The Highland Bridge Builders Podcast: Recent Episodes
Highland Bridge Builders
Kyle Fagala continues our Holy Roar series with a lesson on The Songs of Praise. Holy Roar is a book by Darren Whitehead and Chris Tomlin that examines the seven Hebrew words found in the Book of Psalms that are translated into the English word “praise.” Each word represents a different aspect of what it means to truly praise God.
We spend time together focused on the Hebrew words Tehillah and Zamar.
TEHILLAH teh·hil·lä': A song of praise, a new song. A spontaneous song. “But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises (tehillah) of Israel” - Psalm 22:3
ZAMAR zä·mar'’: To make music, to celebrate in song and music. To touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument. Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises (zamar) unto him with the timbrel and harp. - Psalm 149:3
Highland Worship Minister Brishan Hatcher continues our Holy Roar series with a lesson on The Posture of Praise. Brishan foxuses his class on the words Yadah and Barak:
YADAH yä·dä': To revere or worship with extended hands. To hold out the hands, to throw a stone or arrow.
“May all the people worship you with extended hands, O God; may all the people hold out their hands in praise to you” - Psalm 67:3
BARAK bä·rak'’: To kneel, to bless God (as an act of adoration). To praise, to salute, to thank.
“All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him" - Psalm 72:11
Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and kneel in blessing to him all day long” - Psalm 72:15
Join us as we begin a 5-week series on the topic of worship. Our lessons come from the book and video series entitled Holy Roar by Darren Whitehead and Chris Tomlin. It looks at the seven Hebrew words found in the Book of Psalms that are translated into the English word “praise.” Each word represents a different aspect of what it means to truly praise God
Peter Snell kicks things off with a lesson on the topic "The Shout of Praise" and the words Halal and Shabach.
Clint Till concludes our 3-week series on "Good Words of the Bible" with a lesson on "Love and Joy."
The word “love” is one of the sloppiest words in our language, as it primarily refers to a feeling that happens to a person. In the New Testament, “love” refers to a way of treating people that was defined by Jesus himself: seeking the well-being of others regardless of their response. We will also explore the unique type of "joy" to which God’s people are called.
Clint Crosier continues our 3-week series on "Good Words of the Bible" with a lesson on "Peace and Hope."
"Peace" is a very common word in English that means different things to different people. It's also a very important word in the Bible that refers not only to the absence of conflict but also to the presence of something else. In the Bible people who have "hope" are very different from optimists! We'll explore the core meaning of biblical peace and how it all leads to Jesus. We'll also explore how biblical hope looks to God’s character alone as a basis for trusting that the future will be better than the present.
Michael Van Huis begins our 3-week series on "Good Words of the Bible" with a lesson on "Gospel."
Gospel is one of the most common words in a Christian’s vocabulary. But what does Gospel mean in the original languages of the Bible? In this lesson, we’ll discover that gospel is a royal announcement about Jesus who is the crucified and risen king.
Scott Frizzell concludes our 3-week series on "Bad Words of the Bible" with a lesson on Iniquity.
Iniquity is a biblical word that very few people use anymore, and even fewer people know what it means (myself included). In this lesson, we’ll explore the significance of this word in ancient Hebrew, and discover a whole new way to think about our selfish decisions and their consequences.
Michael Van Huis continues our 3-week series on "Bad Words of the Bible" with a lesson on Transgression.
"Transgression" is one of those Bible words that seems clear until you have to explain it to somebody. In this lesson, we'll explore the fascinating and sophisticated meaning of this biblical "bad word." Get ready for a sobering reflection on human nature.
We begin the new year with a 3-week series on "Bad Words of the Bible" followed by 3 weeks on "Good Words of the Bible."
Words like sin, iniquity, and transgression are increasingly overlooked and avoided in our culture and churches due to their religious undertones and due to an increased emphasis on grace and tolerance. Of course, these words show up throughout the Bible, and they communicate God's profound diagnosis of human evil. Obviously, there exists a balance, so we will follow up these 3 weeks of bad words with the good words of Gospel, Peace, Hope, Love, and Joy.
Today, Kyle Fagala discusses the word sin.
Clint Crosier continues our series “20 Questions: The Basics Every Christian Should Know” with a lesson on what it means to come a Christian.
Peter Snell continues our “20 Questions: The Basics Every Christian Should Know” series with another difficult theological question: What is Election?
Election (sometimes called "predestination") involves God choosing a person or group of people to a particular task or relationship, especially eternal life. There are two main types of election—conditional and unconditional—and these have long been an issue in Calvinist–Arminian debate. We wade just a little bit into these deep theological waters today.
