Bible in Life: Recent Episodes
John Whittaker
The Desperate Plight of Life Without Christ | A Reflective Walk Through Ephesians 2:1-3
Ephesians 2:1-3 provides a diagnosis of our human condition outside of Christ, and the situation is dire. Sin is not just a few bad deeds in an otherwise decent life. It is a disease that infects us to the core. It also infects cultures so that the entire human way of life is corrupt. Looking at ourselves honestly like this leads to greater gratitude and humility in our relationship with God.
Ephesians 2:1-3
2:1 And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest.
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Life and Ministry Update - July 2026
The King Arrives - Sermon, Stonehill Church
https://www.stonehill.church/media/hgfw2xb/the-king-arrives-john-12-12-19
Holy Spirit Lessons - Antioch Collective, St Louis
https://antiochcollective.churchcenter.com/channels/29603/series/93306
Why Does the Bible Say Not to Eat Pork? (Food Laws article)
https://renew.org/why-does-the-bible-say-not-to-eat-pork/
Article: What Is Penal Substitutionary Atonement?
https://renew.org/what-is-penal-substitutionary-atonement/
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
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Everything Your Heart Desires | A Reflective Walk through Ephesians 1:15-22
Meaning. Purpose. True riches. Power. These are the things that every person longs for. In Ephesians 1:15-22, the apostle Paul prays that we would see that we have these very things in Christ.
Ephesians 1:15-22
15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
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A Blessed Life Now, with More to Come | A Reflective Walk Through Ephesians, pt. 3
Ephesians 1:3-14 contains Paul's prayer of thanksgiving and praise for all the spiritual blessings we have in Christ. By listening to it, we learn what Paul's idea of a blessed life is. We also see that what God has given us in Christ speaks deeply to our human longing for meaning and value and we learn that as blessed as we already are in Christ, there's still more to come. Praise God for all he has done for us and will do for us in the world to come.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
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How to Grow in Faith
A regular listener to The Listener's Commentary asked me this question: do you have any resources to help me grow in faith? Or have you discussed it on the Bible in Life podcast? This is such an important question, so I wanted to offer a few thoughts on this episode.
Faith is confidence in and loyalty to God. It is based on who God is, what he has said, and what he has promised.
Faith is also developmental. That is, growing in faith goes through stages just like physical growth does: from infancy, to childhood, to adolescence, to adulthood. We need to recognize this. And in this episode I share a few general things we can do in order to grow in faith through these seasons.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Living In Christ | A Reflective Walk Through Ephesians, pt. 2
Ephesians 1:3-14
In Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul praises God for all that He has done for us in Christ. He refers to it as "every spiritual blessing." In doing so, he highlights that our life as Christians is lived "in Christ." In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we reflect what it means to live an in Christ life and offer three suggestions for cultivating ongoing union with Jesus.
Book Recommendation: How to Live an 'In Christ' Life: 100 Devotional Readings on Union with Christ, by Kenneth Berding.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
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*Book links are affiliate links which means I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Learning Theology Must Lead to Lived Theology | A Reflective Walk Through Ephesians, pt. 1
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we begin a reflective walk through Ephesians by reflecting on what the structure of Ephesians teaches us about the relationship between theology and practical life.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
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Following Jesus is Not Complicated
The Lord has been reminding me again of late that following Jesus isn’t really complicated. It’s not easy... that's true. But it’s also not confusing and complicated. I think part of the reason this has struck me of late is because of all the books and all the podcasts and all the content I encounter that it seems like we’re muddying the waters and making following Jesus seem really complicated and confusing.
But it’s ultimately not.
So sometimes I think it's helpful to step back and boil things down to the essence of the thing. So in this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, I offer a simple summary of what following Jesus actually entails. It comes down to devotion and obedience. Cultivate devotion. Practice obedience.
Jesus brings these two together in John 14 and 15.
John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:21 The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.” John 14:24 The one who does not love Me does not follow My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me. John 15: 9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
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Giving People a Chance to Love the Bible, with special guest Matt Whitman
This episode of the Bible in Life podcast features special guest Matt Whitman of the Ten Minute Bible Hour. In a free wheeling conversation, Matt and I talk about the church and ministry and teaching people the Bible.
And Matt's new book The Lightning-Fast Field Guide to the Bible (which you can find here).
All of this deals with taking the time and making the effort to teach the Bible in such that helps people love the Bible.
You can find Matt on YouTube at youtube.com/@MattWhitmanTMBH and youtube.com/@TenMinuteBibleHour
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, X, via email.
What was it like to be a Jew in Jesus' day? | Real World of the Gospels, pt.
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we wrap up our series on the real world of the gospels by exploring a few key features of Jewish belief and practice in Jesus' day. Their religious identity gave them a strong social identity. Things like circumcision, clean and unclean foods, and ritual purity marked them out as distinct.
Not only that, but Jews in the first century knew their story was incomplete. They were longing and waiting for God to act and restore the fortunes of Israel.
And in that context, along comes a young, upstart rabbi saying, "Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Money, Finance, and Making a Living in Jesus' Day | Real World of the Gospels, pt. 5
What's a denarius? What's a drachma? What's a talent? How did people people make a living and what was the local economy like in Jesus' day?
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we look at the world of money, finance, and making a living the gospels. This episode was inspired by a question emailed in from a listener.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
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Where in the world was Jesus? - Geography | World of the Gospels, pt. 4
Reading the Bible is like taking a trip to a foreign country in a time machine. And one of the things that means is that, whether we like it or not, we're going to have to learn some geography.
So in this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we consider the basic geography for the life and ministry of Jesus.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Were the Pharisees really the bad guys?
Who were the Pharisees? Ask that question in a Bible study at pretty much any church and you’re likely to hear answers like:
“Hypocrites.”
“Legalists”
“Self-righteous religious leaders who opposed Jesus.”
In short, the Pharisees are the “bad guys.”
In Christian circles to describe someone as a “pharisee” is no compliment. It’s usually a way of criticizing them for being self-righteous and legalistic.
But all of this paints a caricature of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. So, who were the Pharisees, really?
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
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The Real World of the Gospels, pt. 2 | Roman Occupation
The Jewish world Jesus lived in was a world under foreign occupation. The Romans were in charge, and from the Jewish perspective, Roman occupation meant the exile wasn’t completely over. And that brought new realities and new tensions.
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we explore both the blessings and curses of the Roman presence in Galilee and Judea, how Jesus engaged with that Roman presence, and what that teaches us.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
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The Real World of the Gospels, pt. 1 | History and Backstory
When you turn the page from Malachi to Matthew, 400 years have passed. Much has happened to the Jews and life hasn't been easy. Centuries of foreign occupation. Generations have come and gone longing and aching for God to act. Yet the heavens seem silent. When will God fulfill his promise to Abraham and all his glorious promises in the prophets?
This is the world Jesus grew up in.
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
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Spiritual Drift - Doug's Story
Spiritual drift is a real possibility for any one of us. Our faith becomes second nature. Then routine. Then blah. And then ...
Apathy creeps in, slowly but persistently until we find ourselves distant and disconnected from God.
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, I share the story of a regular listener who grew up going to church, was saved at 11, and never didn't consider himself a Christian.
But spiritual drift slowly moved him away from God.
He shares what caused the drift for him and what brought the drift to an end.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
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Bonus Episode: Serving Jesus in Yukon Territory, with Jeremy Norton
In this special episode of the Bible in Life podcast John shares part of his conversation with Jeremy Norton, a pastor in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. Jeremy has seen many people come to Christ through his ministry in Whitehorse.
To learn more about Jeremy, visit https://www.leadbiblically.com/
And to check out his new book titled Meeting Jesus: The Transformational Encounters of John’s Gospel, click here.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
If you've been helped by this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, X, via email.
*Book links are affiliate links which means I recieve a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Why does it seem like the Spirit fails to transform some people?
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we think through a question sent in by a listener who asked, why does it seem like the Spirit fails to transform some people? We explore:
- the tension of the already-not yet
- our need to partner with the Spirit
- the importance of recognizing that we all start at different places
- the failure of the Church in the way we preach the gospel and teach about the Spirit
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
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Set Your Mind on the Things of the Spirit | Life in the Spirit, pt. 6
One of the keys to life in the Spirit is what we allow to fill and occupy our minds. The apostle Paul writes, "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8:5-8).
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
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The Lord's Supper and the Last Supper
Christians of all kinds regularly celebrate the Lord's Supper or Communion or the Eucharist. Jesus instituted this commemorative meal during what has come to be known as the Last Supper, a Passover meal He celebrated with his disciples the night before his crucifixion. In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we look at the original setting and historical background to the Lord's Supper which deepens its meaning and our experience of it.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Praying in the Spirit | Life in the Spirit, pt. 5
How does the Holy Spirit help us pray? What does it mean to pray in the Spirit?
Ephesians 6:18
"With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints"
Romans 8:26-27
Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Be Filled with the Spirit | Life in the Spirit, pt. 4
Ephesians 5:15-18 says, "15 So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit"
As we continue our series on "Life in the Spirit," in this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we reflect on what it means to be "filled with the Spirit."
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
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The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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How to Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16) | Life in the Spirit, pt. 3
Galatians 5:16 says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." This is the basic behavioral command for Christians. We can obey all other commands only insofar as we are obeying this command, because the Spirit's presence and power is what enables the transformation necessary to become the kind of person who can obey the other commands.
So how do we walk by the Spirit?
Tune in to this episode of the Bible in Life podcast for some reflections on how to walk by the Spirit.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
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The Christian Life is Life in the Spirit | Life in the Spirit, pt. 2
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we explore how the coming of the Spirit was promised in the prophets and is one of the key things that is new in the New Covenant. We also show how all-encompassing the Spirit's role is in our Christian life.
- Jesus promised the Spirit to us in his absence -Jn 14:16-17
- The Holy Spirit revealed and inspired the Scripture--2 Pet 1:20-21; Eph 3:5-7
- The Holy Spirit unifies the body--1 Cor 12:12-13
- The Holy Spirit renews us--Titus 3:5
- The Holy Spirit seals us as belonging to God--Eph. 1:13; 4:30
- The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our resurrection-- Eph 1:14; Rom. 8:9-11
- The Holy Spirit helps us resist sin--Rom. 8:13T
- The Holy Spirit empowers us for godliness and ministry – Eph. 3:16
- The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of Chrislikeness in us – Gal. 5:22-23
- The Holy Spirit testifies that we are children of God – Rom. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:6
- The Holy Spirit helps us pray – Rom. 8:26-27; Eph. 6:18
- The Holy Spirit helps us understand God's love – Rom. 5:5
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
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What is the Essence of Spiritual Growth? | Life in the Spirit, pt. 1
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we start a new series on "Life in the Spirit." To do that, we explore what we, as human beings, are here for... why do we exist? And how does that relate to life in the Spirit and to Spiritual growth?
By the end of this episode you will understand what the main thing is that Spiritual growth is all about.
Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - In-depth teaching through books of the Bible to help you learn the Bible for yourself:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Connect with John:
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Why the Book of Revelation Matters
Let's be honest... The book of Revelation is weird. It's hard. There are things that make you go "huh?" And many Christians (perhaps most) just avoid it because of that.
But Revelation is incredibly powerful!
And though we may struggle to figure all of it out, the overall message and purpose is quite clear. In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we explore who Revelation is for and what it is seeking to accomplish. In short, we answer the question, Why does Revelation matter?
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5 Practices for Letting the Bible Shape Your Life
The goal of our Bible reading is not merely to know the Bible. It's ultimately to have our life be shaped by the Bible so that we come to know God and image Him in the way we live. In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we explore the first two of five reading practices the help our life actually be shaped by the Bible.
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Read Prayerfully
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Read Reflectively
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Read Repeatedly
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Read Imaginatively
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Read Obediently
Bonus: Read honestly with humility and self awareness
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5 Practices for Letting the Bible Shape Your Life
The goal of our Bible reading is not merely to know the Bible. It's ultimately to have our life be shaped by the Bible so that we come to know God and image Him in the way we live. In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we explore the first two of five reading practices the help our life actually be shaped by the Bible.
-
Read Prayerfully
-
Read Reflectively
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Loving Jesus and Keeping His Commands | John 14:18-21
Jesus says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." So what does that mean when we fail to keep his commands? What about someone who loves Jesus and desires to remain in Him, but doesn't always keep His commands? Do that person actually love Jesus?
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we explore the relationship between loving Jesus, obedience, and God's grace.
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Cultivating Virtue
There are two main components to growing in Christlikeness - putting off vice and putting on virtue. You see this all throughout the New Testament.
For example, Colossians 3:5-9 concerns behaviors to be eliminated and 3:12-17 lists virtues to cultivate.
You find this same pattern all throughout the New Testament.
And in every place, we have are called to act. In other words, cultivating virtue doesn't happen on accident. It requires intentional effort, albeit effort enabled by God's grace through the Spirit.
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we consider some of the things we can do to cultivate specific virtues.
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Letting the Bible Shape our Parenting
In this episode I share two big truths about kids from the Bible that shapes the way we relate to our kids and parent our kids.
Proverbs 22:15
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child;
The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.
Mark 10:13-16
13 And they were bringing children to Him so that He would touch them; but the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, He was indignant and said to them, “Allow the children to come to Me; do not forbid them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” 16 And He took them in His arms and began blessing them, laying His hands on them.
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John 1:14 and the Tabernacle - A Christmas Reflection
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
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What does it mean to be "God fearing"?
It used to be common to describe someone who was particularly devout as "God fearing," but that phrase is rarely used any more. But the Bible does call God's people to fear the Lord and promises good blessings for those who are God fearing. So what does it mean to fear God in the Bible?
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The Kingdom of God and the Gospel
Why does Jesus say that he preaches the gospel of the kingdom of God?
The way the gospel is talked about by Christians today usually has little if anything to do with the kingdom of God. Usually Christians describe the gospel as being about Jesus' death and resurrection and how people can be saved.
So what exactly is the gospel and how does it relate to the kingdom of God?
Note: this episode comes about in answer to a question sent in by a faithful listener.
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How is God going to work out his plans if humans are so disloyal to Him even though they have the Holy Spirit?
I saw this question recently: It doesn't seem as if God's plans are working out too well. Humans are loyal to him; only Jesus has been. The Holy Spirit doesn't seem to be making much of a difference. So how is God going to have loyal human partners and work out his plans?
But this question misunderstands the entire storyline of the Bible. It fails to understand that "In hope we are saved" (Romans 8:24).
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5 Things I'm Learning about Life and Ministry from 2 Corinthians, pt. 2
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, I share the more lessons I am learning about faithfully serving God from Paul's example in 2 Corinthians. The full list of five things we reflect on in this two-part series are:
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the connection between God's faithfulness and our integrity
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embodying the cross
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celebrating our weaknesses
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confidence in God over self-confidence
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setting our eyes on our eternal hope
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5 Things I'm Learning about Life and Ministry from 2 Corinthians, pt. 1
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, I share the first 2 and half lessons I am learning about faithfully serving God from Paul's example in 2 Corinthians. We reflect on:
-the connection between God's faithfulness and our integrity
-embodying the cross
-celebrating our weaknesses
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Now that we're saved, how should we relate to unbelievers?
Once we start following Jesus, we don't stop living public lives in which we interact with people who don't follow Jesus. So how should we relate to unbelievers in our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and online? And how does our salvation affect our interactions with unbelievers?
Titus 3:1-7
Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, 2 to slander no one, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing every consideration for all people. 3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. 4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
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What difference does grace make?
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John reflects on Titus 2:11-14, considering four key differences the grace of God makes in our life.
Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, eager for good deeds.
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Making the Teaching about Jesus Beautiful
According to the apostles of Jesus, the best way for Christians to fight slander against them and their beliefs is to live in such a way that the criticisms don't stick, especially with those who actually know them and live next to them and work with them. In fact, in Titus 2:1-10, Paul repeats this refrain three times, ending with the idea that by our way of life we should make the teaching about Jesus beautiful and attractive.
Titus 2:1-10
2:1 But as for you, proclaim the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.
3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4 so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.
6 Likewise urge the young men to be sensible; 7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, 8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.
9 Urge slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be pleasing, not argumentative, 10 not stealing, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.
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Sound Teaching Leads to Sound Living
What are some indicators of unsound teachers in the church? Why does sound teach matter so much? In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John reflects on Titus 1:10-16 to answer these questions.
Titus 1:10-16
10 For there are many rebellious people, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. For this reason reprimand them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. 15 To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed.
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God's People Need Good Shepherds
Shepherding is greater than leadership.
