamin with them.
While researching a message for Christmas, God pointed me to a story in Luke chapter 2. But not the story you're probably thinking about.
This week, we look at how Joseph fulfills God's plan for the famine. We also look at how we should prepare for hard times, not just for ourselves, but for others.
This week we begin to see God’s plan unfold for Joseph. We also learn about the importance of trusting God not just in the big things, but in the little things as well.
Today we pick up Joseph’s story in prison. We will take a look at how we treat others and how we follow God’s plan.
Last week we looked at Joseph’s family history. Today, we look at his relationship with his brothers.
Starting a new series on the life of Joseph, we look at the family he was born into. It will help us put the rest of his life into context.
In the last sermon in this series on the Sermon on the Mount, we took at the parable of the two builders and how people responded to Jesus’ teachings.
This week we continue the series on The Semon on the Mount. We will cover the verses on false prophets and the true way into the Kingom of God.
Continuing our look through the Sermon on the Mount, this morning we will look at asking God, treating others and the ways to heaven and how they are related.
Today we will look at one of the verses I find most often quoted out of context, Matt 7:1.
In this message we talk about money and wealth and what Jesus teaches us about how to treat both.
In this message we look not only at these three commands from our Lord, but how they are related.
Today we will not only look at these three concepts from the Sermon on the Mount, how they are related to eachother. Let us see how these three ideas should inform how we live our lives.
Everyone needs a good father figure in their life. Whether your biological father is in the picture or not, finding someone to help guide you in life is important if you want to stay on the right track. And just as important, is being that father figure to others. In this sermon, we will examine the roll of just such a father figure in ancient Israel and see how we are doing in the 21st century.
In this sermon we look at what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount about murder, adultery and divorce. It may be more than you first thought.
In this sermon we will look not only at how Jesus fulfilled the law, but what that means for His disciples today.
In this message, we will look at comparisons Christ makes and examine what it says about our Christian walk.
This Sunday, we will look at how we react to the resurrection in the story of the two men who encountered Jesus on the road to Emmaus
For my daughter’s 20th birthday, I talked about the dreams we had for her and her future and the dreams we should all have for our daughters.
In the last chapter of this book we see Jonah as a vindictive and cruel man, more than willing to accept God's grace for himself but not for others. Sadly, we see much of Jonah's evil attitudes in people today, even within the church.
Why did Jonah wait for three days to pray to God? Why do we see prayer as our last resort rather than our first choice? How would life be different if we talked with God and sought His will right from the beginning?
Let's take a closer look at a story we all know. In it we may find out more about ourselves than thought.
Today, we look at how Mordecai deals with the aftermath of Haman and learn the importance of paying attention to what we say.
In this chapter, Haman gets his just deserts and find out that nothing is a coincidence.
Every believer can learn how to deal with difficulties from Esther. Will you be like Haman or Mordecai?
Every believer needs to ask themself, what will the stand for and what they will risk their life for.
Every Christian should ask themselves what they would be willing to risk their life for.
In this sermon we are introduced to Haman and learn that God's plans don't always make sense to us at first.
Not only are we introduced to Mordecai and Esther, but we start to see how God is preparing things for the future.
Every believer can learn not only how not to behave but how we should treat our spouses.