Eric Gentry continues our “20 Questions: The Basics Every Christian Should Know” series with a discussion on one of the most central questions to the Christian faith: What is the Resurrection?
Clint Crosier leads us on the topic “What is Atonement?” as we return to our series “20 Questions: The Basics Every Christian Should Know.”
Eric Gentry continues our discussion-based series on "The Power of Jesus' Names." This week, we focus on the two names Alpha and Omega. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. These names speak to Christ's sufficiency in all things. Similarly, these names speak Christ's priority in each of our lives, and in God's gospel story. Come and learn how the Alpha and Omega is both starting and finishing His work in our hearts.
Allen Henry continues our discussion-based series on "The Power of Jesus' Names." This week, we focus on the two names Savior and Messiah.
One of the most important steps in accepting Jesus as Savior is the recognition that we are in need of being saved. Thanks to our Messiah Jesus, the one who the prophets foretold, we have been given victory over sin and death.
Clint Till continues our discussion-based series on "The Power of Jesus' Names." This week, we will focus on the two names Word and I AM.
As we learn in John 1, Jesus—the Word—is God and has been with God since the beginning. The Word comes to Earth to communicate who God is to His people. I AM is the title God gives himself in Exodus 3 and it's the same name Jesus uses to describe himself in John 8—a decision that almost gets Jesus killed. Claiming to be the eternal God incarnate usually has that effect on people...
Peter Snell continues our discussion-based series on "The Power of Jesus' Names." This week, we focus on two names that I'm sure most of us are familiar with: Lord and King. However, do we live each day as if Jesus is our true Lord and King?
We are excited to start a new, 6-week, discussion-based series on videos and workbooks by Dr. Tony Evans on the topic "The Power of Jesus' Names." Kyle Fagala kicks things off with a look at Jesus as Immanuel - God with us.
Dudley Carter leads our final week of Bridge Builders Book Club with a lesson on "Remember Death: The Surprising Path of Living Hope" by Matthew McCullough.
Death is an inescapable part of life that carries enormous significance for all humans. Christianity offers hope in death, but if we're being honest, how comfortable are we with discussing death at church or in our daily conversations?
Andy Irwin shares about his recent trip to Israel. He recounts the Biblical and historical significance of the places that we have read and studied about for years. He also shares how God impacted people on this once-in-a-lifetime journey.
We’re doing something a little different for the next few weeks in Bridge Builders as we debut a new series called “Bridge Builders Book Club.” 📚
Kyle Fagala leads our first “book review” with the intentional bestseller “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. This classic holds profound truths that can be helpful in the many different aspects of life - as a Christian, spouse, parent, friend, and worker.
Eric Gentry (Bridge Builders) and Kevin Betts (2.2:2) co-teach on the topic of conviction and the idea that we must start with a Gospel-inspired conviction of our own sin and need for Jesus. Until we humbly recognize the depth of our need and brokenness, the Gospel cannot take root in us and we cannot share it with others.
The topic for these 3 weeks is that of REVIVAL. The idea is that the modern church is becoming more and more influenced by a secular culture that increasingly rejects Biblical truth and The Way of Jesus Christ and is in desperate need of revival.
We continue our 4-week session on 20 Questions: The Basics Every Christian Should Know with a lesson on the question "Who is Christ?"
The answer to this question helps relieve the tension that is formed by our previous two questions "What is Man?" and "What is Sin?" In addition, we will look at the Old Testament prophecies of Christ, the dual nature of Christ, and the exact role Christ plays in the Gospel.
We continue our 4-week session on 20 Questions: The Basics Every Christian Should Know with a lesson by David Flatt on the question "What is Sin?"
This question is a natural follow-up to the question posed last Sunday by Chris Altrock "What is Man?" As men and women, one key component of our nature is our humanity - the fact that we have all been created in the image of God. Unfortunately, this nature works in direct opposition to our other core nature - our sinful nature.
Chris Altrock teaches on the topic of “What is Man?” This Sunday’s lesson begins another 4 weeks in our series 20 Questions: The Basics Every Christian Should Know. The following 3 weeks will cover the questions “What is Sin?”, “Who is Christ?”, and “What are Angels, Satan, and Demons?”
Join us as Peter Snell covers chapter 5 tomorrow morning. The two main sections of this chapter are “Walk in Love” and “Wives and Husbands.” Both sections explore the ways we were designed and how living as God intended brings glory to His name.