The consistent image for leaders in the Bible is shepherds. And shepherds are among the sheep. Shepherds know the sheep and the sheep know them.
Shepherds provide for and protect the sheep.
This is why churches must have good shepherds - leaders, elders, overseers who embody godly character and serve the sheep as shepherds.
Titus 1:5-9
5 For this reason I left you in Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, if any man is beyond reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of indecent behavior or rebellion.
7 For the overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not overindulging in wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, self-controlled, righteous, holy, disciplined, 9 holding firmly the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.
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Four Fundamentals of a Solid Christian Life | Titus 1:1-4
We never outgrow the fundamentals. This is true in sports or music or an everyday activity like driving. And it's also true in our Christian life.
In fact, when life seems overwhelming or confusing or uncertain, one of the best practices is to return to the fundamentals. As Paul opens his letter to his colleague Titus, he reminds him of 4 fundamentals of the Christian life.
Titus 1:1-4
1 Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, 3 but at the proper time revealed His word in the proclamation with which I was entrusted according to the commandment of God our Savior;
4 To Titus, my true son in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
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Is Penal Substitutionary Atonement wrong?
Penal Substitutionary Atonement has been understood as one aspect of what it means that Jesus died for our sins. The basic idea is this: by dying in our place, Jesus' death achieved paid the penalty for our sins.
My guess is, that sounds very familiar to you. It's been a very common and central understanding of Jesus' death. But in recent years it's become in vogue to dismiss this idea as beneath the dignity of a God of love.
So is it false?
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Expect Little Change Without This
In this episode John reflects on the importance of self-awareness, self-honesty, and confession for spiritual growth and human flourishing.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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Let's Talk about Grumbling and Complaining
It's common to tell kids "to do all things without grumbling or complaining." But who reminds us adults of that?
Let's talk about it together.
Bible Passages for this Episode:
Do all things without complaining or arguments; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world
-Philippians 2:14-15
Numbers 11:1-6
1Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the ears of the Lord; and the Lord heard them and His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some at the outskirts of the camp. 2 The people then cried out to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died out. 3 So that place was named Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.
4 Now the rabble who were among them had greedy cravings; and the sons of Israel also wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish which we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna!”
Numbers 14:1-4
Then all the congregation raised their voices and cried out, and the people wept that night. 2 And all the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the entire congregation said to them, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or even if we had died in this wilderness! 3 So why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder! Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let’s appoint a leader and return to Egypt!”
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How (NOT) to Read Old Testament Stories
Narrative, i.e., stories, is the most common form of literature in the Bible. And there are some exciting and even wild stories in the Old Testament. But how do those stories apply to our life?
The New Testament affirms that they're written for our benefit.
Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
1 Corinthians 10:6 and 11
"Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they indeed craved them."
"Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come."
But how do they instruct us? How can we read Old Testament stories faithfully as the people of God today?
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Leaders Must be Examples of Christlikeness
In the New Testament, the most important thing about Christian leaders is their character. There is almost no discussion of what leaders do; the priority is who leaders are.
Key passages for this episode: 1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9
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If God is so powerful, then why is there so much evil?
This question came in from a listener and I decided to address it immediately, because it's important and timely.
Key Bible passages mentioned in this episode.
Genesis 3:16-19
16 To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you shall deliver children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.”
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;
Cursed is the ground because of you;
With hard labor you shall eat from it
All the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
Yet you shall eat the plants of the field;
19 By the sweat of your face
You shall eat bread,
Until you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”
Romans 8:18-23
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body.
Revelation 21:1-4
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, 4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
For another episode where I explore this topic:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/podcast-1/episode-151
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Weak but Not Inadequate | Learning Leadership with the Apostle Paul, pt. 3
Paul's leadership and ministry is weak to all appearances, and the Corinthian church isn't impressed. They prefer their leaders with more charisma and credentials and power than Paul has.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul explains that his ministry takes the shape it does for a very good reason and even though its unimpressive by the standards of the world, it's full of God's power and it doesn't indicate any inferiority or inadequacy.
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Is Discipleship the Wrong Paradigm for the Church Today? | A Conversation with Kyle Strobel
Kyle Strobel is a theologian at Biola University focused on spiritual theology, and he is the head of the Institute of Spiritual Formation at Talbot School of Theology. He’s also a teaching elder at his church. He, along with John Coe, has written what I consider to be one of the best books on prayer titled Where Prayer Becomes Real.
Earlier this year via his Substack, Kyle sent out a blog titled “Why Discipleship Doesn’t Work,” which pointed to the release of a mini-course on his Substack on “Reimagining Discipleship.” In it, Kyle questioned the entire discipleship framework that has been re-emphasized for the last 30+ years. Kyle’s major contention is that the framework of disciple and discipleship is a pre-Pentecost approach to following Jesus, it’s not found in the New Testament after Jesus’ ascension, and it is thus not a paradigm the church is meant to follow.
I resonated with a lot of what Kyle had to say but also found several things where I think he overstates his case. So we decided to record a conversation exploring the question of whether or not discipleship is the mission of the church today and the paradigm for spiritual growth.
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What's Paul's Focus as a Leader? | Learning Leadership with the Apostle Paul, pt. 2
The focus of the leadership books, conferences and trainings of the last 25 years or so has been on organizational leadership. This has created a situation where good christian leaders are people who can grow big and impressive orgs.
But for Paul the standard is different... the way he thinks and talks about leadership as a Christian is focused on developing people not organizations.
Colossians 1:28-29
28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His power which works mightily within me.
2 Corinthians 11:2-3
2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Galatians 4:19-20
19 My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you— 20 but I could wish to be present with you now and to change my tone of voice, for I am at a loss about you!
The primary metric Paul used to evaluate effective Christian leadership is people being formed into Christlikeness.
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How Does Paul Understand Authority | Learning Leadership with the Apostle Paul, pt. 1
How does Paul understand what his authority is for?
2 Corinthians 10:8
For if I boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame,
2 Corinthians 13:9-10
9 For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak, but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you become mature. 10 For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present I need not use severity, in accordance with the authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down.
2 Corinthians 12:19
19 All this time you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and all for building you up, beloved.
2 Corinthians 1:23-2:4
23 But I call God as witness to my soul, that it was to spare you that I did not come again to Corinth. 24 Not that we domineer over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm. 2:1 But I decided this for my own sake, that I would not come to you in sorrow again. 2 For if I cause you sorrow, who then will be the one making me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? 3 This is the very thing I wrote you, so that when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having confidence in you all that my joy was the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.
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Two Great Truths about Grace from Romans 8
Romans 8 teaches two great truths about grace that can change your life:
Truth #1 - "no condemnation"
Truth #2 - "life in the Spirit"
Romans 8:1-4
Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh
Romans 8:12-13
So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living in accord with the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8:31-39
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33 Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, but rather, was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 Just as it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Find Rest in God Alone | Psalms 131 and 62
Psalm 131
1 My heart is not proud, Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
or things too wonderful for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.
3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord
both now and forevermore.
Psalm 62:5-8
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
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What does it mean that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison? | 1 Peter 3:18-21
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast John and Steven think through 1 Peter 3:18-21. What does it mean that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison? And what does it mean that baptism saves you?
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What Does the Backstory to 1 Peter Have to Say about our Political Situation Today
In this episode of the Bible and Life podcast John and Steven reflect on the situation facing the original audience of 1 Peter and the difference that makes to our life today.
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Learning Lifestyle Evangelism from 1 Peter
In the episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven reflect on 1 Peter and what it teaches about lifestyle evangelism. Two key Bible passages from 1 Peter in this episode are:
1 Peter 3:14-15 - Always be ready to give an answer
14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be in dread, 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect;
1 Peter 2:9-10 - A Royal Priesthood
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
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In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John visits with Philip Nation, Vice President of Thomas Nelson Bibles.
Philip Nation
Philip Nation is the Vice-President/Publisher of Thomas Nelson Bibles. He has served as a pastor, church planter, and education minister in local churches. He frequently travels to speak in churches and for conferences. Philip earned a Doctor of Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored and edited numerous books and Bible studies. Philip is a University Fellow for Arizona Christian University and has been a professor for Union University and Houston Christian University.
Philip's Social Link:
https://x.com/philipnation
Learn more about The OPEN Bible HERE
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Ironic Boasts of the Bible - Suffering
3 And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. - Romans 5:3-5
Boasting in suffering seems to make no sense. Are Christians masochists who love suffering and pain? What are we actually boasting in when we boast in our sufferings and why do we do that?
Tune in to this episode of the Bible in Life podcast to think through what it means to boast in our sufferings.
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Ironic Boasts of the Bible - A Low but High Position
9 Now the brother or sister of humble circumstances is to glory in his high position; 10 but the rich person is to glory in his humiliation, because like flowering grass he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; and its flower falls off and the beauty of its appearance is destroyed; so also the rich person, in the midst of his pursuits, will die out. - James 1:9-11
How is being poor and lowly a high position and why should we boast in that? That seems backwards, but it's the wisdom James offers. James' line of reasoning is thus like that of the Psalmist in Psalm 37.
Tune in to this episode of the Bible in Life podcast to think through how people who have very little can boast in their high position.
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Ironic Boasts of the Bible - Weakness
And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. - 2 Corinthians 12:9
Why would anyone choose to boast about what makes them seem unimpressive or like a loser? That doesn't make any sense. And yet that's what Paul means when he says that he will boast in his weaknesses.
Tune in to this episode of the Bible in Life podcast to think through what it means to boast in our weaknesses.
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Ironic Boasts of the Bible - The Cross
But far be it from me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. - Galatians 6:14
What does it mean to boast in the cross? And why is boasting in the cross so shocking?
Revelation Study Guide - https://listenerscommentary.com/revelation/
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A Basic Theology of Spiritual Growth
Using Aristotle's four causes as a tool to think through the nature of spiritual growth, John provides a basic spiritual theology: what is the "material" spiritual growth works with and on? What is the essence of spiritual growth? What is the key thing that brings about spiritual growth? And what is the aim or goal of spiritual growth in our lives?
Key passages mentioned in this episode:Galatians 2:20Luke 6:40Galatians 5:16-24John 15:1-11 Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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Does Grace Mean God Lowers the Standard? | 1 John
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven explore this question: Does grace mean God lowers the bar of his expectations for his children? Does it mean since he knows they'll never actually measure up that he just lowers the standard? Should we are Christians act like sin is no big deal because God is gracious?
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Those Born of God Do Not Sin??? | 1 John 3
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven reflect on the nature of sin. Is sin merely breaking God's rules or some religious laws? If we're forgiven, does God no longer see our sin? And what does John mean by saying the person who is born of God does not sin?
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If our sins are forgiven, why do we need to confess them?
First John 1:9 states, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." But if our sins are already forgiven, why do need to confess them?
That's the question Steven and John explore in this episode of the Bible in Life podcast.
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How Does the Faith Get Passed on From Generation to Generation?
In the episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John explores 1 Timothy 1:1-2 and reflects on how the faith gets passed down from one generation to the next.
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Honesty with God - What Can God Hear?
In this part of my conversation with Kyle Strobel we explore what it looks like to be honest with God, the very theme of the book Where Prayer Becomes Real. As Kyle says, "Prayer is the place we draw near in the truth to offer ourselves to the Lord."
Being honest with God depends our view of God and one way to think about who God is, is to think about what God can hear.
Kyle Strobel is a systematic theologian who teaches spiritual theology for Talbot’s Institute for Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Formation Focus programs. His areas of interest include systematic theology, Jonathan Edwards, spiritual formation and prayer. He writes both popular and academic books and articles, and is on the preaching team at Redeemer Church, La Mirada.
Book: Where Prayer Becomes Real
https://amzn.to/3Wd2uOo
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Church Life that Supports Spiritual Formation
In this part of my conversation with Kyle Strobel, we consider the longing for depth of meaning and belonging. Many people are coming to recognize the thinness of their busy lives, which lack any real sense of transcendence, any space for self-examination and reflection, and any deep experience of belonging. We need a way of life that creates space for real connection with God and with others.
Kyle Strobel is a systematic theologian who teaches spiritual theology for Talbot’s Institute for Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Formation Focus programs. His areas of interest include systematic theology, Jonathan Edwards, spiritual formation and prayer. He writes both popular and academic books and articles, and is on the preaching team at Redeemer Church, La Mirada.
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The Messiness of Spiritual Formation
This is part 1 of my conversation with Kyle Strobel. One of the major themes of this episode is the messiness of prayer and the messiness of spiritual formation. We explore why this is and that the remedy is NOT just adding spiritual disciplines to your life.
Kyle Strobel is a systematic theologian who teaches spiritual theology for Talbot’s Institute for Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Formation Focus programs. His areas of interest include systematic theology, Jonathan Edwards, spiritual formation and prayer. He writes both popular and academic books and articles, and is on the preaching team at Redeemer Church, La Mirada.
Book: Where Prayer Becomes Real
https://amzn.to/3Wd2uOo
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A With-God Life
The heart of living as a disciple of Jesus is living a with-God life. This is fundamentally what it means to "walk by or with the Spirit" in Galatians 5:16. This is what Jesus taught us when he said "abide in me" (John 15:1-11).
This is the remedy for our deepest problems.
Book: Where Prayer Becomes Real
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Bonus Episode with Sam Sorbo
A special bonus episode of the Bible in Life podcast featuring actress, author, speaker and homechooling advocate Sam Sorbo. Sam is married to actor Kevin Sorbo. They have raised three kids, whom Sam passionately homeschooled.
Sam and Kevin recently released a new Christmas devotional titled Christmas for 40 Days: A Loving Celebration- https://shop.sorbostudios.com/product/p/rnqjkqv
In this wide-ranging conversation Sam and John talk about the Sorbo's love for Christmas and what Sam's hope is for this new Christmas devotional. We also talk about Sam's passion for homeschooling and whether or not your kids should go to college... and whole lot more.
I hope you enjoy listening in as Sam and I spend a little time getting to know each other.
To learn more about Sam:
https://sorbostudios.com/home-page
To order the Christmas devotional:
https://amzn.to/3ZFhXsE
To learn more about the Washington D.C. tour:
https://christianexpedition.com/tour/8815/
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A Key to Joy | Psalm 103
Bless the Lord, my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, my soul,
And do not forget any of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your guilt,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with favor and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The Lord performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His deeds to the sons of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always contend with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our guilty deeds.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our wrongdoings from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
14 For He Himself knows our form;
He is mindful that we are nothing but dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
Like a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place no longer knows about it.
17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting for those who fear Him,
And His justice to the children’s children,
18 To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts, so as to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless the Lord, all you His angels,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the Lord, my soul!
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What Does It Mean to Forgive? | Matthew 18:15-35
In a conversation with Peter, Jesus instructs us to forgive 70 times 7. He then tells a story that shows us what forgiveness actually means, and it's incredibly helpful. In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast John shares a sermon exploring how we deal with sin in the new family of Jesus and what it means to forgive.
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Why Melchizedek Matters | Hebrews 7
In the episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John preaches on Hebrews 7 and intriguing Bible character named Melchizedek. Why does author of Hebrews bring up Melchizedek and why does it matter for us today?
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What Does it Mean that Elders Must Manage Their Household Well? | 1 Timothy 3:4-5
4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?)
In this episode of the Bible in Life John and Steven discuss what exactly it means that church leaders must manage their own household well. And what about the parallel in Titus 1:6 about having children who believe? Does having an adult son or daughter who walks away from the faith automatically disqualify someone from church leadership?
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Why Rewards Matter | Rewards pt 4
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven wrap up their discussion of rewards in heaven by exploring the question of why learning what the Bible says about rewards matters.
Many of the passages where the idea of rewards shows up have to do with endurance:
Matthew 5:10-12
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
2 Timothy 4:6-8
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way as not to run aimlessly; I box in such a way, as to avoid hitting air; 27 but I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
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Are there Degrees of Rewards? | Rewards, pt. 3
Some passages, especially in the parables of Jesus such as the parable of the minas in Luke 19, seem to suggest that there are degrees of rewards. That is, some people get more than others.
But other Bible passages seem at odds with that.
So in the episode of the Bible in Life podcast, Steven and John wrestle with the question, Are there degrees of reward in heaven?
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What kinds of rewards are promised to us? | Rewards, pt. 2
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, Steven and John explore the kinds of things promised to God's people as rewards. And the distinctive thing is that the rewards promised fit the person and their life. In other words, the rewards aren't arbitrary.
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Is it Wrong to Hope for a Reward from God? | Rewards, pt. 1
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven introduce the topic of rewards in heaven and explore if it's in some way less honorable to seek God for a good reward.
