Unlocking The Bible: Daily on Lightsource.com - Audio: Recent Episodes
Colin Smith
Have you read through the whole Bible? That’s what Pastor Colin Smith challenged his church to do a few years ago. Many had tried this before and failed, but this time two things would be different.
First, they would do it together, providing encouragement and accountability. Second, Colin would preach each Sunday from the Bible book they were reading.
More than 1400 people made that commitment almost 75% of the church.
Now we have the joy of inviting you to Unlock The Bible for yourself as you listen to Colin Smith’s teaching here on LightSource.
At www.UnlockingTheBible.org, you can join an online community reading through the Bible in a year. You’ll also find plenty of spiritual growth resources designed to challenge you to grow in Christ. We want to see God work and pray that many people will discover the Bible story in a new way, and share it with others.
No matter how great the darkness, there is always hope in Jesus Christ. You’re never too bad, and it’s never too late. Find the courage you need to turn back.
Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus, but he still could have turned back after his failure. Judas’ betrayal wasn’t his greatest plunge to disaster. Find out what was.
Different people respond to the Bible in different ways. One ancient king actually burned the Bible. How will you respond to God’s Word?
The Bible tells the story about a father and a son who both heard the Word of God and had entirely different reactions to it: One tore his robes, and the other tore the Word of God. Find out why.
When you think about your wounds, does a face come to mind? Maybe you were wounded by a family member, a friend, or by another believer. Discover why your greatest struggle is not with that person.
What do you do when you’ve been sinned against, and you’re wounded? There are 2 things that can happen to a woundeither it will heal or it will go septic. Find out how to deal with your wounds.
Christian, what do you know about controlling your own desires? It is at this very point that many Christians feel defeated. There are two things you need to know, especially if you feel that it may already be too late for you.
It is possible to have the Spirit of God, to be called to a ministry and used by God, and still take a plunge to disaster. Join us as we look at the life of Sampsonthe courageous hero and the irresponsible fool.
When you’re dealing with conflict, how can you cut through it all, and get to the heart of things? Discover four questions related to attitude, convictions, motivation and communication that you can ask yourself.
There are 5 things that can easily cause frustration in any group. Fail to address them, and you’ll soon have a climate that’s ripe for division and conflict.
It’s like a wild animalcrouching, waiting outside your door, ready to pounce on you. That’s the Bible’s vivid depiction of sin.Find out what it means.
You know you have an anger problem. But you’d rather not think about it. Where will it lead, if you fail to deal with it now? Find out.
Suppose someone were to say to you later on today, I have been a Christian for many, many years, but I feel that God has abandoned me. I have no sense of God’s love, no sense of his presence. How would you help them? Pastor Colin talks about how you can minister to them.
The hardest trials are not the ones that hurt the deepest, but the ones that endure the longest. You’ve lost a loved one, or you’re experiencing long-term exhaustion. Pastor Colin talks about how to pray when your soul is in agony.
Your children are swimming in a sea of vanity, flattery, and blasphemy. When you pray for them, lay out before the Lord the pressures that they’re facing. Pastor Colin explains how to do that.
If Jesus is the light of the world, then why is your son or daughter, your grandson or granddaughter, having difficulty seeing how great he is? Pastor Colin explains what keeps people from seeing who Jesus is.
Have you ever felt like giving up? Sometimes it’s right for you to stay, and sometimes its right for you to go. Pastor Colin talks about how to pray when you need to persevere, but there’s great pressure to give up.
What did David do when he felt that everybody was against him, and he was getting nowhere? What did David do when he felt like giving up? He took refuge in God. Pastor Colin talks about how we do that.
It’s hard enough to pray when the wicked seem to be winning, because that’s really discouraging. Pastor Colin takes it a step further, talking about how to pray when God seems far away.
You share a problem with a friend over lunch and you take an hour just to tell the details of the story. Pastor Colin Smith talks about why it’s so important for us to do the same thing with God.
You have a direct audience with almighty God every time you pray. That means prayer is a great privilege. So how can we actually learn to pray better than we’ve been praying?
Imagine you had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of a direct audience with God. You could ask him anything you wanted. You could tell him what matters to you. What would you say?
Jesus says we aretowatch and pray. What does that mean?PastorColin talks about how you can learntodo that.
Knowing yourself is of huge importance when it comestoliving the Christian life.PastorColin talks about some steps you can taketoknow yourself better.
If you’ve been a Christian for some time, you know thatthebattle against sin is real. Pastor Colin talks about how to engage in that battle more effectively.
If you’ve been a Christian for some time, you know that the battle against sin is real. Now find out how to engage in it more effectively.
Where is the spiritual battle raging for you right now? Or are you completely unaware of it? Pastor Colin talks about why it’s so important to identify the battle and how to engage in it.
Where is the spiritual battle raging for you right now? Or are you completely unaware of it? Pastor Colin talks about why it’s so important to identify the battle and how to engage in it.
How would you describe your Christianlife? As one victory over sin after another? Probably not. Pastor Colin talks about why that is.
Are you having difficulty holding together, on the one hand, what the Bible says about the Christianlife, and on the other hand, your own experience of it? Pastor Colin talks about some reasons why that might be.
Youmadeadecision to follow Jesus Christ. How doyouknowyouwon’tmakeanother decision to stop following Christ?PastorColintalksabouthowyoucanhaveconfidencethatyouwon’tchangeyourmind.
Youmadeadecision to follow Christandthis led to other lifestylechangeslike goingbackto church orreadingyourBible.PastorColintalks aboutwhatactuallyhappenedbehind-the-scenes ofyourfaithdecision.
God pulled back the curtain and gave one man a glimpse of heaven. What did he see? Pastor Colin opens up John’s vision from the book of Revelation for us.