Join us as Kyle Fagala covers the 4th chapter of Ephesians. Chapters 1-3 of Ephesians are more theological in nature, while Chapters 4-6 focus in on the practical. We'll look at Christian unity and maturity, plus some instructions for Christian living.
Join us as Highland preaching minister Eric Gentry leads class on the 3rd chapter of Ephesians.
David Flatt kicks off our Ephesians series with an introduction to the Book of Ephesians and a study of Chapter 1.
Eric Gentry wraps us our first 6 weeks on "20 Questions: The Basics Every Christian Should Know" with a lesson on "What is Prayer?"
"One of the ways God allows his creation to stay involved with him is through prayer. Prayer, which is personal communication from us to God, not only helps us know about God but also helps us truly know God. Through prayer we can communicate our requests to God, confess our sins to God, and give adoration, praise, and thanksgiving to God." - Wayne Grudem
Scott Frizzell continues our 20 Questions series with a lesson on "What is Creation?" We will seek to understand how God created the universe, what kind of universe he created, and how we should think of the creation today.
Michael Van Huis looks at "What is the Trinity?" The trinity is undoubtedly one of the most confusing, but also important, doctrines in all of Christianity. Michael covers classic objections to the Trinity, why the Trinity is important, and why it is relevant.
What are God’s attributes? This morning, Allen Henry walks though Scripture to highlight more than 20 truths about who God is.
Kyle Fagala begins our series on "20 Questions: The Basics Every Christian Should Know" with an introductory lesson and discussion on "What is the Bible?” Specifically, we will discuss whether or not it's authoritative, clear, necessary, and sufficient.
Have you ever felt rejected, guilty, or broken? Tomorrow morning at 10 AM, we will begin a new 4-week series called "I Can Only Imagine" based on the story of Bart Millard, lead singer of MercyMe and author of the best-selling Christian song of all time "I Can Only Imagine."
This series focuses on Bart's incredible life story - how his painful childhood and strained relationship with his father ultimately resulted in redemption. By reflecting on a story like Bart's, we begin to see ourselves through God's eyes, and find rest in His approval, purpose, and eternal hope as we reveal the heart of the God who loves us ... more than we can imagine.
Join us for a panel discussion on various questions related to Generational Christianity. We discuss parenting and marriage tips, problems facing the church today, politics, and Christian disciplines that have helped over the years. Thank you to the Maxwells, Carters, Bontragers, Allen, and Peggy for participating.
Join us as we will begin a special 3-week series on "Generational Christianity" by combining classes with the Hope Class. If there's one thing we miss out on by being in a large church with age-specific classes, it's an opportunity to learn from and walk alongside the different generations in our church. During these three weeks, we hope to gain perspective and wisdom from Hope's teachers Allen Black and Jay Shappley, and also to develop new relationships with the members of their class.
David Flatt and Kyle Fagala look at the prophecies of the Old Testament that point to a coming Messiah and how Jesus fulfilled those promises with his life.
As we have mentioned several times during our series on the Old and New Testaments, the Bible is one continuous story of the God who created us, made a covenant with us, and despite our continued rebellious actions, remained faithful to that promise through the sacrifice of his Son. As we wrap up this series today in class, this Gospel message will be our focus.
Grant Dasher wraps up our several-week journey through The Bible with its final book, Revelation.
It goes without saying that Revelation is one of the most confusing and difficult books we have. The section where John addresses the seven churches is pretty self-explanatory, but beyond that, is John describing the present, the near future, or the distant future? Is Revelation still relevant to us today? What does God want us to gain from this book?
Peter Snell covers The books of Romans through Jude as part 3 of our we Testament Survey. To access the artwork included in Peter’s PowerPoint go to https://overviewbible.com/.
Join us as we continue our New Testament series as David Flatt teaches on the book of Acts. Acts was written by Luke and focuses on the 1st Century Church, plus the ministry and missions of Peter and Paul. In short, it is an action-filled book that offers a beautiful picture of God’s Kingdom on Earth.
Kyle Fagala begins our New Testament series with a study on The Gospel of Luke. We will cover the Birth, Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, the major themes found in Luke, and the ways in which The Gospel of Luke connect to the Old Testament and life today.
Scott Frizzell wraps up our Old Testament series with a lesson on The Prophets of and after the Exile.