Bible Passages mentioned:
Hebrews 11
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be One who rewards those who seek Him.
9 By faith he lived as a stranger in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country which they left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the temporary pleasures of sin, 26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.
C. S. Lewis Quote:
If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from [Immanuel] Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak.
“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
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Safety, Security, and Assurance - Romans 5:1-11
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God.3 And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous person; though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
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Goodness and Gratitude
The basic human response to God as their Creator is gratitude according to Romans 1:21 (which Paul says humans typically fail to do). In this episode of the Bible in Life, John offers a reflection on what we can be grateful for and what ultimately that means for our life as followers of Jesus.
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Why You (should) Love the Wrath of God
God's wrath is a forgotten topic in many churches today. We prefer to talk about his love and mercy, not his wrath.
But God's wrath is part of the good news, and it is that in a couple different ways.
In this episode we explore why we actually want and need the wrath of God.
Romans 1:18
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Romans 2:5-6
5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,6 who will repay each person according to his deeds
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How can we pray without ceasing and other questions
On this episode of the Bible in Life podcast Steven asks John several lingering questions related to practicing the way of Jesus.
-How can we pray without ceasing?
-How can we measure spiritual growth?
-Besides the spiritual disciplines, what are some other factors that are important to spiritual growth?
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Can we really be holy?
This question derives from the reaction of a number of Christians who suppose that we’re so sinful we could never really ever be holy. Some have even said that to suggest that Christians can and should be holy by default indicates some sort of legalism or self-righteousness or works righteousness or something like that.
So in this episode of the Bible in Life podcast John and Steven explore that question, can we really be holy?
Key Bible verses:
-1 Pet 1:14-16
14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; 16 because it is written: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
-Heb 12:14
-Matt 5:48
One important idea: Holiness is not antithetical to our humanness; it’s actually the fulfillment of it.
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The Mission of Jesus and Becoming Christlike
Being a disciple means arranging your life to be with Jesus in order to become like Jesus.
And being like him entails two aspects - becoming like him in character and like him in mission. So what does it mean to become like Jesus in mission?
On this episode of the Bible in Life podcast John and Steven explore how we can be involved in the mission of Jesus.
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Our Body, the Holy Spirit, and Becoming Like Jesus
Why is it important to acknowledge the presence and role of our body in discipleship to Jesus and spiritual growth? How do we walk by the Spirit as disciples of Jesus?
Some key texts related to this episode:
Romans 6:12-14
Romans 7
Romans 8:1-12
Galatians 5:16-24
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God's Part and Our Part in Becoming Like Jesus
In this episode of Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven discuss this question: how do we cooperate with God to become like Jesus?
We explore Roman 6, looking at what God has done to make Christlikeness possible and what we need to do in order to embody that truth.
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Creating a Culture of Discipleship in the Local Church
In this episode, we explore five keys for creating a culture of discipleship and disciple making in the local church.
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Becoming Like Jesus
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven explore why becoming like Jesus is the very best thing we could ever do. It's good for us, good for our families, good for our communities and the world.
And it's right in sync with who we are as human beings!
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Being with Jesus
At the core of being a disciple is being with your rabbi. In our case that means being with Jesus. But it's different now than it was when Jesus physically walked the hills of Galilee with his disciples. So how can we be with Jesus today?
That's the question John and Steven explore in this episode of the Bible in Life podcast.
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Being a Disciple of Jesus
Jesus' call to us is NOT to be a good church member. His call is to be his disciple. What is a disciple? What did Jesus picture when he calls us to be disciples?
On this episode, we begin a new era of the Bible in Life podcast by bringing in Steven Norris to cohost the show with John, and they begin by exploring this central them of discipleship to Jesus.
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What is the process by which people grow spiritually? What is a discipleship pathway and how do you create one? How can we grow spiritually and how can we help other grow as well?
Nick Cady is the lead pastor at White Fields Community Church in Longmont, CO. He served for 18 years on the mission field and is part of the leadership team for the Expositors Collective. He's also the host of the Theology for the People podcast.
Midway through this discussion we process the discipleship pathway for Nick's church. To see that click here.
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Disarming the Powers of Evil | Colossians 2:15
Jesus' death accomplishes much more than we often realize. Speaking of the benefits of Jesus' death and resurrection, Colossians 2:15 says, "When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him."
In this episode we reflect on what this means for us.
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There's Meaning to Our Suffering | Colossians 1:24
In this present world, suffering is everywhere and pain is unavoidable. And western societies don't know what to do with this fact. Suffering is an interruption. It's always bad and has no value.
But not in the Bible. Not to Jesus. And not to the Apostle Paul. He writes,
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of His body, which is the church."
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An Ode to Jesus | Colossians 1:15-20 -
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
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Moving to a New Realm | Colossians 1:13-14
Becoming a Christian entails a rescue operation in which we are delivered from the realm where darkness reigned to the realm where Jesus is King.
13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
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Learning to Pray with the Apostle Paul | Colossians 1:3-12
Prayer is challenging.
One of the ways we can learn to pray is by reading and reflecting on the prayers of God's saints in the Bible. So I find Paul's prayers to be insightful and challenging.
Colossians 1:3-12
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;11 strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all perseverance and patience; joyously 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
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What kind of father is God the Father?
What is God like? What kind of Father is He?
This sermon introduces the Trinity and reflects on God as Father, helping us see that knowing God as Father is good for us.
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Four Final Reflections on Faith and Politics
On this episode we wrap up our series on Faith and Politics with four final reflections.
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What's Better than Criticizing Culture?
Fact: it’s easier to criticize “them” - those people out there - than to do the hard work needed to offer something better.
Post mocking memes.
Ridicule on Reels.
Use spiteful or derogatory rhetoric.
That’s easy.
But the early Christians model a more powerful path. They show us what's better than criticizing the culture and what's more powerful for changing culture.
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How to Live in Exile?
Since the New Testament, describes those of us who follow Jesus as foreigners and exiles, how does God want people to live in exile? In this episode, we look at Jeremiah 29 and 1 Peter 2-3 to answer that question.
Jeremiah 29:4-7
4 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and father sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may give birth to sons and daughters; and grow in numbers there and do not decrease. 7 Seek the prosperity of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord in its behalf; for in its prosperity will be your prosperity.’
1 Peter 2:11-12
11 Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God on the day of visitation.
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Reflections on Healthy Detachment and Civil Disobedience
In this episode, I offer some reflections on two questions:
-
With all the anxiety, fear, and emotion around the political season, what should the disposition of disciples of Jesus be?
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When should we disobey the governing authorities?
At the heart of this episode is this: as disciples of Jesus our deepest allegiance is to Jesus and His kingdom and hope lies with Him. So our investment of energy and emotion is with that kingdom, and our prayer is "Your kingdom come, Your will be done."
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The Values of God's Kingdom are Good for the World
Christianity emerged in a world vastly different from the values espoused by followers of Christ. Slavery was assumed a necessary part of a functioning society and slaves could be thought of as living property and tools. An adulterous wife was a disgrace to be dealt with harshly, but men were free (even expected!) to have numerous sexual partners. Infants were routinely abandoned, left in the wild to die. Care for the poor, weak, and marginalized was laughable, contrary to all good sense. And a god who would sacrifice himself for others by dying the most shameful death of all could be pictured as a jackass on a cross!
But as Christianity spread, the values of Christ - values now taken for granted as good and right - transformed the Roman Empire and the world.
To be fair, the Church has not always lived up to the values she espouses. Nevertheless, over the course of history the values of the Christian faith have brought great good to the world and our society needs Christians to bring these values into the world today.
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A Foreigner in Your Own Land
Here’s a question for you: are you an American who happens to be a Christian or are you a Christian who happens to live in America?
In other words, what is your core identity that shapes your beliefs, values, and practices? Is it being citizen of the USA (or whatever country you live in)? Or is it your allegiance to King Jesus?
Philippians 3:20 says that followers of Jesus are citizens of heaven, regardless of what city or nation they live in.
And 1 Peter says we are exiles and foreigners.
What does all of this mean for how we engage with our society and the politics of our country?
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What is the Purpose of Government?
The Bible is a bit conflicted about human government.
In an ideal world, God would be king and his will would be done on earth as in heaven. Humans would live in loyal partnership with him and serve a viceroys of his rule, extending his aims and agendas on earth. That was the plan when God created the world and human beings.
The problem? We don’t live in an ideal world.
We live after the fall in Genesis 3 and outside of Eden. So now it’s fair to say that most people don’t submit to God’s kingship. Many who claim actually don’t. And even those who do, do so incompletely and imperfectly.
This is where government comes in. Human government is necessary to manage and mitigate that chaos that ensues when humans are left to their own devices.
This episode explores how it's supposed to do that.
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In this episode, I give a short update on life and ministry and then explore this question: How does our discipleship to Jesus affect our political engagement?
The fact is that since the beginning proclaiming Jesus as Lord has been a political statement with huge implications. For example, in Thessalonica, the accusation agains the apostle Paul was that he acted "contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus" (Acts 17:7).
So our loyalty to King Jesus has to shape our political engagement.
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In all of life, a certain status carries with it specific responsibilities.
- You make the sports team, so now you have to go to practices and train.
- You get your driver's license, so now you have to follow the rules of the road.
- You become a pet owner, so now you have to feed and care for the animal.
And the same is true in God's kingdom. Being "saved" brings specific responsibilities. In other words, you're saved; now live like it!
This episode of the Bible in Life explores that theme from 1 Peter 1:10-21.
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On this episode, we explore two more questions sent in by a listener.
Question 1 - How can I deal with doubts and uncertainties that arise along the journey of life?
The key thing here is honesty. You’ll probably never have 100% absolute certainty on everything (I don’t) and but loyal trust is key. And keep your eyes focused on Jesus, confident that he rose from the dead.
Question 2 - What are some important life lessons or advice you would give to a young person like me, seeking to make a positive impact in the world?
The most important advice I could give you is “you give away who you are.”
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Questions about Living for Jesus
Listener Questions:
-
How can I discover and pursue my true calling or purpose in life?
-
What principles and values should I prioritize to live a life in accordance with my Christian beliefs?
-
Are there any practical steps or habits I can incorporate into my daily routine that would help me stay on the right path?
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Learning to Receive Feedback
Feedback can be hard. It can sting. But...
We can't grow and change without it.
Receiving feedback is essential if we want to grow as a person and as a disciple.
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, I explore how we can learn to receive feedback well.
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Live Intentionally - You Don't Drift into Christlikeness
Becoming like Jesus from the inside out takes intentional effort. Paul uses athletic imagery for it, comparing it to going to the gym and getting in shape and to an athlete who is training for a contest. In this episode we give 4 keys for training to become godly.
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The Bible changed my life. I believe it can change yours. I believe that by sharing it, God can use you to help change someone's life.
That's the heart behind the Bible in Life story.
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Love Involves Presence.
You want to be with someone you love... and they, if they love you, want to be with you.
And Advent is about presence... coming to be with. It really is the culmination of the whole story of the Bible because the Bible is a true love story.
So in the episode we wrap up out Advent series by reflection on God's loving presence.
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How to Have Peace in an Un-peaceful World | Advent 2023
The angels announcing the news of Jesus' birth proclaimed,"Peace on Earth!"
But ...
Even though Jesus has come, the world is still full of unpeace. Wars. Famine. Political infighting. Hostility. Inflation. Conflict of all kinds.
Where's the peace and how can I have it?
Jesus said, "These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33.
Let's talk about Advent Peace.
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Joy to World!
Why? How?
The world can seem pretty bleak. Does realism make joy senseless?
Or is there good reason for joy even in a dark world?
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Hope - A Posture of Waiting | Advent 2023
We stand between Jesus' first advent and his second. And in this place we can look back at what God already has done to fulfill his promises.
And yet...
There's still more.
So we live in hope, waiting, like children who can't wait for Christmas, eagerly looking for Christ to come again!
Romans 8:18-25
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.23 And not only that, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons and daughters, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
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Genesis 1:26 tells us something crucial about human nature: "Then God said, 'Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness.'"
What does it mean to be "made in the image of God"?
And why does that matter? What difference does it make that you and I and everyone else is made as the image of God?
On this episode, Dr. Carmen Imes helps us explore this subject. Dr. Imes is associate professor of Old Testament at Talbot School of Theology (Biola University). She has written several books and her most recent book, Being God's Image, is the topic of this conversation.
Learn more from Carmen on Torah Tuesdays on Youtube
Buy the Book: Being God's Image
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Why are you here? What's purpose and meaning of life?
Human beings are meaning-seeking creatures. We need purpose and meaning for our life. So why do you and I exist?
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Why Should You Obey God's Commands?
Are God's commands arbitrary religious laws?
Are they true just because they're in the Bible?
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One of the most distinctive aspects of Jesus' way is his instructions to "love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44) and to "bless those who curse you" (Luke 6:28). This is a hallmark of our discipleship to Jesus.
The apostles passed on this teaching too. Paul writes, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse" (Romans 12:14). And Peter puts it like this: "not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead" (1 Peter 3:9).
So how can you become the kind of person who lives this way routinely?
In this episode, we reflect on 1 Peter 3:9-12 to think through how we can learn to bless those who curse us.
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Sean McDowell and John Marriott authored a new book entitled Set Adrift. It's a fantastic guide to help someone wrestling with what they believe without giving up on their faith altogether.
In this episode, I discuss the topic of deconstructing without deconverting with John Marriott.
John teaches at Biola University and Whittier Christian High School. He has a Phd in Intercultural Studies and his expertise is this very topic of deconstruction.
For resources and more about John: https://www.johnmarriott.org
To buy Set Adrift: https://amzn.to/3S7crfc
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Proverbs 16:9 says, "The mind of a person plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps."
In some mysterious way, God's sovereignty oversees the steps of our life. How does that work out? We may never know with absolute certainty, but in Acts 19-28 we see a living example of how a person plans his way but the Lord directs his steps.
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How do you communicate the gospel in a pluralistic age?
The challenge is real because people are all so different when it comes to religion. Some have a religious background but not a Christian background. Some have no religious background at all. Some have a Christian background but have rejected it as an adult. Some are hostile towards the Bible and Jesus.
In such a milieu, you can't share the gospel the same way to each person. And Paul models this for us in Acts 17 and 13.
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In Acts 16 Paul models for us a principle that shaped how he made decisions. In fact, it was a governing principle that shaped his whole life. And it should shape ours as followers of Jesus too.
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Acts 12
Does God always answer prayer? Not the way we often think. And the Bible doesn't hide from this fact. It teaches us that God is a real person who makes real decisions in response to our prayers and Acts 12 is a good example of this.
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Acts 5:1-11
Luke, the author of Acts, told the story about Ananias and Sapphira for a very important reason. The message of that story holds a very important lesson for us as the church today.
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Acts 3-4
How does the gospel move forward? In Acts 3-4 we see a good model.
In this episode we reflect on what it might look like to be open for business to loving people and sharing the good news about Jesus.
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Acts 2
The Day of Pentecost is the birthday of the church. Jesus pours out the Spirit, 3,000 people believe and are baptized. And the church becomes a reality. And the Acts describes what a difference the Holy Spirit made in the lives of people. And we see the marks of a Spirit-filled church.
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Listener Q + R
In this episode we consider three questions from listeners of the podcast.
-
Can people in heaven see what's happening on earth?
-
When is it permitted to remarry after divorce?
-
How do I understand predestination?
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What are Bible stories (narratives) trying to communicate?
The most common type of literature in the Bible is historical narratives, what we typically call Bible stories. And there are some exciting stories. There are hard to makes sense of stories.
And it's not uncommon to turn those stories into allegories or to make them teach moral lessons. But this is not how they were intended to function.
So how can we read Bible narratives well?
That's what we explore in this episode of the Bible in Life.
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How does Proverbs describe our aim when raising kids? And what are some things we need to do in order to achieve this aim?
Proverbs has great wisdom for parents. And what it teaches holds true for any who seek to mentor or guide young people, whether as a grandparent or aunt or uncle or even just mentor in general.
Take a listen to this message I shared recently at a church in my area.
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Four Measures of Spiritual Growth
How can we measure spiritual growth?
We can easily use the wrong metrics and arrive at the wrong conclusion.
Pastors often measure how well the church is doing by things like attendance, buildings, and giving. But those are secondary measures, not ones central to the mission Jesus gave us - to make disciples.
Or individually we can measure ourselves by religious activity, things like church involvement, leading bible studies, doing our devotions, and the like. And if we're doing well in those areas feel like we're doing well spiritually. But those aren't the primary measures either.
So how can we measure spiritual growth?