Our loved ones who are with Christ are fully conscious and actively engaged, but they are also eagerly waiting for the resurrection body that will be the gift of God to all of his people when Christ returns in power and in glory. Today we look at what the Bible has to say about the resurrection body.
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth." (Revelation 21:1) Satan’s master strategy is to have people think that what lies ahead will be far less than what we have now. He wants you to believe that life is more if it is in your hands and less if it is in God’s hands. Temptation gains power to the degree that a person believes that.
The Bible tells us to set our minds on things above. How do you do that? Pastor Colin gives us 4 very simple and memorable strategies.
Will we know one another in heaven? The short answer is Yes, we will! Pastor Colin talks about relationships in heaven.
What’s it like for our believing loved ones who are already in heaven? Pastor Colin talks about the experience of angels and what that means for our loved ones.
When that moment comes for you and you die. You pass into eternity. What will it be like? What will you experience? What will you do? Pastor Colin talks about what it will be like 1 minute after you die.
Why did Jesus come into the world? Some people think it was to keep people out of heaven. Pastor Colin talks about how you can be confident that you’ll be in heaven.
Maybe you identify with Ishmael and his turbulent life, but don’t miss this: The story of Ishmael is a story of hope for every person who struggles with conflicts that are rooted in their family of origin.
Maybe you identify with Ishmael and his turbulent life, but don’t miss this: The story of Ishmael is a story of hope for every person who struggles with conflicts that are rooted in their family of origin.
The Bible story about Hagar is full of hope for every person who feels emotionally abandoned or spiritually wounded. Because, in the end, Hagar discovers that she is deeply loved by God.
The Bible story about Hagar is full of hope for every person who feels emotionally abandoned or spiritually wounded. Because, in the end, Hagar discovers that she is deeply loved by God.
Ever wondered if your family is so fractured that God has given up on you? Then you need to hear the story of Abraham and Sarah.
How can you live with all that God has kept secret, all that you don’t know? Pastor Colin talks about 7 promises that God has revealed.
What temptations are unique to leaders in every age and place? Pastor Colin talks about one priority every godly leader should pursue.
What you know can leave you unaffected. What you celebrate can shape your life. Pastor Colin talks about the significance of what we celebrate as the people of God.
Moses, the law-giver, had a lot to say about the heart. Pastor Colin picks up on that and talks about 4 dangers for God’s people when it comes to our attitude toward the poor.
When God tells his people that they are going to have new opportunities, land, and an income, he adds one more thing. Pastor Colin talks about the subtle temptation that comes with success.
If you extend yourself in serving the Lord, how will it impact your family? Pastor Colin talks about the best thing you can do for your children.
What does it look like to love God? Pastor Colin talks about how to love the Lord with your heart, soul, and strength.
Is the fear of the Lord a good thing or a bad thing? Pastor Colin talks about 7 ways to cultivate a proper fear of the Lord.
How can you break free from being defined by your past, and overcome your fear of the future? Pastor Colin talks about how people with a faith become people with a mission.
Do you love the church? Pastor Colin gives us a helpful grid to test how much we share Jesus’ love for the church.
When the Bible refers to the church as a building it is NOT talking about bricks and mortar. Pastor Colin explains that this building analogy actually speaks of Jesus’ presence in the church.
In the Bible, the church is sometimes called the body of Christ. Pastor Colin unpacks the body analogy for us.
Grace means more than God making salvation possible. Grace is God saving you. Pastor Colin talks about out how He does it, and once you see this, you will have hope for even the worst of sinners.
Why are Christians always talking about the problem of sin? In this message we’ll consider some of the bigger problems we face in life.You might be surprised to learn the biggest problem that any of us will ever face.
Just follow your heart. How good is that advice? Pastor Colin talks about where this advice will lead youif you choose to follow it. Find out what kind of rudder your heart is for navigating life’s decisions.
Everything seems to be going fine, then all of a sudden you have a dark thought or desire. Where did that come from? Everyone understands that we sin, but do you understand why we sin?
Many people think of sin as a list of things that they’ve done wrong. But sin is so much more than that. Pastor Colin talks about sin as a power living in you.
You are made in the image of God. You are also born in the likeness of Adam. These two things form the basis of our identity as human beings. Pastor Colin talks about where all true knowledge of yourself begins.
Have you ever wondered what the world thinks about you because you go to church? Pastor Colin talks about the less-than-flattering answer, and some implications for living out your Christian faith.
Imagine what it would be like to love God naturallyand never have to work at it! This was true of only one man named Adam. Pastor Colin talks about what it was like for Adam in the Garden of Eden, and why it is no longer possible this side of heaven.
Coming near to God will either make you better or it will make you worse. Pastor Colin looks at some people in the Bible who were very religious and ended up doing very bad things.
For the first time in your life, you have a sense that there really is a thing called sin and it’s in you. You know you need to do something about it. But what? How do you get right with God?Pastor Colin talks about the default response of the human heart to this question.
God gave you a son or a daughter. You have loved them, and you have raised them, but now your son or daughter has rebelled against you. Pastor Colin reminds you that you cannot be a better father than God.
What does it mean when Jesus says, Lay up for yourselves treasure in heaven? He seems to be saying that it is possible to have more rather than less in heaven. Pastor Colin explains that what we do here makes a difference to what we have in heaven.
What happens when a culture becomes more hostile toward Christians and toward the church? Pastor Colin talks about the positive effect that this can have on the church.
What does peacemaking look like in practice? How would you like some down-to-earth, practical tactics? Pastor Colin gives us Ten Tactics for Peacemakers.
Why does conflict seem to follow some people around? Because what fills you will spill out of you when other people bump into you. Pastor Colin talks about how to become a peacemaker.