The Prophets of the Exile: 1. Jeremiah 2. Lamentations 3. Ezekiel
The Prophets after the Exile: 1. Daniel 2. Haggai 3. Zechariah 4. Malachi
Peter Snell leads us in a discussion on the Prophets before the Exile. If you're like me, then you're probably used to seeing the prophets divided into the categories of major and minor prophets. Separating them in terms of those before and after the Exile is an interesting way to rediscover these books, and gives a whole new dimension to their prophecies. For reference sake:
The Prophets Before the Exile 1. Isaiah 2. Hosea 3. Joel 4. Amos 5. Obadiah 6. Jonah 7. Micah 8. Nahum 9. Habakkuk 10. Zephaniah
Join us as Kyle Fagala continues our 5-week series on the sections of the Old Testament with a lesson on the books of Wisdom and Poetry, namely Job, Pslams, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.
Scott Frizzell kicks off our new series called The Story: The Old Testament with a lesson on Joshua through 2 Samuel.
We’ll be covering multiple books each week with 2 weeks on The Historical Books (Joshua - Esther), 1 week on Poetry and Wisdom (Job - Song of Solomon), and 2 weeks on the Prophets (Isaiah - Malachi).
Join us as Kyle Fagala teaches part 3 of our Worldviews series with a look at Naturalism, the belief that nature is all there is.
Join us as Kevin Shelby teaches Part IV of our Intimacy series with a discussion on "Knowing Your Family."
Join us as Bill Ivey continues our conversation on intimacy with “Knowing Your Spouse.”
Join us as Dr. Kevin Shelby continues our Intimacy series with a lesson on “Knowing Yourself.”
Grant Dasher kicks off a 5-week series on Intimacy. Intimacy is the knowledge and understanding of a person, and the degree to which that person knows you in return. Along those lines, we will look at 4 common relationships - God, Self, Spouse, and Family - and how knowing each person more deeply contributes to intimacy.
Kevin Betts finishes our 3 week series on Christian disciplines with a discussion on how to share the Gospel and make disciples.
Join us as we continue our 3-week series called “Following the King” with a lesson by Eric Gentry on “How to Pray.”
During these three weeks, we are focusing on practical Christian disciplines like reading the Bible, praying, and sharing the Gospel.
Join us as we begin a new, 3-week series called “Following the King” with a lesson by Peter Snell on “How to read the Bible.”
During these three weeks, we will focus on practical Christian disciplines like reading the Bible, praying, and sharing the Gospel.
David Flatt concludes our discussion of the book of Romans with a look at chapters 12-16. These chapters focus on the practical issues of loving each other and living a life based on truth and unity.
Grant Dasher continues our Romans series with a discussion on chapters 9 through 11. These are some of the most mysterious and beautiful chapters in all of scripture.
We continue our 5-week series on Romans with chapters 5-8. Kyle Fagala looks at Sanctification and how the Gospel creates a new humanity this week.
There is so much beauty and truth to be found in these chapters, and I encourage you to read these 4 chapters on your own as well.
Romans is one of the most significant letters Paul ever wrote, and chapters 1-4 lay the foundation for understanding the entire book.
David Flatt spends time in each chapter, highlighting essential Christian concepts such as:
• All Humans Need to Be Saved by Grace • Salvation Happens Through Trusting in Jesus (Not Through Keeping the Law of Moses) • God’s Purpose Was Always to Have a Multi-Ethnic Family
According to theologian Jack Cottrell, "The book of Romans may be the most read and most influential book of the Bible." It should be no surprise then that we plan to spend the next 5 weeks in Bridge Builders studying this masterpiece of the New Testament.
Join us as Kyle Fagala presents an Introduction to Romans, focusing on the history behind Romans - why it's significant, why it was written, and why it still applies today.
Join us as Scott Frizzell ends our 7-week journey through The Torah with a lesson on Deuteronomy. If you aren’t familiar with the book of Deuteronomy, it literally means “second law” in Greek and it helps retell the laws of God. Deuteronomy also reminds us of the covenant God made with his people and acts as Moses’ farewell address.
Join us as Kevin Betts continues our Torah series with the book of Numbers. He looks at the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the repeated complaining and punishments of the Israelites, and the interesting character of Balaam.
Join us as Scott Frizzell teaches on Leviticus, focusing our thoughts on the themes of Uncleanliness and Purity, Atonement, and Holiness - themes that definitely tie into our lives today.
Peter Snell continues our Torah series with a lesson on chapters 19-40 of Exodus. We explore the Ten Commandments, the second fall of man, and the tabernacle.
Scott Frizzell continues our Torah series with a lesson on the first part of Exodus, chapters 1 through 18. We look at Moses and Pharaoh, the ten plagues, and God’s judgment at the Red Sea.