In this episode I give four measures for spiritual growth.
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In this episode I share some reflections on two thoughts: 1. am I a disciple worth reproducing? And 2. obedience is the prerequisite to intimacy.
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We often make two opposite errors when reading the Bible. On one hand, too often we bypass understanding the original meaning altogether and go straight to "what this says to me." On the other hand, we exegete the text and strive to grasp the author's intended meaning (Inductive Bible Study from last week's episode) and stop there thinking we've completed the task.
Neither of these approaches to the Bible honor the full nature of what the Bible is. We've got to understand the text but there's more to a God-honoring reading than that.
What is that more? Tune as John uses a story from James Bryan Smith about a jogging monk to explore what's the ultimate aim of our Bible reading.
Read the article by James Bryan Smith here:
https://renovare.org/articles/the-jogging-monk-and-the-exegesis-of-the-heart
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How do you study the Bible?
Sine the Bible is an old book and a big book, how can you read it to understand it? In this episode of the Bible in Life, John explores the Inductive Bible Study method and gives an example from Psalm 1.
Inductive Bible Study consists of three parts: Observation, Interpretation, Application.
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Have you ever read the Bible and got nothing out of it? It was just kind of blah? You weren't even sure what it was about. It didn't inspire you or stir any sense of devotion in you.
Why is that? And what should you do about it?
Tune in to this episode as I share my own experience of this, diagnose it, and encourage you how to respond to it.
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Everyone says to plan ahead and work hard. But if God's in charge and his he's going to do whatever he does, then what difference does our planning make?
Proverbs has some wisdom on that.
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Perhaps you were told as a child "sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can never hurt you."
But you know that's not true!
Words are incredibly powerful. In fact Proverbs says words have the power of life or death.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it will eat its fruit. -Proverbs 18:21
So in this episode we look at some of the wisdom of Proverbs concerning how we talk.
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Proverbs 9:10 says, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."
What is the fear of the Lord? And how is it the beginning of wisdom?
That's the question we explore in this episode.
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Note: this episode was originally released on 6/15/23 but due to a tech issue never distributed to any podcast apps.
Proverbs are part of the Bible that is often called “Wisdom literature.” Several Bible books are grouped into this category...
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Job
- Song of Solomon
Wisdom literature seeks to describe what is usually true in day-to-day living...it offers "wisdom" for right living and right choices. It teaches “the skill of living” (Tremper Longman).
Now here’s the thing… this is really important; it’s crucial. Biblical wisdom is grounded in creation. t means it grounded in the way creation is designed to operate, and that means it's good for us.
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The book of Proverbs.
Many Christians love it and read it regularly. Some read a chapter day every month. But...
What is a proverb? And what is it not?
That is, How do you read Proverbs wisely? In this episode, we begin a short study of Proverbs to help us gain wisdom from them and use the Proverbs wisely.
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Matthew Bates is a theology professor at Quincy University. He's written extensively on the nature of faith as allegiance and the gospel. His latest book is titled Why the Gospel? and it's a helpful study of what motivated the gospel.
Matt is also a family man with seven kids (!) ranging in age from 17-5.
In this conversation we explore some of the confusion around what the gospel actually is and why that matters.
To learn more about and order Matt's books visit http://matthewwbates.com
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Life is marked by uncertainty. And uncertainty often leads to distress.
Not knowing what to do, not knowing what’s going to happen, not knowing what other people are thinking and feeling—these situations are ripe to breed anxiety in anyone.
Ultimately there’s no escape from living with uncertainty, for anyone.
But there is a way to have peace in the midst of uncertainty. And Paul shows us that in Philippians 4:4-9.
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Values.
Custom.
Ambitions.
Practices.
Every culture has them.
Where do you get yours?
Your way of life/being/acting displays the values of the culture you belong to.
As followers of King Jesus, we are citizens of heaven and heaven's culture must shape our way of life as we live in the midst of the culture around us.
Phiippians 3:20 says, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."
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What do you really want in life? What do you want so much that it would be worth giving up whatever is necessary for you to get?
In Philippians 3, Paul uses his example to show us that Christ is the supreme treasure that is worth forsaking all other treasures in order to acquire. Everything in our life is like trash compared to gaining Christ. Everything we think is valuable is nothing compared to Christ. The greatest thing in the universe is to gain and know Christ.
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Peace and harmony with your fellow Christians is God’s will, and that means it’s also your responsibility. If God’s wants it, then we have to want it … and want it enough to work at it.
So how do we do it?
In Philippians 2:3-8, Paul gives what I believe is the single most important bit of relational advice you’ll ever get for having harmony in your relationships.
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Philippians 1:12-21
In this passage Paul models for us what it would it look like to measure our circumstances in light of the gospel. So often our answer to the question “how are you doing?” has to do with whether our circumstances are positive or negative. But what would it look like for us to put the wellbeing of the gospel first? What if we lived our life for the sake of the gospel?
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Is the KJV the best Bible translation?
This question is so important because unfortunately there is a contingent of people who keep spreading falsehoods about the KJV versus the newer translations. So...
Is there an "inspired" translation?
Why are there some differences between the KJV and other versions?
And how do Bible translations work?
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“What keeps you encouraged?”
That was the question. And my answer in short is, I know where we're at in the story.
In this episode, I unpack what that means.
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The way of the cross changes our use of power.
Mark 10:32-45
32 Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking on ahead of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were fearful. And again He took the twelve aside and began to tell them what was going to happen to Him,33 saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock Him and spit on Him, and flog Him and kill Him; and three days later He will rise from the dead.”
35 James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, came up to Jesus, saying to Him, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask of You.” 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” 37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.”38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on My right or on My left is not Mine to give; but it is* for those for whom it has been prepared.”
41 Hearing this, the other ten began to feel indignant with James and John. 42 Calling them to Himself, Jesus *said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them; and their people in high position exercise authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you; rather, whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant; 44 and whoever wants to be first among you shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
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In this final episode of our Be and Make Disciples series, we answer the question: What is the disciple's mode of operating?
And to answer that we reflect on two passages from Galatians 5.
Galatians 5:5-6
5 For we, through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.
Galatians 5:16
Walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.
In short, a disciples by faith working through love in the power of the Spirit.
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How do you disciple someone else?
In this episode, we explore just a few specific tips and practices for have an effective discipling relationship with someone else.
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What climate is necessary for us to thrive as disciples?
What climate is best for making disciples?
A climate of grace and truth.
Why is this? The biblical answer to that question is that we are made in the image of God. God is truth and God is love. So that means that as human beings we are made to run on grace and truth
This is the climate in which human beings flourish.
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The discipleship path entails growing in faith. But that doesn't happen alone. Discipleship always happens through a life-on-life transfer. We learn from each other. We practice the "one anothers" with each other. We provide concrete examples of following Jesus for each other.
Growing in faith happens together.
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Being a disciple means you attach yourself to Jesus to become like Jesus. The goal is to become like him in character and mission.
How do you go from new follower of Jesus to substantially like Jesus?
What's the path?
If you're helping somebody grow as a disciple, what's the path you should be guiding them along?
If you're a pastor, does your church have a clear path that guides someone from new believer to mature disciple?
We need a discipleship path.
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Where does discipleship start?
What is the goal discipleship aims at?
In this episode, we explore the catalyst for and goal of living as a disciples of Jesus.
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What is the Gospel?
This question is terribly to the topic of discipleship because as Bill Hull and Ben Sobels say, "The gospel you preach determines the disciples you make" ... and it will determine the kind of disciple you are as well.
And unfortunately, the typical gospel in the evangelical church has been really good at making church members with a ticket to heaven but not disciples of Jesus.
So what is the gospel Jesus and the apostles preached? Tune it to find out.
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Be and Make Disciples
This episode explores the question, What would it have been like to be discipled by Jesus?
We can answer this question by reading the Gospels. There was this well-known line from the Mishnah about being “covered in the dust” of your rabbi. It reflects both traveling behind him learning as you discuss important topics and sitting at his feet as he taught in a house. This is exactly what we see in the gospels. In the Gospels, we see Jesus discipling the disciples.
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Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
What is a disciple?
How do you make one?
Why does it matter?
In this episode we kick off a new series on being and making disciples.
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This episode of the Bible in Life explores the two fundamental practices for spiritual growth and how to practice them consistently and in a way the actually leads to growth. If you want to grow spiritually this year, these two practices are the key.
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This episode explores 5 implications of the fact that we living between the now and the not yet and are still waiting for the restoration of all things.
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Advent 2022Over the next several weeks, I want to consider the story we believe is the the true story of the world leading up to the coming of the Messiah and then go beyond that to what we’re still waiting for today. We’ll look at the promise and its initial fulfillment and then its final fulfillment when Christ comes again. Even though Jesus came as the initial fulfillment of the advent hope, the waiting isn't over. So in this episode, we explore what it is that we're still waiting for... what is our final hope? Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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Advent 2022Over the next several weeks, I want to consider the story we believe is the the true story of the world leading up to the coming of the Messiah and then go beyond that to what we’re still waiting for today. We’ll look at the promise and its initial fulfillment and then its final fulfillment when Christ comes again. In our last episode we reflected on the coming of Jesus, the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham and the advent hope. But ... the waiting isn't over. Jesus came. Jesus died and rose again. The Spirit has been poured out. But the story isn't over and we still wait in hope. So in this episode we explore the tension between the already, and not yet. Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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Advent 2022Over the next several weeks, I want to consider the story we believe is the the true story of the world leading up to the coming of the Messiah and then go beyond that to what we’re still waiting for today. We’ll look at the promise and its initial fulfillment and then its final fulfillment when Christ comes again. In this episode, we reflect on the coming of the Messiah in answer to Israel's deepest longings and hopes... and what that means for us today.
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Advent 2022
Over the next several weeks, I want to consider the story we believe is the the true story of the world leading up to the coming of the Messiah and then go beyond that to what we’re still waiting for today. We’ll look at the promise and its initial fulfillment and then its final fulfillment when Christ comes again. In this episode we consider the theme of exile and how being forsaken because of their unfaithfulness led to real loss, and how that led to longing and hoping and waiting for God to act. Israel may have been cut down but they weren't abandoned and God hadn't forgotten his promises. Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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Advent 2022Over the next several weeks, I want to consider the story we believe is the the true story of the world leading up to the coming of the Messiah and then go beyond that to what we’re still waiting for today. We’ll look at the promise and its initial fulfillment and then its final fulfillment when Christ comes again. In this episode we consider the nation of Israel, a key part of the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham. Their story shows us God's faithfulness even when we're unfaithful. Their story is one of covenant and failure… of blessing and curse … of destruction and promise It's a story of unfaithfulness and promise. Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:
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Advent 2022
Over the next several weeks, I want to consider the story we believe is the the true story of the world leading up to the coming of the Messiah and then go beyond that to what we’re still waiting for today.
We’ll look at the promise and its initial fulfillment and then its final fulfillment when Christ comes again.
In this episode, we look Abraham and the promise that through his offspring all the nations of the earth would be blessed.
Gen 12:1-3
Now the Lord said to Abram,
“Go from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
2
And I will make you into a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing;
3
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."
Gratitude can be commanded because it can be intentionally practiced. And it's good for us to do so... that's why God in his goodness and wisdom calls us to be grateful.
This episode encourages us to intentionally practice gratitude.
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2 Corinthians 7:1 says, "Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let’s cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
In this episode we reflect on what it looks like to perfect holiness in the fear of God.
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There are so many Bible translations out there. Which translation is a good one? How should you use translations for Bible study? And what are some good study Bibles?
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Sometimes a verse becomes so familiar, we can actually miss its meaning. Or miss some of its meaning.
I think that's the case with 2 Corinthians 5:21:
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
We assume we know what this is talking about, and we think it's talking about how God declared us righteous through Jesus' death.
But it actually means more than that. So tune in, and let's explore this verse together.
Philippians article:
https://renew.org/summary-of-philippians/
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When Paul writes Philippians, he's in custody in Rome. He hasn't been able to travel and preach for nearly 4 years. Yet Philippians is known as the epistle of joy. Why is that?
It has to do with what mattered most to Paul... with where he found his life and joy.
He models this for us in both the letter to the Philippians and in Acts 16 when he started the church in Philippi.
Overview of Philippians article:
https://renew.org/summary-of-philippians/
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In 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10, Paul models for us the power of an eternal perspective.
Life isn't easy. There's hardships, disappointments, sickness, pain, and death.
As Christ's apostle, Paul experienced all the normal hardships of life plus suffering that came for the sake of Jesus. But Paul says he didn't lose heart; instead he was of good courage.
How so?
He had an eternal perspective!
And we must have one too. We must fan into flame our hope so we don't lose heart.
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This episode of the Bible in Life reflects on 2 Corinthians 3:18:
"But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."
-2 Corinthians 3:18
What's the significance of "unveiled faces"? What does it have to do with transformation? And how does all of this fit into the context of 2 Corinthians 3?
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This episode of the Bible in Life reflects on 2 Corinthians 3:18:
"But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit."
-2 Corinthians 3:18
What's the significance of "unveiled faces"? What does it have to do with transformation? And how does all of this fit into the context of 2 Corinthians 3?
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Praying.
It's important. I admire people who are good at it. But I struggle with it... and I've met many people who also struggle with it.
In this episode, I reflect on my own struggles with prayer and with lies at the heart praying faithfully.
Matthew 7:7-11
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what person is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
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Praying.
It's important. I admire people who are good at it. But I struggle with it... and I've met many people who also struggle with it.
In this episode, I reflect on my own struggles with prayer and with lies at the heart praying faithfully.
Matthew 7:7-11
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what person is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
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I received this question from a listener: How can Christians justify David's behavior (war crimes, adultery, murder, etc)? This is an important question that has to do with the nature of the Bible and how to read it.
So, how do we justify bad behavior like this ... or do we?
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I received this question from a listener: How can Christians justify David's behavior (war crimes, adultery, murder, etc)? This is an important question that has to do with the nature of the Bible and how to read it.
So, how do we justify bad behavior like this ... or do we?
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The Bible is more than a book of inspiration or religious rules. It also describes history ... God's work in history - in the real world of space and time. This is how God chose to reveal himself. Archaeology helps us understand the world of the Bible and see how reliable the Bible's history is.
For a good introduction to the topic of Archaeology and the Bible see Titus Kennedy's book Unearthing the Bible. Click the link below:
https://amzn.to/3RjRI4l
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The Bible is more than a book of inspiration or religious rules. It also describes history ... God's work in history - in the real world of space and time. This is how God chose to reveal himself. Archaeology helps us understand the world of the Bible and see how reliable the Bible's history is.
For a good introduction to the topic of Archaeology and the Bible see Titus Kennedy's book Unearthing the Bible. Click the link below:
https://amzn.to/3RjRI4l
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God is the absolute boss, but what kind of boss is he?
It is pretty common today to be suspicious of and to distrust authority. There's been so many bad authority figures and so much misuse of authority, that it's easy to react negatively to authority in general.
From politics to teachers to bosses and sadly even to parents, there have been plenty of self-serving, power hungry, and mean-spirited authority figures. And thus, we could react to God's authority from that place of suspicion and distrust.
But how authority gets used really depends on the the person wielding it. So what kind of person is God and what does that mean for how he uses his authority?
This episode explores Exodus 34:6-7 and Philippians 2:5-8 to answer this question.
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God is the absolute boss, but what kind of boss is he?
It is pretty common today to be suspicious of and to distrust authority. There's been so many bad authority figures and so much misuse of authority, that it's easy to react negatively to authority in general.
From politics to teachers to bosses and sadly even to parents, there have been plenty of self-serving, power hungry, and mean-spirited authority figures. And thus, we could react to God's authority from that place of suspicion and distrust.
But how authority gets used really depends on the the person wielding it. So what kind of person is God and what does that mean for how he uses his authority?
This episode explores Exodus 34:6-7 and Philippians 2:5-8 to answer this question.
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1 Corinthians 6:19-20
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
We don’t actually own ourselves, our life, or even our body. This is true for all humans; it’s doubly true for us as followers of Jesus because we have been bought by God and belong to him. We are not our own. This is just a fundamental fact of becoming a Christian.
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Matthew 16:24-27
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every person according to his deeds.
Mark 8:34-38
34 And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 For what could a person give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
“Christ says, "Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good...Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked--the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
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Matthew 16:24-27
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every person according to his deeds.
Mark 8:34-38
34 And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 For what could a person give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
“Christ says, "Give me All. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good...Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked--the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.”
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
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What makes the Bible authoritative?
The Bible is so old and out of date….why would anyone listen to it?!
Why should it have any authority in our lives?
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The fear of God ... we don't talk about it much any more, and yet according to the Bible it's one of the best things for us. It's the source of wisdom and leads us into life! It's good for us. So in this episode we explore what it means to fear the Lord, how it provides wisdom, and sets us free from being self-willed.
Key Texts:
Titus 1:7
Proverbs 9:10
2 Corinthians 5:10-11
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I've been doing a lot of reflecting on the authority of God, the fear of God, and the rise of the autonomous self. I'm concerned that all too often, people who say they are followers of Jesus still live as if they have autonomy and authority over their own life ... not God. Even though they say Jesus is Lord, when push comes to shove, they are the ultimate authority in their life. And that's not good for them or anyone else.
In this episode, we reflect on the fact that the fundamental starting point of following Jesus is surrendering the leadership of our life to Jesus. He's in charge, because he's the King of the universe. As he himself said, "All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me..." (Matthew 28:18).
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The Holy Spirit is central to our Christian life. His presence with us is one of the new things of age of Messiah. He is now God with us, knitting us together into one people of God (1 Cor 12:13) and transforming us.
Galatians 5:14-17
14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the desire of the flesh is against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, in order to keep you from doing whatever you want.
Ephesians 5:18
18 And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
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The Holy Spirit is God with us now, and walking by the Spirit is the solution to the dominance of the flesh. What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? Walking by the Spirit means going about life with the Spirit as your walking partner. You have the opportunity to have God be your closest companion in life!
Romans 8:5-14 goes on to instruct us that walking by the Spirit involves our mind, specifically what we fill our mind with and what we focus our attention on. And the result of this is that we can put to death the sinful deeds of the body.
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The Christian life is life in the Spirit. He empowers us to live the way God has called and created us to live. One of the key ways that's expressed in the New Testament is "walking by the Spirit."
What does it mean to walk by the Spirit?
How do we do that?
In this episode, we look at Romans 8:1-4 and reflect on what it means to walk by the Spirit.
Book: Walking in the Spirit, by Ken Berding.
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Since he’s the Spirit of God, that means the Holy Spirit has been around all throughout the biblical story. He was clearly active and involved in God’s work of redemption in the OT:
- You see him right at the beginning hovering over the waters of creation
- He empowers the craftsmen who build the tabernacle
- He anoints kings and prophets (David prays in ps. 51 for God not to take his Spirit from him)
But it seems like it’s a pretty spectacular thing - big deal - when he comes on the Day of Pentecost. So what’s the difference between the Spirit’s role in the OT versus now?
The OT prophets promised there’d come a day when God’s spirit would come in a fuller, grander, more widespread way:
- Joel 2:28-32
- Ezek 36:27
- Isaiah 44:3
And the New Testament describes the Christian life is life in the Spirit:
- The Holy Spirit renews us--Titus 3:5
- The Holy Spirit seals us as belonging to God--Eph. 1:13; 4:30
- The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our resurrection-- Eph 1:14; Rom. 8:9-11
- The Holy Spirit helps us resist sin--Rom. 8:13
- The Holy Spirit empowers us for godliness and ministry – Eph. 3:16
- The Holy Spirit produces the fruit of Chrislikeness in us – Gal. 5:22-23
- The Holy Spirit testifies that we are children of God – Rom. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:6
- The Holy Spirit helps us pray – Rom. 8:26-27; Eph. 6:18
- The Holy Spirit helps us understand God's love – Rom. 5:5
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The Holy Spirit, pt. 1.
We are familiar with God the Father. And with Jesus. But the Holy Spirit? Not so much. As one author said, a lot of us feel like He's a the grey blur in our minds eye. In fact, Gordon Fee once said that a lot of Christians, while trinitarian by creed, are "binitarians" in practice. That is, we really only know two members of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is often unknown.
Who is He and what's His role in our discipleship to Jesus?
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My daughter - she's in her early 20's and has two kids - has been reading through the New Testament this year and then discussing what she's reading with me. I recorded our last conversation so I could share it here on the Bible in Life. We discuss questions out of Hebrews 3-6 ... questions like:
-What's the rest mentioned in Hebrews 4?
-Who is Melchizedek and what's the order of Melchizedek?
-What does it mean that it's impossible to renew those who have fallen away to repentance?
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Do we have the right books in the Bible ... especially in the New Testament?
What about the so-called "missing gospels"?
How did these books get chosen and other books get left out?
Who decided which books were in and which books were out?
All of these questions concern the canon of the New Testament. And there's a lot of misinformation out there about this subject.
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Why did God give Israel the food laws?
No bacon. No ham. No shrimp.
What's the point?
And what does it have to do with being holy?
And how is it connect to non-Jews (gentiles) entering into the family of Jesus?
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Jesus is famous for teaching in parables. In all three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), Jesus explains that he teaches in parables so that "seeing they may not see and hearing they may not understand." Which raises a serious question...
Didn't Jesus want people to understand his teaching?
Why would he hide it from them and try to confuse them?
Doesn't he want people to get it so that can repent and be saved?
In this episode of The Bible in Life podcast, we dig in Luke 8:4-21 to explore this question.
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What is the mission of the church?
Very often there are lots of different answers given to this question. But there shouldn't be. In fact, I am repeatedly surprised how much confusion there is about this. There should be no confusion.
Jesus made the mission of the church crystal clear.
This is not something we have to wonder about.There should be complete agreement about this. We don’t get to invent it or make up our own.
Jesus already told us.
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
How do we do that?
What did Jesus mean by "disciple"?
Tune in to this episode for a full discussion of this crucial topic.
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The story of Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts is a shocking story. Two members of the church sell their property, bring the money to the apostles, are called out, and die! Why?
Why did God kill Ananias and Sapphira?
And why did Luke include the story in the book of Acts?
What lesson does the story of Ananias and Sapphira teach?
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What does is mean to be led in triumph in Christ and be the fragrance of Christ in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16?
We like impressive people. People who look good. People who are successful. People who's lives look fun and exciting. Paul's life was none of that, and that made him unimpressive.
In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, Paul gives us word picture for how he viewed his life and ministry and it's subversive to the normal way we think life and service to God should go.
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The cross. Good Friday.
At the time Jesus was crucified, a cross was an object of horror and a symbol of shame. So vulgar was it, that Romans wouldn't even use the word in polite company.
But now... now the the cross is a wall hanging, jewelry, and a symbol of hope. All because one particular crucifixion changed everything.
More than forgiveness (as great and necessary as that is!), the cross of Jesus provides a whole new world and a whole new way to live!
In this episode we look at how all-encompassing the achievement of the cross actually is.
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Have you heard the phrase “the power of prayer”? Or “prayer changes things”?
We've been taught to believe God answers prayer. In fact James 5:16 is a well-known version among Christians: "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
And it's true ...
Except when it isn't.
Sometimes, it seems like prayer doesn't make any difference at all. Sometimes it feels like God is hiding.
Why is that? How should we think about that as followers of Jesus?
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We've said a lot about living a Jesus centered life and how it takes deliberate intentional effort. If we're not careful, that could to a lot of striving ... a lot of trying to get it right ... to doing more and more, so we can live Jesus centered.
But that misses the importance and power of grace. Living Jesus centered happens in the circle of grace.
So in this final episode on living Jesus centered, we explore how grace is the key to the whole thing!
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Jesus centered living happens on purpose. We need to arrange our life to live attached to Jesus so we can become like Jesus. This is the essence of being a disciple and this is heart of living a Jesus centered life.
So how do we arrange our life for this? What's the plan? What are the objectives?
That's what we explore in this episode of the Bible in Life.
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Dallas willard is famous for saying “grace is opposed to earning; it’s not opposed to effort.” This is important because living for Jesus isn’t gonna happen on accident. It takes effort. Grace will empower the effort, but it will still take wise intentional effort on our part.
The apostle Paul puts it this way:
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way as not to run aimlessly; I box in such a way, as to avoid hitting air; 27 but I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. - 1 Cor 9:27
Living a Jesus centered life presupposes wise intentional effort that trains us to resist the devil and not love the world but rather to draw near to God and live for Him.
Episode webpage: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/podcast-1/Episode-194
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How can a bike wheel help us understand living a more Jesus centered life?
If living a Jesus centered life means "to live is Christ," then think about your real, actual, everyday life. To live Jesus centered, doesn't only refer to your religious activities. It mostly refers to the stuff you do everyday. So what are the tasks, responsibilities, and roles that make up the days of your life?
What would it look like for all the stuff of everyday life to be centered on Jesus?
Picture a bike wheel ... and tune in to this episode.
Episode website: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/podcast-1/Episode-193
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What's the essence of a Jesus centered life?
Paul makes a well-known statement in his letter to the Philippians that really gets at the heart of it. He says “to live is Christ and to die is gain" - Philippians 1:21.
Jesus = life!
So much so, that even death is gain.
In Philippians 1, Paul is filling the church in Philippi in on his situation and circumstances and in doing so, he’s providing a concrete pattern for following Jesus. So what’s going on with Paul? How is “life = Jesus; death = gain” being fleshed out in his life at that moment and what does that teach us about living a Jesus centered life?
Episode website: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/podcast-1/Episode-192
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We all have things that drive what we do in life.
-we want people to like us
-we want to appear competent
-we want to get ahead in life
-we want to be the best at
-we just want to be happy
-we want to have the freedom to travel
-We want _____
Fill in the blank for yourself.
If we're going to live a Jesus centered life, what ought to drive us?
In 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, Paul gives us a powerful example of the ultimate thing that drives a jesus-centered life.
Podcast website: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/podcast-1/Episode-191
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We all have life pursuits of some sort… college, career, sports, hobbies, family.
We might even have dreams, things that if everything worked out, this is what we’d really want from life.
In a jesus centered life, all these aims and pursuits and goals are united together in one central pursuit, by one overarching goal … one pursuit that actually shapes and governs and influences every other pursuit.
What is the #1 goal of life for a Jesus centered person? Tune in to this episode to find out.
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Think of all the different messages you hear everyday ...
-so many different news outlets
-articles coming through your social media channels
-quotes, ideas, and memes
-friends sharing their ideas and opinions
In fact, in 2020 on average, people spent 2.5 hrs per day on social media.
Think of your inbox ... in 2021 there were 320 billion emails sent worldwide everyday!
2021 estimates put the number of ads people see each day between 6-10 thousand!
-There's movies, tv, netflix, hulu… all communicate ideas, values, etc.
-Youtube, podcasts, etc.
We are bombarded with information, sales pitches, opinions, images, and ideas tons of which have something to say about what’s important in life, how to do life, what’s a good life.
Then you have books, magazines, and various forms of print media.
Voices, voices, voices … all day everyday.
If we’re going to live a Jesus centered life, we’re going to have to confront this … and discipline ourselves concerning who we listen to, what we fill our mind with, and how we evaluate various things we hear.
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In this episode we reflect on another importance component of living a Jesus centered life. It has to do with where you live or dwell or abide.
It's found in John 15:1-5:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Being centered on Jesus = living attached to Jesus. It means living in and with and connected to Jesus.
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Think about your life …
-what makes up your life?
-who are you?
-what matters in life?
-where do you get your guidance and instruction for life?
-how do you evaluate the value and success of your life?
We typically think we have the right to determine the answers to these kinds of questions. It's our life, after all.
But as a disciple of Jesus, all of that changes. Our life is not our own. In fact, we should think of ourselves as dead ... but alive!
This is how Paul describes his view of life once he came to faith in Jesus: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
-Galatians 2:20
If you thought of your life this way, how would it change the way you approach your life?
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"How can my son keep his life centered on Jesus?"
That was what the text said.
Why would she want her son's life to be centered on Jesus? Because she believed his life would be better if it was.
As Andy Stanley has said, "Jesus makes your life better and makes you better at life."
So …
What does it mean to live life centered on Jesus?
And how can we do it?
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How do you know what God is like?
Do we just guess?
Hope we get it right?
Give up concluding we could never know?
In this episode, I offer another Christmas reflection by looking at John 1:14: "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth."
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The "Christmas story" of Jesus' birth reminds us that God isn't an ivory tower God. He isn't one who keeps away from the peasants up in His luxurious castle. He's a God of the ordinary in the midst of the ordinary.
This episode reflects on Hebrews 2:14-17 which tells us that Jesus' becoming 100% human was absolutely necessary to God's plan of rescue and renewal.
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What is the key to a life of peace and joy?
In this episode I offer a simple reflection on how I would answer that question.
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The story of the Philippian jailer in Acts 16 is one of the more well-known stories in Acts. The whole story is powerful but there's a little detail that we often overlook. Paul could've avoided going to jail if he simply announced that he was a Roman citizen ... but he said nothing.
At least at first.
Then the next day, after he was beaten with rods, he announces it. Why this delay? And what does it teach us about following Jesus?
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Your life is uniquely prepared by God for his honor. This is abundantly clear in the case of Saul (aka the apostle Paul). He was born a Jew in a major Greek city with Roman citizenship. Mix all that together and Saul was the perfect person to be the apostle to the Gentiles.
If only he'd surrender it all to Jesus! And he did.
And you? Your background and experiences can be used by God is unique ways to bring him glory too ... if only you surrender all to him as well.
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Saul's (the apostle Paul) conversion is one of the most dramatic stories in the book of Acts and certainly one of the most important conversions in all of Christian history.
But beyond being an amazing story, it has an important lesson for us. In fact, later in his life, Paul invites us to learn from his conversion and imitate the impact it had on his life (see Philippians 3:12-17).
Tune in to hear Paul's story and what it means for your life.
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Acts 5:1-11 contains one of the most shocking stories in the New Testament. It's the story of Ananias and Sapphira and it's a story we need to listen to. Luke has included this story to teach us a powerful lesson about the greatest threat to the effectiveness and progress of the church.
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When we encounter opposition to our faith in Jesus, often our knee-jerk prayer is for God to deal with those opposing us. Or for God to protect us.
Neither of those is necessarily wrong. We see examples of both kinds of prayer in the Bible.
But in Acts 4:23-31, the apostles pray in such a way that offers a real challenge to us. Their prayer is not for God to remove the opposition or to provide protection. Their prayer is for more boldness to do what God called them to do - to speak the message about Jesus.
Even though it may bring hardship and difficulty.
Even though it may garner pain.
They pray for boldness to speak because that's what faithfulness to Jesus looks like.
What if we focused on praying for the strength, courage, and even boldness to be faithful, regardless of the the costs or the outcome?
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Acts 2 describes what happens when God first pours out his Spirit and begins the age of the Messiah. It's like the birthday of the church if you will, and it shows us what kind of community the Holy Spirit creates.
It poses a real challenge to the church today ... and forces us to ask, what are we trying to create? What do we pour our time into? What metrics do we use to measure a "great church"?
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When we're mocked, insulted, attacked, or mistreated, how do followers of Jesus respond?
Someone ridicules you or attacks you on social media.
A family member is rude and unkind.
A coworker or neighbor mistreats you.
This is the stuff of everyday life, and the way of Jesus is incredibly unique in how we disciples respond to this stuff.
The entire New Testament is clear that we don't respond in kind. Instead, we actively do good and bless them.
In 1 Peter 3:9, the apostle Peter instructs us: "not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you would inherit a blessing."
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In John 8:31-32, Jesus tells us the key to living free in Him. He says, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
What does it mean to "continue" in His word? And how can we do that?
Check out this episode as we explore the how to live free in Christ by engaging deeply in his word.
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What's the Measure of Spiritual Maturity?
Is it how involved you are at church?
Is it how much you volunteer and serve?
Is it bible knowledge? Prayer?
What is the goal we should be aiming for in our own spiritual growth and when helping others grow too?
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In Psalm 43:4, God is described as our "exceeding joy." The Holy Spirit grow joy in us (Galatians 5:22). Jesus wants us to have overflowing joy, and told us the secret to it (John 15:11).
So it's not surprising that the apostles assume that we go through life with incredibly great joy (1 Peter 1:6-9) and called us to live lives of joy (James 1:2 and Philippians 4:4).
When we know Jesus, we have joy!
I hope this episode encourages you as it did me. May we fix our joy on the unshakeable foundation of Jesus and his promises!
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Habakkuk 2:4 is a key verse for walking with God, and it's quoted several times in the New Testament in this regard.
Habakkuk may be my favorite Old Testament prophet. If I'm honest, the prophets can be hard to understand at times, but I get Habakkuk. And I love the message of trust in God, even when He doesn't make sense. In this way, Habakkuk shows us what God wants most from us: loyal, trusting love for God.