Kyle Fagala covers Genesis 12-50 in part 2 of our series on The Torah. He looks at the characters of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph and how despite their repeated failures, God is faithful to His promises.
Join us as David Flatt begins our seven week series on the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as The Torah. In our first week, we will look at Genesis chapters 1 through 11, the point of God’s creation, and how sin separates us from God.
If you were faced with the question "Did Jesus rise from the dead?", what would your answer be? Do you believe Jesus physically rose from the dead? Does it matter?
Would it surprise you to discover that an increasing number of active Christian church members, Christian theologians, and even preachers question the physical and factual nature of the resurrection of Jesus?
In my opinion, the Gospel loses its power without an actual, physical resurrection of the body of Christ. Paul says it like this in 1 Corinthians 15:14 - "And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain."
David Flatt will discuss these questions in the final week of our Apologetics series with a lesson on "The Historical Argument for the Resurrection."
Does the complexity of our universe imply an act of necessity, chance, or design? Is God the one who designed us? Does modern science provide any theories that might help us better answer these questions? Kyle Fagala argues for the existence of God from the evidence of order and design in nature.
Did the universe begin to exist? Do things that begin to exist need a cause for their existence? Do modern scientific concepts of the beginning of the universe line up with those found in the first chapter of Genesis? Join us as David Flatt teaches on these questions and more.
Scott Frizzell leads us in part two of our study on Apologetics with a discussion on morality and whether we can be good without God.
Is life meaningless without God? Is there such a thing as objective meaning, value, or purpose if immortality and God aren’t philosophical possibilities. Join us as Kyle Fagala asks these questions and more from William Lane Craig’s book On Guard.
Join us as Kyle Fagala wraps up our series on Tozer‘s Attributes of God with a look at God‘s Holiness and Perfection.
Join us as Eric Gentry covers two more attributes of God with His omnipresence and immanence.
David Flatt teaches on God’s Mercy and Grace in part III of our series on Tozer’s The Attributes of God.
Join us as Scott Frizzell discusses more Attributes of God with His Goodness and Justice.
Grant Dasher kicks off our series on A.W. Tozer‘s classic book “The Attributes of God” with a look at the first two chapters on God’s Infinitude and Immensity.
David Flatt wraps up our series on Galatians with a look at chapter 6 verses 11 through 18.
Kevin Betts leads us in part 6 of our Galatians study with a look at Galatians 5:1-15. He discusses circumcision, the simple Gospel, and the covenant God made with Abraham.
David Flatt leads us in a look at Galatians 3:26-4:7, with a discussion on the concepts of justification and adoption in Christ.
Scott Frizzell leads us in Galatians Chapter 3 with a class on the law of the Old Testament, rule-following mentality, and the true purpose of Christianity.
Winston Atnip kicks off our series on the book of Galatians with a look at chapter 1 called "Freed By Grace."
Scott Frizzell wraps up our Mere Christianity series with one final look at "Beyond Personality."
David Flatt continues our Mere Christianity series with a look at the second half of "Book 3: Christian Behavior."
Jawan Davis continues our Mere Christianity series with a look at "Book 3: Christian Behavior."
Winston Atnip continues our Mere Christianity series with a look at "Book 2: What Christians Believe."
Grant Dasher kicks off our Mere Christianity series with "Introduction and Book 1: Right and Wrong as a Clue to Meaning in the Universe."
We are excited to start a new, 7-week series on the classic C.S. Lewis book Mere Christianity. We begin with a lesson called "The Legacy of C.S. Lewis" where Kyle Fagala looks at the transformation of Irish-born Clive, to the adolescent atheist Jack, and ultimately, to the world renown author and Christian C.S. Lewis, who penned one of the most cherished Christian books of all time, Mere Christianity.
David Flatt wrapped up our False Doctrines series with a lesson on "Many Tribes, One King: A call for Biblical unity in an age of tribal individualism."
There's no doubt that the issues we have discussed these past few weeks have a tendency to divide and distract the Church. While truth and sound doctrine are extremely important, it's also important to seek to maintain unity where possible.
David will explore the following questions: 1. Is there a trend towards disunity within the Church and/or larger culture? 2. What does the Bible teach about unity? 3. Are there Biblical principles that lead to meaningful unity within the Church and culture?
Eric Gentry presents 5.5 classic political church positions including Anabaptist, Lutheran, Black Church, Reformed, Catholic, and Dominionism.