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For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it. - Romans 8:24-25
Hope is a one of the major engines that drives our life as followers of Jesus. So in the final episode in this series, I want to look our perspective and our approach to life as we live during the overlap of the ages. What perspective shapes our life? What’s our approach to life in view of the tension between joys and sorrows, blessings and hardships that’s normal right now?
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One of the ways the already and not yet shapes our life is that we are citizens of heaven living in the present evil age. This means we are to live out the life of heaven in the cities and countries where we live ... to be a colony of heaven on earth.
The apostle Paul calls us to this when he says, "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" - Philippians 3:20.
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Flesh vs. Spirit is often talked about as if Christians have two natures that are battling within them, the flesh (the so-called "sinful nature") and the Spirit. But this fails to pay close enough attention to Paul’s language … and how it’s shaped by the already, not yet overlap we’ve been talking about. Paul speaks of either being of the flesh or of the Spirit - both/and.
So in this episode we'll explore:
- two key texts - Romans 8:1-9 and Galatians 5:16-24.
- what Paul means by flesh
- how to walk by the Spirit
So that, here in the meantime, we can follow Jesus more fully. Because you can’t follow Jesus unless you walk with the Spirit!
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Temptation…who doesn’t experience it? And who doesn't at times yield to it?
We are all confronted by temptation and sin.
So here’s the question:
How can Paul say we’ve died to sin?
But that's what he says in Romans 6:1-2:
What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 Far from it! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
In this episode we explore the tension we experience between Paul's statement that we're dead to sin and the ongoing reality of sin in our life.
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Redeemed.
If you’re a follower of Jesus, you are redeemed - correct?
Well yes, of course.
We sing songs celebrating it.
We praise Jesus for being our redeemer.
We have verses like 1 Peter 1:18-19
8 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
So yes, we are redeemed.
But saying yes, we have redemption doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s only partially true. There's more to the story of redemption than that.
Yes we have redemption, but we’re also looking forward to the day of redemption.
This is the tension we live with in the meantime.
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Have you ever felt this tension?
On the one hand, the New Testament says we a more than conquerors.
On the other hand, it says through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
Victory now.
Suffering, weakness, and hardship now.
This tension shapes everything the New Testament says about following Jesus. And if we overemphasize either one we will not only distort everything the New Testament say but we'll have a distorted experience of following Jesus.
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Leviticus 10 records a shocking and surprising story... God puts to death two priests, Nadab and Abihu, two sons of Aaron. Moses explains why God did this: approaching God is serious business. His holiness must be honored. He must not be treated as ordinary, profane. As priests, these two were supposed to model for Israel the consecration necessary for being a “kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19:6), but instead they showed flagrant disregard for God’s command. God needed to drive home the point: “I will be treated as holy.”
This happened on other occasions too. When the priests ignored God’s instructions for how to transport the ark and Uzzah touched the ark to stabilize it, God put him to death (1 Chron 13:9-10). When Ananias and Sapphira lied before the church about their offering, God put them to death too (Acts 5:1-11).
Each of these incidents occur at key moments in the history of God’s people and make the same point: God is not someone to be trifled with. He is holy and his holiness must be taken seriously.
We need to remember that although God has redeemed us by his grace, he calls us to be holy and to honor him as holy. Our Father, hallowed be your name.
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The apostle Paul says that the Law is "holy and righteous and good" (Romans 7:12). But he also says that Law's job is done. Why is this? What's wrong with the Law?
Paul answers that question in Romans 7-8. He tells us the Law was weak. And because the Law was weak, it was never intended to be the final answer to sin and death. In fact, in Galatians 3 Paul argues that the Law was never primary or meant to be permanent. It was given for a specific purpose and a specific time period.
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Why Leviticus?
Let's be honest, Leviticus isn't the most exciting reading! Sacrifices, priests, food laws, and other rituals too. What's the value of all of this?
I this episode, we reflect the purpose of Leviticus, noting that the whole book revolves around the idea of holiness. How can Israel be holy as God is holy? We discuss:
-that Leviticus is like a procedures manual for the priests.
-the purposes of sacrifices
-the main point of the food laws
-and how all of that is intended to mark Israel out as God's holy people.
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Since the Old Testament Law is still God's word for us (even though it's not God's covenant with us), how can we read it profitably? What was its original purpose? Of what benefit is it for us today?
Exodus 19:4-6 comes right between the Exodus (redemption) and the giving of the covenant and the Law. It states the purpose of the the nation of Israel - and thus the Law for Israel - like this:
4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession.Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’
The apostle applies these words to Christians in 1 Peter 2:9-10 ... so our purpose is the same, and the Law can help us live that purpose out more fully.
Tune in to this episode to hear these ideas fleshed out more fully.
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One of the really important things to remember when reading the Bible is that we're not the original audience. The Bible was written for us but not to us. And this is doubly so with the Old Testament Law.
The Law was God's covenant with Israel, to form them as His holy people - a "kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:5-6). It is Israel's national charter. So it's not God's covenant with us today. Our covenant with God is in Christ, not the Law.
Nevertheless, the Law teaches us a ton about God's values, priorities, aims, and ambitions. It shows us how some of those worked out in a particular culture and context. And from that we can discern wisdom for today.
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Probably the most common thing Christ say about the Old Testament law is that it was a bunch rules that were all about works salvation. And since they couldn't keep all the rules it shows that no one can earn their salvation.
But that's a fundamental misunderstanding of the Old Testament law.
In fact, if you read it, you could never say that because that's not at all how the story goes. So to understand the Law, we need to recognize that it's part of a story, Israel's story. And we need to pay attention to the flow of that story and where the Law fits into it.
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Is the Old Testament Law a burden or a blessing?
Christians often denigrate the Old Testament as just a bunch of rules and rituals that people had to keep to try to earn their salvation, but they never could keep all those rules. So that's why Jesus came and set us free from the Law. Is that an accurate portrayal of what the Law was intended to do and be?
How should we approach the Old Testament Law?
If you've ever struggled to read books like Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy and wondered what all those rules and rituals were about then this episode (and series) is for you.
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Resurrection.
If Jesus didn't rise from the dead then He's a fraud and Christianity is a sham. So does it make any sense to believe that Jesus rose from the dead? Is there any evidence?
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On this episode we explore several questions that challenge our faith in God and Jesus.
Question #1 - Why does God seem so invisible, unknown and unresponsive?
Question #2 - What makes belief in Jesus the exclusive way to true life, here, now, and after death?
Questions #3 - If the church has often hurt its neighbors through violence, racism, sexism etc., what does that tell us about how we should trust what traditions and beliefs it has passed to us? In short, why should we believe in Christianity when the church sucks?
These are real and important questions, so let's explore them together.
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If Jesus is the Messiah, why don't Jews believe in Him? This has been a question since the days of the apostles … who were Jews by the way. In fact, this really is the question that lies behind Romans 9-11.
And how can a loving forgiving God condemn people for following the "wrong religion" with strong faith and morality? Are people actually condemned for "following the wrong religion"?
Book: The Case for Christ
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On Questions of Doubt, pt. 6 (More Questions about the Bible), one of the the things we touched on was inspiration meaning that God supervised the writing of the Bible. In response, one listener had several questions:
- If the Bible is inspired or “supervised by God” then does He still do that?
- Why is Scripture complete?
- Why are other works (both ancient and modern texts) not considered inspired scripture? What if they don’t contradict scripture?
- If God supervised scripture, does that have to mean it has no prescriptive errors that aren’t necessarily sinful but cultural? Would God have compelled the authors to edit those things out?
These a good questions and at the heart of most of them lies the question of the canon - that is, the official books of the Bible. Why are there only these books of the Bible? Why do some Bibles have more books? How were the books decided upon?
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Prayer.
If we're honest, prayer is a mixed bag. Sometimes wonderful ... incredible connection with God and God's goodness is poured out. Other times it's confusing, even frustrating. Where is God? Why doesn't He listen to me?
Miracles.
It seems like they're all over the place in the Bible, but not any more. Why not? What happened?
These two topics can be very discouraging and troubling, so let's explore these together.
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The Bible is central to the christian faith. Can we actually trust it?
Isn't the Bible full of errors and mistakes?
Has the Bible been edited and changed from when it was originally written?
Isn't the Bible written by imperfect men... so how can it be trustworthy?
Can I really I trust a book that thousands of years old?
These are some of the questions we explore on this episode of the Bible in Life.
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Can I actually trust the Bible?
That's a fair and honest question. The bible is an old book. At times it can be an odd book. Or at least a foreign book. And there are things in it that don’t make sense.
So is it really trustworthy?
Some of the reasons often expressed for doubting that the Bible is trustworthy are:
- Why should I trust a book that thousands of years old?
- It’s full of contradictions.
- It’s been changed and rewritten so many times.
- It’s full of errors and mistakes.
- it teaches hurtful, hateful things…
In this episode, I encourage to focus on Jesus and thus explore if the witnesses to Jesus can be trusted. Next week, we'll get into some of the other questions.
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If God is real and is who the Bible says He is, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?
Often times this question arises when we’re experiencing some sort of pain or suffering … and it feels like we should curse the world as stupid rather than trust in God. This can be especially painful if we’re a praying person and we’ve prayed and prayed and the pain and suffering still persists.
If there really is a god and he really did care, then he’d never let this happen to me.
This question has also gained force as the global community has gotten smaller and we now know what’s happening all around the world all the time. And since the news feeds off the negative, we are constantly made aware of the pain and suffering all around the world. And the enormity at times seems overwhelming.
So how could God, especially the supposedly loving and powerful God of the Bible, really exist?!
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Does God really exist or is He just a fairy tale?
In this episode, I look some of the reasons I think it's reasonable to believe God exists. There are actually a good number of reasons and there's no way I could cover them all in this one short podcast. But I do cover some of the key ones and provide a framework for how to approach the question.
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What is the goal of facing our doubts? Why does that matter?
If we're someone else deal with their doubts, what should our approach be like?
Is faith blind?
What is truth?
How does faith relate to truth?
These are some of the questions I address in this episode.
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Faith. Doubt.
The apostle Paul reminds us that "we walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7). And sometimes walking by faith is hard. Sometimes it's confusing. Sometimes we have questions that nag at our confidence in God or Jesus of the Bible.
In this episode, I begin a new series on questions of doubt by telling my own story of doubt, a time when I really struggled to know for sure whether I believed the story of Jesus or not.
Got a question of doubt you'd like me to address? Email me at john@johnwhittaker.net
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When asked about why he teaches in parables, Jesus says that He teaches in parables "so that while seeing they may see, and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear, and not understand, otherwise they might return and it would be forgiven them." - Mark 4:12.
Doesn't Jesus want people to understand his teaching? Doesn't he want them to be forgiven?
In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we explore Mark 4, its connection to Isaiah 6, and why Jesus taught in parables.
Mark 4:10-12
10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve disciples, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but for those who are outside, everything comes in parables, 12 so that while seeing they may see, and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear, and not understand, otherwise they might return and it would be forgiven them.”
Isaiah 6:8-10
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on listening, but do not understand;
And keep on looking, but do not gain knowledge.’
10 Make the hearts of this people insensitive,
Their ears dull,
And their eyes blind,
So that they will not see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed.”
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Love one another. Love your enemies. Love your neighbor. Are Christians supposed to love everyone? What about people who are very different than them? What about people who go against the teaching of Jesus and his apostles?
Why does Jesus commend a widow who gives away everything she has to live on? Are we supposed to give away everything? That doesn't seem responsible. What's Jesus' point?
Mark 12:41-44
41 And Jesus sat down opposite the treasury, and began watching how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large amounts.42 And a poor widow came and put in two lepta coins, which amount to a quadrans.43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
Book mentioned in this episode*:
People to Be Loved, Preston Sprinkle
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What did Jesus mean by...? pt. 5
In this episode, we explore two very different teachings of Jesus that challenge us to examine about the proper posture of our lives in relation to ourselves and others and Jesus and God.
In Matthew 23:9-10, Jesus says don't call anyone on earth father or teacher. But we all do that. Are we doing something wrong? Why shouldn't we call anyone father? Is using titles like Dr. so and so wrong?
And in Mark 10:17-18, Jesus seems to reject being called good because only God is good. Is it wrong to allow someone to call us good? And isn't Jesus God anyhow, so isn't fine if someone calls him good?
Texts used in this episode:
Matthew 23:1-11
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses. 3 Therefore, whatever they tell you, do and comply with it all, but do not do as they do; for they say things and do not do them. 4 And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. 5 And they do all their deeds to be noticed by other people; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the seats of honor in the synagogues, 7 and personal greetings in the marketplaces, and being called Rabbi by the people. 8 But as for you, do not be called Rabbi; for only One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers and sisters. 9 And do not call anyone on earth your father; for only One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called leaders; for only One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 But the greatest of you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
Mark 10:17-18
17 As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do so that I may inherit eternal life?” 18 But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. ”
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In this episode of the Bible in Life, we wrestle with to passage where Jesus says some very shocking words. They're harsh, and they don't seem to fit with other things Jesus says.
And the subject of both passages is following Jesus. In other words, what Jesus says here concerns being his disciple and that means they're of central importance to us if we claim to be His disciples.
So what does Jesus mean by "let the dead bury their own dead" (Luke 9:57-62) and if you want to follow Him you must "hate" your family (Luke 14:25-27)?
For more on the cultural background to Jesus' teaching:
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes
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Buy a sword and stop crying!
Has someone ever said something to you and what they initially said doesn’t sound quite right? It just doesn't sound like something they'd say.
And you’re like, “wait, hold on … I’m not tracking with you at all.” And then once they explain themselves, you’re like “oh, I see what you mean…”
That’s sort of what we get sometimes from Jesus. So...
In this week’s episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we look at two statements like that from Jesus that just don’t seem to fit everything else He says and what we know about him.
Did Jesus tell his apostles to buy swords and get ready to fight?
Why did Jesus tell the ladies weeping for him as he went to be crucified to stop crying for him and to cry instead for themselves?
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What did Jesus mean by ....? pt. 2
Jesus said "no one comes to the Father except by Me" (John 14:6).
But He also said, "No one can come to Me unless the Father draws them" (John 6:44).
This seems like a catch 22 - you can't get to Father without Jesus and you can't get to Jesus without the Father. What's going on here?
When reading the Bible it's always critical to pay attention to the original context, both historical context and literary context. So in this episode we seek to listen to what Jesus was saying to His original audience and then figure out how these two passages fit together.
John 14:1-6
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be. 4 And you know thse way where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 6:41-45
41 So then the Jews were complaining about Him because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” 42 And they were saying, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Stop complaining among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.
Also read Isaiah 54 and John 8:38-44
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What did Jesus mean by...?
What does it mean that there will be no marriage in heaven? What's the purpose of marriage on earth? Will I know my spouse in heaven?
These question all derive from what Jesus said in Matthew 22:30: "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." So in the is episode we explore what Jesus means by there will be no marriage in heaven and how that connects to the purpose of marriage.
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There's been a lot of emphasis on leadership development for pastors and church leaders over the 15-20 years. While some good has come of that, I wonder if we've misunderstood what we're leading and what church leadership is really about. And this has led us to get things backwards. And in practice, it's even led a lot of confusion about what the "church" is.
This episode is a random reflection on this subject. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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Many Christians really want to know Jesus and experience the abundant life He offers. Because of that, they know they should (and often want to) read the Bible. But when they do, they discover the Bible is hard and often leaves them feeling confused. And they aren’t quite sure why and what to do about it.
This episode explores that difficulty, helping you see that it's not all your fault and what you can do to make more sense of the Bible... and the the goal, of course, is that you can follow Jesus in your everyday life.
Because when you do that, you will experience the abundant life He offers … because Jesus and the Bible really do have the best wisdom for life - even if you have to work for it a bit!
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The book of Habakkuk ends with one of the most beautiful descriptions of faith and faithfulness in the entire Bible. Habakkuk 3:17-19 says:
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights.
In this episode, we explore this beautiful text in the context of all of ch. 3 (and all of Habakkuk) learning what it takes to trust God continuously ... even when His actions don't make sense to us.
[THIS WEEK] - Pastors and Church Leaders - Free Workshop on 5 Shifts for Becoming a Disciple Making Church:
discipleshipworkshop.net
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Have you ever felt like whatever God was up to, it didn't make sense? Where you wanted to say, "God, I don't understand?!"
That's Habakkuk's experience. God responds to his complaint and assures Habakkuk that He is indeed doing something about all the injustice among Israel. The problem is, God's cure is worse than the disease, and Habakkuk doesn't get it. So he complains to God again!
And God responds with one of the most important verses about faith ... what God tells Habakkuk is quoted in Romans and Galatians as the baseline for what it means to be a Christian: "The righteous shall live by faith."
Pastors and Church Leaders - Free Workshop on 5 Shifts for Becoming a Disciple Making Church:
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Have you ever felt disappoint with God?
Then maybe you should read the book of Habakkuk? It's a short read but with big lessons on living by faith. This is the first episode in a series on Lessons on Faith from Habakkuk.
Habakkuk records a dialogue between God and the prophet Habakkuk that begins with Habakkuk complaining to God about the state of affairs among the Jews and God's silence ... He's not doing anything about the injustice being practiced by His own people.
And Habakkuk can't figure out why God isn't doing anything. So He expresses his thoughts to God.
If you've every felt like life wasn't fair or been frustrated by God's absence or felt like God needed to act, Habakkuk is for you!
Habakkuk shows us that faith wrestles with God!
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Do you want a deeper relationship with God this year? I know I do. In this episode I explore 4 things I'm going to focus on to deepen my walk with God and I believe they can be helpful for you this year as well.
Now here's the thing: any strong relationship takes intentional effort, and the same is true in our relationship with God. So after you listen to this podcast, I'd encourage you to carve our space to reflect and plan what you will do to deepen your walk with God in 2021.
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When we arrive at Luke 2 and the Christmas story, the Jews have been waiting a long long time.
2000 years since Abraham
600 years since sent to exile and being under foreign rulers
300 yrs of greek culture
60 yrs of roman occupation
And heaven was silent… there were glimmers of hope - like the Maccabean revolt - only to be dashed against the rocks of reality.
It seemed they had been enduring a dark and long night from which they couldn’t escape and God wasn’t acting on their behalf.
And yet there were those passages in the poems and prophets of old …
Passages that made the faithful wait and wonder, "How long, O Lord?"
Bible verses used in this episode:
Luke 2:21-35
21 And when eight days were completed so that it was time for His circumcision, He was also named Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the days for their purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord: “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what has been stated in the Law of the Lord: “A pair of turtledoves or two young doves.”
25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 “Now, Lord, You are letting Your bond-servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation,
31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all the peoples:
32 A light for revelation for the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”
33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.
34 And Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Romans 8:18-25
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
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One of the most obvious things about God and His sovereignty is this: He doesn’t work the way we expect.
And it’s easy to be disappointed.
It’s easy to wonder where God is at and what he’s up to.
In this episode, we pick up where we left off:
The Jews have been carried off to Babylon and into exile Their nation destroyed Jerusalem and the temple a heap of rubble. And we trace the story between Malachi (the end of the Old Testament) and Matthew (the beginning of the New Testament). We learn through this story that waiting on God requires tenacious clinging to His promises even when God is silent and seems to be taking forever doing what He said He would do.
Bible verses used in the episode:
Lamentations 1
How deserted lies the city,
once so full of people!
How like a widow is she,
who once was great among the nations!
She who was queen among the provinces
has now become a slave.
2 Bitterly she weeps at night,
tears are on her cheeks.
Among all her lovers
there is no one to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed her;
they have become her enemies.
3 After affliction and harsh labor,
Judah has gone into exile.
She dwells among the nations;
she finds no resting place.
All who pursue her have overtaken her
in the midst of her distress.
Lamentations 2
How the Lord has covered Daughter Zion
with the cloud of his anger!
He has hurled down the splendor of Israel
from heaven to earth;
he has not remembered his footstool
in the day of his anger.
2 Without pity the Lord has swallowed up
all the dwellings of Jacob;
in his wrath he has torn down
the strongholds of Daughter Judah.
He has brought her kingdom and its princes
down to the ground in dishonor.
Jeremiah 29
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Lamentations 3
I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great steadfast love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord
Want to get more out of your Bible reading?
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Waiting. I’m not good at it. Are you?
The weeks leading to Christmas is traditionally called Advent.
Advent is a season of waiting. The heart of that waiting is set to music in the Christmas classic:
Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Waiting is part of walking by faith. Here's two things we learn as we ponder the story of Abraham and Israel:
-
God takes His time. He sovereignly goes at a long, slow pace.
-
Waiting on God includes moments of "what now?!"
In this episode we trace the story of God's promise to Abraham through it's initial fulfillment to its seeming failure when Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed and God's people are carried away into exile.
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The world says "I've gotta be true to myself" or "That's just who I am" or "it's right for me."
The Bible likewise calls us to live who we are, but it means something totally different ... it's talking about our new identity that God has given us in Christ and that we need to learn to live according to who God has made us.
Nowhere is this theme presented any more clearly than in Colossians 3.
This episode is from The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament. To listen to more visit:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Want to get more out of your Bible reading?
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Money. We all have to deal with it ... whether we have a lot or a little.
Wealth. Most of us would like more of it.
When it comes to handling money we hear about money management, wealth management, financial planning, among other things.
Every culture has certain assumptions and beliefs about money, and most of the time it's connected to having more. More money means more status, more fun, more happiness. It can mean you planned better, worked harder, or were just smarter than others.
But Jesus has a different set of beliefs and assumptions about money. Spoiler alert: it's not that money or wealth is bad. And if we are His disciples then we need to to learn about money from Him not from culture.
In this episode we explore 3 insights about money and wealth from Jesus and 3 practices that will help us live those insights out. And it's all very counter cultural.
Bible Verses
Matthew 6:19-24
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Want to get more out of your Bible reading?
Free Resource: The Bible is meant to be a source of life. The problem? So few read it and when they do, they struggle to get much out of it. I’ve put together a free guide to help you immediately get more out of the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
The Listener’s Commentary - Teaching through Bible books:
The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means and live it out.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
One of the most distinctive things about human beings is our need for meaning. We need meaning to keep going in life. Viktor Frankl's classic, Man's Search for Meaning, even describes how having some meaning enable Jews to survive in Nazi concentration camps during World War 2.
Humans can't exist without meaning.
So how can you live a life that counts? A life with few regrets when you come to the end?
And how should that shape your life as a follower of Jesus?
This episode of the Bible in Life looks at the two examples the apostle Paul gives in Philippians 2:19-30 of what a life that counts looks like.
Philippians 2:19-30
19 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. 20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father. 23 Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; 24 and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly.
25 But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; 26 because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27 For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. 29 Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; 30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.
Want to get more out of your Bible reading?
Free Resource: The Bible is meant to be a source of life. The problem? So few read it and when they do, they struggle to get much out of it. I’ve put together a free guide to help you immediately get more out of the Bible:
john@johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team?
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker
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Teaching through Bible books:
The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means and live it out.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com/philippians
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
We like are "saviors" with power. We want them to kick butt and destroy the bad guys! The Jews in the first century like those kinds of saviors too, and that's what they expected the Messiah to be.
But Jesus is the wrong kind of Messiah. He didn't kick butt. He didn't vanquish the Romans.
He got killed.
And he calls us, His followers, to overcome evil the same way ... by laying down our life.
Mark 8:27-38
27 Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets.”29 And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And He warned them to tell no one about Him.
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 35 For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
Revelation 12:10-12
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12 For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”
Want to get more out of your Bible reading?
Free Resource: The Bible is meant to be a source of life. The problem? So few read it and when they do, they struggle to get much out of it. I’ve put together a free guide to help you immediately get more out of the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Teaching through Bible books:
The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means and live it out.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Why is faithfulness so hard?
In Ephesians 6:10-17 (the well-known armor of God passage), the apostle Paul calls us to stand firm for Jesus. He reminds that standing firm is going to be hard because, as followers of Jesus, we have powerful enemies. Enemies way more powerful than if they were mere flesh and blood.
Yet, so many of us are surprised when following Jesus is hard. We get frustrated when bad things happen to us. We seem to want life in Christ to be a walk in the park. Intellectually we may know otherwise, but emotionally and pragmatically we expect life to be more of a playground than battleground.
And as a result we're unprepared to deal with the world as it actually is right now.
Want to deepen your walk with God?
Free Resource: The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Teaching through Bible books:
The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means and live it out.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Suffering.
It's a reality. We all experience hardship in some way at some point in life.
And suffering has the power to rock our faith. Are you there God? Don't you care? Why are you letting this happen to me?
Where is God in the midst of our suffering?
In this episode, we explore how Psalm 23 and John 10 speak to this question.
Book:
The Bible and the Land, Gary Burge. Click to following link to check it out.
https://amzn.to/3jAkn3r
Bible Passages used in this episode:
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
John 10:11-15
11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.13 He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.
Want to deepen you connection with God?
Free Resource: The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Teaching through Bible books:
The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means and live it out.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
*Note: some links are affiliate links, which means I get a small commission at no additional cost to you.
How do you discern the voice of God?
Does God speak to us today? If so, how does He speak to us? And how do you know it's his voice not just your own thoughts?
These are important questions that have powerful life implications. And there is a lot of unclear and unhelpful teaching on this topic. What does the Bible say about how to hear God's voice and what it means to be led by the Spirit.
Walking in the Spirit Book:
Click this link to buy the book on walking in the Spirit by Kenneth Berding: https://amzn.to/2HeQQz0
Bible Passages referenced in the episode:
Luke 9:33-36 33 And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.
John 8:31-32 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
Romans 8:14 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Romans 8:5-6 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
Romans 8:12-14 So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13 for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Want to deepen you connection with God?
Free Resource: The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Teaching through Bible books:
The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means and live it out.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
*Note these notes contain affiliate links which mean I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
The single most important subject for us to think about is God. Who is he? What is he like? How do who know who He is and what He's like?
A. W. Tozer once said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” And I agree that the stakes are that high - it affects our view of others, how we raise our kids, how we treat our coworkers and neighbors, and even how we view and feel about ourselves.
John 1:1-14 has some powerful insights for who God is.
Text:
John 1:1-5
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Want to deepen you connection with God?
Free Resource: The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Teaching through Bible books:
The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means and live it out.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Galatians 2:11-21 recounts a conflict between the apostle Paul and the apostle Peter, over eating dinner with people. And for Paul, it's a gospel issue!
What Paul says in this passage speaks powerfully to God's people today concerning this present cultural moment. Racism. Identity politics. Status and wealth. Political division. Our differences have never been sharper than they are right now and we need to the gospel to level us and transform the way we relate to our fellow Christians who are different than us.
Following Jesus has implications for who we "one another" with and how we "one another" with them.
Galatians 2:11-21
11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
Online Courses to help you learn and live the Bible:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/courses
Want to deepen you connection with God?
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Teaching through Bible books:
The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Are we living in the end times? 2020 has been a crazy year and has so many people asking: are these signs of the times ... is the end near? Is Jesus about to return?
I know this is on lots of Christians minds because I have had emails and phone calls asking me about it. There are new YouTube videos about the end times and fresh predictions of Jesus' return.
But what does Jesus and his apostles have to say about it? Would they say they think we're living near the end times?
In this episode we explore Matthew 24, as well as 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 and 2 Peter 3:10-11 to answer this question.
Bible Passages used in the episode:
Matthew 24:32-36, 42-44
32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.43 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
2 Peter 3: 10-11
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness
FREE MINI-COURSE:
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Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Teaching through Bible books: The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Sacred vs. Secular.
Sacred music = church music or religious music. Secular music is non-religious.
Sacred activities = religious activities (attending church, reading the Bible, praying). Secular activities is everything else ... which is where we spend the majority of our time - working, cleaning, going to school, and all the stuff of everyday life.
But the Bible doesn't intend for you life to be divided like this.
In a biblical view of the world, everything is spiritual. The only proper division is righteous or unrighteous. And when we live our life unto God, paying the bills is just as spiritual as praying or preaching. Doing homework is just as sacred as doing Bible study.
Discipleship resources for churches and ministries:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/bible-training-churches
Want to deepen you connection with God?
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker
Teaching through Bible books: The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
In Luke 8:4-18 (the Parable of the Sower) Jesus teaches us a critical truth: hearing the word of God isn't enough; it's the way you hear that really matters.
That means that Bible study alone isn't going to lead to spiritual maturity. In fact, there are some pretty smart people who know more Bible than most people and don't even believe in God or follow Jesus.
In the parable, there are 4 kinds of soils that represent 4 kinds of hearts: a hard heart, a shallow heart, a distracted heart, and a good heart. What makes the difference between the good heart and the other three? Tune it to find out ... and then check your heart!
TEXT
4 When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: 5 “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. 8 Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
9 His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. 10 And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.
11 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. 12 Those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky soil are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no firm root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.
16 “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light.17 For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. 18 So take care how you listen; for whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.”
Want to deepen you connection with God?
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Teaching through Bible books: The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
"Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Jesus quotes these words when he's being tempted by devil. But the words originally appear in Deuteronomy 8:3, and they provide a real challenge to us as followers of Jesus.
Deuteronomy 8:1-5
“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.
Want to deepen you connection with God?
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
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Or become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker
Teaching through Bible books: The Listener's Commentary on the New Testament is an audio commentary on each New Testament book, explaining its meaning in its original context so you can better understand what it means.
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Jesus was not afraid to use a little Bible teacher trash talk when dealing with the religious leaders of his day. He often challenged them on their knowledge of Scripture ... which is both fascinating and frightening. These were the Bible experts of the day and yet Jesus questioned their knowledge of the Bible!
Since our spiritual growth is tied to our grasp of the Bible, there's an important lesson in this for us as disciples of Jesus. Do we truly know the Bible? What kind of posture do we have in relationship to the Bible? Do we stand over the text as masters of it or under the text as those who would be mastered by it?
Support this ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Want to deepen you connection with God?
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Teaching through Bible books:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Did you know Jesus had to learn the Bible? Have you ever thought about that?
Jesus didn't just somehow automatically know the Scriptures by heart just because he was God in the flesh. He had to study them and learn them, just like he had to learn so many other things as a human being.
And learn them he did.
Read the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) looking for all the time Jesus referred to or quoted the Bible. It was just a part of the fabric of his life.
As disciples of Jesus, our goal is to become like Him. That means, we imitate his pattern of life. If Jesus did something, then we aim to do it too.
This means that learning the Bible should be a central aim of our discipleship to Jesus.
In this episode, we mentioned a lot a passages of Scripture. I'll put a few of them below to make it easier to follow along if you want.
Matthew 12:1-7
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”
3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Matthew 15:1-9;
15 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”
3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:
8
“‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9
They worship me in vain;
their teachings are merely human rules.’”
Luke 2:40-52
46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
Luke 24:25-27
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Want to deepen you connection with God?
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Or become a patron at
https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
I don't know a single person who would say they wouldn't like a blessed life. We may have different pictures of what a blessed life is, but everybody wants one.
But that also indicates the problem ... we all have different pictures of what a blessed life is. There are thousands of voices all clamoring for our attention and all promising their version of the good life. Far too often, however, God's people listen to those other voices rather than to the instruction of the Lord.
But Psalm 1 says, "Blessed is the man who ... delights in the Law of the Lord."
Can Bible study really make a difference in your life? Psalm 1 thinks so. In fact, this psalm paints a compelling picture of two ways of life with two very different outcomes. Self-honesty urges us to ask, who do I listen to about how to have a blessed life?
Want to deepen you connection with God?
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Support this Ministry:
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Check out the Listener's Commentary on the New Testament:
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Here are some other ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Masks or no masks? Protests, riots, and racial injustice. Name calling and labels over political opinions. Needless to say, the present time is contentious ... and Christians aren't immune. In this episode, I seek to inject some biblical wisdom into the situation so that we can better live as the people of God and better glorify God at the present time.
Become a Patron and get access to discounts on courses and bonus podcasts
https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker
The Listener's Commentary
https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Want to deepen you connection with God?
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/minicourse
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
I'd love to connect. Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Love is the the heart of the new culture in Jesus' family ... and not just any love either. Love that's patterned after Jesus. Love that is cross-shaped. This is capstone of re-scocializing, the goal of spiritual growth.
Want to deepen you connection with God?
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
I'd love to connect. Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Forgiveness.
We all need it, and God gladly gives it to un in Jesus. And as God's new family in Jesus, he expects us to give forgiveness to each other. This is one of the most distinctive practices of the new culture we're learning in Jesus.
This episode discusses some of the things forgiveness is not and what it essentially is.
Bible passages referenced in this episode:
Colossians 3:12-13
12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26 So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ 27 And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ 30 But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31 So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32 Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ 34 And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
Want to deepen you connection with God?
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
I'd love to connect. Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Even though we're part of a new kingdom as Jesus' followers, we're still part of the city in which we live. So as part of God's kingdom how are we supposed to relate to the kings and kingdoms of this world?
This is a crucial question that the apostles of Jesus regularly address. Peter offers a clear and compelling answer to this question in 1 Peter 2:11-17. He makes it clear that honoring the governing authorities and being good members of the community are key parts of learning the new way of Jesus.
1 Peter 2:11-17
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
I'd love to connect. Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
As a follower of Jesus, how should we think about money and stuff?
We tend think money is good. Often we think more of it will solve so many problems. Is that true?
Or is it bad? Should we get rid of it all and take a vow of poverty?
I think Jesus' way regarding money and stuff is much more insightful and balance than either of those two options.
Passages used in this episode:
Matthew 6:19-24
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
1 Timothy 6:17-19
17 Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. 18 Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
Connect with me:
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Support this Ministry Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
First Thessalonians 4:3-5 is one of the most powerful passage discipleship and sexuality in the New Testament. Sex and sexuality has been co-opted by Satan and the fallen world, and is thus a major area in need of resocialization when someone becomes a disciple of Jesus. Unholy sex is a problem, a real problem, in a fallen world! God has a better vision for sex and sexuality.
1 Thessalonians 4:1-5
Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God (just as you actually do walk), that you excel still more. 2 For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
Preston Sprinkle - The Center for Faith, Sexuality, and Gender: https://www.centerforfaith.com
Connect with me: The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
I'd love to connect. Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Redeem Your Time; Reframe Your Tasks.
This is something disciples of Jesus must learn to do, but it's not as obvious as others. God has a different view of time than the modern world. God has different goals for the use of our time than the modern world. So as disciples of Jesus we have to learn to tell time God's way.
The Bible and Time and Tasks
Eph 5:15-16
15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
James 4:13-17
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Ps 90
- 90:1-2
Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were born
Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
- 90:12
So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.
-90:14
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And establish for us the work of our hands;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.
The #1 key to becoming like Jesus is living our life attached to him. So I've got a gift for you on my website ... a free video series designed to teach you how to read the Bible in a way to deepens your attachment to God. Click the link below.
https://www.johnwhittaker.net
Thank you to all of you who make this ministry possible by your financial support! Do you want to join the team? Set up a one-time or monthly donation at the link below.
http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/
I'd love to connect. Here are some ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Re-socializing, pt. 3
In this episode, John looks at what Colossians 3 teaches us about re-socializing in general and then he focuses on one area where we need to learn the new way of Jesus. Colossians 3:8 calls us to set aside "anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth." Those are no longer how we mange life and relationships in the new family of Jesus. Instead, we practice patience and peace.
Colossians 3:5-17
5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— 11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Did you know I work with churches? Check out the following link to learn more about a subscription plan for resources that help churches make more and better disciples.
Discipleship resources for churches
Bible in Life is a listener supported podcast. Thanks a ton to all of our supporters! Wanna become part of the team and support the show? Two options:
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
In this episode, I encourage followers of Jesus to think about the behavioral commands of the New Testament in terms of re-socializing in the soft sense of that word. That is, learning new norms, values, and practices in keeping with a new group that you have chosen to be apart of.
The apostle Paul writes, "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son," - Colossians 1:13.
Notice that he says we have been transferred to a new kingdom, the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. This means we've moved. We're part of a new kingdom with a new culture. So now, we have some things to unlearn from our old dominion and we have new norms, values, and practices to learn that are in keeping with the culture of Jesus' kingdom.
I also point out two mistakes Christians often make in thinking about the instructions of the New Testament.
-
The "religious rules" mistake
-
The "spiritual life" mistake.
Our goal is not to be good at religion or spiritual things; our goal is to learn the way of Jesus as part of his kingdom.
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Other resources and ways to connect with me:
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
"I never thought of reading Philippians as a letter before!" said one guy after church.
Twenty-one out of twenty-seven New Testament books are letters. That means when you read most of the NT, you're reading somebody else's mail!
Letters have a backstory and when we read them, we are only hearing one side of the conversation ... which poses some challenges.
In this episode, we explore the question, Why letters and how do the NT letter relate to the teaching and work of Jesus? We discuss how to read the letters well so that you can read them more faithfully as a follower of Jesus.
Did you know I work with churches? I coach churches on how to create discipleship cultures so that they can more faithfully carry out Jesus' mission of making disciples. I have 3 spots available. Email me at john@johnwhittaker.net for more info.
▶️WANT TO DEEPEN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD? Sign up for my free video series at: https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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▶️SUPPORT THIS MINISTRY:
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▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
How do we do discipleship?
The most important truth in answer to that question is this - you don't drift into discipleship. It doesn't happen on accident. You have to deliberately follow Jesus by rearranging your life to imitate Jesus' life. That's the essence of being a disciple.
In this episode, I also give some guidance on how you can disciple someone else. Here's a link to the reading plan resource I mention:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/readingplan
And I encourage church leaders to wrestle with the question - what is your plan for creating a culture of discipleship? I'd love to help you think this through. In fact, I have a discipleship coaching program to help pastors and church leaders figure this out. You can learn more about that here: DISCIPLESHIP COACHING: I help churches create a culture of discipleship https://www.johnwhittaker.net/discipleship-coaching
▶️WANT TO DEEPEN YOU RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD? Sign up for my free video series at: https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
This episode explores several key questions about discipleship:
- Are discipleship and evangelism the same thing?
- When does discipleship begin?
- Discipleship vs. salvation?
- Why is discipleship important?
- Why is discipleship difficult?
- What discipleship is not?
- How to do discipleship?
▶️SUPPORT THIS WORK:
-Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker
-Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.
▶️WANT TO DEEPEN YOU RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD? Sign up for my free video series at: https://www.johnwhittaker.net
▶️MORE FREE RESOURCES: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/resources
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
When it comes learning how to do something, showing is more helpful than just telling.
And that’s just as true of discipleship as anything else. The way of Jesus gets passed on by showing not just telling. Your relationship with Jesus is personal but it's not individual. People need your concrete example of discipleship.
Bible Passages mentioned in this episode:
2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 - For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you,nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.
1 Cor. 4:15-17 - For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.
1 Cor. 11:1 - Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Philippians 3:17 - Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.
Philippians 4:9 - The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
2 Tim. 3:10-11 - You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra. . . .”
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What are the main components of being a disciple of Jesus? That is, if you had to boil it down to the main ingredients… what are they? In this episode, I highlight the three main components of discipleship … and then zero in on the one component without which none of the rest are possible. So it’s the one component you can’t be a disciple without!
Bible Passages mentioned in this episode:
Mark 1:14-20
14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
Mark 8:31-34
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
34 And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Mark 3:13-14
13 And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach
John 14:16-17a
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth,
▶️LISTENER’S COMMENTARY: https://www.listenerscommentary.com
▶️DISCIPLESHIP COACHING: I help churches create a culture of discipleship https://www.johnwhittaker.net/discipleship-coaching
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In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus challenges would-be disciples in shocking ways. In doing so, he highlights for us a fundamental requirement of being a disciple.
Why does Jesus say, "Let the dead bury their own dead"?
Why doesn't Jesus permit someone to say good-bye to their family before following Him?
And what does all of this have to do with you being a disciple of Jesus?
Luke 9:57-62
57 As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 59 And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” 60 But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” 61 Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” 62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Mark 1:16-20
16 As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19 Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.
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In this episode, I focus on this question: What is the goal of discipleship? How do you know if you are a disciple? How do you know when you're a fully trained disciple?
Luke 6:39-40
39 And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40 A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.
Luke 6:43-45
43 For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. 45 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
Have you checked out the Listener's Commentary on the New Testament? https://www.listenerscommentary.com
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Christian. Religious. Church goer.
Those are some of the words and phrases used to describe followers of Jesus. But I don't think they're the best. At least, they don't get at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. So in this episode we look at the #1 thing we're supposed to do and be and the word that Jesus used to capture that.
That word is "disciple."
Making disciples is the mission - the only mission - of the church. It's also who we are as a church - a gathering of disciples. So all our energy and efforts should aim towards being disciples and making disciples. What does that entail? We're going to explore over the next few weeks on the podcast, beginning with this episode.
Matthew 28:18-2018 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Check out the Listener's Commentary on the New Testament: https://www.listenerscommentary.com
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This Bible in Life episode gives you a little preview of the Listener's Commentary on the New Testament (listenerscommentary.com) and studies Galatians 1:1-10. Galatians is Paul's defense of the gospel and the freedoms it provides. In Galatians 1:1-10, Paul introduces the letter, summarizes the gospel, and rebukes the Galatians for so easily going after a false gospel. The true gospel is the one preached by Paul, and Galatians will spell that out in detail.
Visit the Listener's Commentary website for more: https://www.listenerscommentary.com
Galatians 1:1-10
Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brethren who are with me,
To the churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen.
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
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"Leviticus is one of the most revolutionary books in the ancient world." - Brad Gray.
This is part 2 of my conversation with Brad Gray from Walking The Text, whose mission is to help people learn, love, and live the Bible. Some of the topics we discuss are 1) wrestling with the question, how do I make sense of the Old Testament Law? There's so many weird laws and rules ... why is all of that in the Bible? 2) We also reflect on the importance of recognizing the Big Story of the Bible (Brad mentions a great resource here), and 3) Ways you can engage with God's word.
Bonus: stick around til the end for some fun facts about Brad!
Learn more about Brad, study trips to Israel, and how to read the Bible in its original context at:
https://walkingthetext.com
Connect with Brad on:
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What is the #1 key to learning and living the Bible?
"Everybody knows that in any facet of life context is everything, and yet the vast majority of people have never been taught how to think about context related to the Bible." - Brad Gray.
In part 1 of their conversation about learning, loving, and living the Bible, Brad Gray (from Walking The Text) and John explore the power of the original context for understanding and experiencing the Bible. What's the force and feel of the familiar mention of Caesar Augustus in Luke 2? What's really going on in Paul's well-known words in Philippians 4:13 and why the original context is so important for experiencing the promises of God? And how can you begin to learn more about the original context of the Bible so that when you read, the text begins to come to life.
Learn more about Brad, study trips to Israel, and how to read the Bible in its original context at:
https://walkingthetext.com
Connect with Brad on:
▶️WANT TO DEEPEN YOU RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD? Sign up for my free video series at: https://www.johnwhittaker.net
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"I'm reading Leviticus. Enough said!"
Can you relate to that? I know I can. Leviticus is not the most exciting reading ... rule after rule, regulation after regulation! And some of those rules and regulations seem so odd!
In this episode I give a framework to help you think about Leviticus properly and then I deal with what's the purpose of the clean and unclean laws. All of this points towards Jesus eliminating the clean and unclean food laws but not the purpose of those laws.
Passages used in this episode:
Leviticus 20:24-26 - I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations. 25 “‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.
Amos 5:21-24
“I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me.
22 Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.
23 Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
Mark 7:18-23 - “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) 20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
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How can God say love your enemies and also say wipe out all the Canaanites? God sure seems angry and mean in the Old Testament and a lot nicer in the New Testament. There just seems like there's a lot of death and destruction in the Old Testament... how do we understand all of that?
Links to the books mentioned in this episode:
The God I Don't Understand, by Chris Wright
Is God a Moral Monster, by Paul Copan
Bible Passages in the episode:
God's Love in the OT
Exodus 34:6-7 - And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Psalm 86:15 - But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
Psalm 103:8 - The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
Psalm 145:8-9 - The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all he has compassion on all he has made.
God's Wrath in NT
Romans 1:18 -For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
Colossians 3:6 - For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,
Destroying and Driving Out the Canaanites:
Joshua 10: 40 - Thus Joshua struck all the land, the hill country and the Negev and the lowland and the slopes and all their kings. He left no survivor, but he utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded.
Leviticus 19:33 -’When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. 34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.
Exodus 23:28-30 - 28 I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you. 29 I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 30 I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.
Judges 2:21-23 - 21 I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not give them into the hand of Joshua.
Judges 3:5 - The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; 6 and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
Deut 7:4-6 - For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you. 5 But thus you shall do to them: you shall tear down their altars, and smash their sacred pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire. 6 For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Genesis 15:16 - In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
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Has anyone ever told you to read the Bible … it’ll change your life?
On one hand that’s true. Studies have show that people who read the Bible 4 days a week see significant life transformation in all sorts of positive ways.
But on the other hand, if we're gonna be honest, the Bible also has some pretty strange stuff in it! Women riding on seven-headed beasts and demon-possessed people that attack other people, kind of stuff. Or more troubling stuff like slavery and commands to kill people.
Why is the Bible so strange sometimes?
One of the major reasons for that is because reading the Bible is like traveling to a foreign country! So the more culturally sensitive we the more we will understand it.
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Jesus teaches us that a life of prayer includes praying, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." - Matt 6:13
This is important because this world is a battleground not a playground … we often forget this. According to Jesus and His apostles the reason for this is because there is an archenemy of God and His people, namely the Satan who is out to destroy God's good world and God's people. Prayer is a key part of our arsenal for navigating the threats of this world. In this episode we look at two places we have to face evil.
-
We face evil in the world around us in both forms - suffering and sin. We need protection from this.
-
We face evil within us. We need strength and transformation to be delivered from this.
Passages mentioned in this episode:
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; 32 but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; - Luke 22:31-32
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. - 1 Peter 5:8
Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. - Mark 14:38
abstain from fleshly desires which wage war against the soul. - 1 Peter 2:11
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‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. - Matthew 6:12
We have various strategies for dealing with our failures.
We rationalize.
We minimize.
We blame.
Jesus has another way. It's a way that requires courage. It's a way that will changes your life.
Instead of using any of the strategies that are forms of hiding/avoiding our failures, Jesus invites us to confess them to our Father in heaven and ask Him to forgive them. This is so powerful for our relationship with God, with ourself, and with others.
"Forgive us our debts" is a prayer that changes your life.
Passages mentioned in this episode:
Luke 18:9-14
9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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Give us this day our daily bread.
This request from the Lord's Prayer begins to get at the heart of living a life of prayer. In this request, we are asking for our basic needs to be taken care of by someone else. This acknowledges that we aren't ultimately in charge of life - of our security and what becomes of us in the future. We can't control our well being.
To pray "give us this day our daily bread" is to admit our weakness and need of help. It's to look to our Father in heaven for this help. We can do this in a way that really amounts to worrying in God's direction or we can do it with confidence and trust.
So, learning to pray is learning to trust.
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
If you've ever prayed the Lord's prayer, you've prayed the words "Your kingdom come." What does that mean? What do you imagine happening when you ask that?
The coming of God's kingdom is one of the major themes of the Bible. It was at the heart of Jesus' ministry. Jesus taught that He was bringing God's kingdom into the world. So in a certain sense, God's kingdom is already here. Yet He taught us to pray for it to come, which means we're still waiting for it.
Some things addressed in this podcast:
-What is God's kingdom?
-What assumptions about the world and history underlie praying for God's kingdom to come?
-What's the global aspect of this request and the personal aspect?
-How does Jesus model the impact of this prayer on our life?
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Prayer.
When Jesus teaches us to pray, He says should be our first concern should be that God's name be "hallowed." That has to do with God's name being holy. As the psalmist writes, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name." - 103:1.
But if God's name already is holy, then what does it mean to pray that it would be holy? And what does that teach us about living a life of prayer?
Bible passages mentioned in this episode:
-Psalm 33:21: For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name.
-Psalm 97:12: Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones, and give thanks to His holy name.
-Psalm 103:1: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
-Exodus 20:7: You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.
-Ezekiel 36:20-23
20 When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord; yet they have come out of His land.’ 21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. 23 I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,” declares the Lord God, “when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight - -Ezek 36:20-23
-Psalm 99:1-3
The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake! The Lord is great in Zion, and He is exalted above all the peoples. Let them praise Your great and awesome name; Holy is He.
-Psalm 111:9: He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name.
-Psalm 25:11: For Your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
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Who do you pray to?
Yes, I know, God ... but what’s he like?
How does he want to be addressed?
And what kind of relationship should we expect?
As we're developing a life of prayer, these are all very important questions because we want to be sure we're praying to the God and Father revealed to us in Jesus. Jesus teaches us to pray to "Our Father in heaven ..." What kind of father is he? What kind of relationship with Him should we expect?
Tune in to this episode to see who Jesus invites us to pray to.
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Prayer.
Prayer is one of the most beautiful and most frustrating parts of the Christian life ... at least for me. Having prayed and followed Jesus for 35 years, I still find myself with tons of questions about prayer and I find myself still asking, "Lord teach me to pray!"
That's the same request the disciples had for Jesus in Luke 11:1, and it reminds us that living a life of prayer doesn't just happen on accident. We have to be intentional. We have to seek help.
We have to learn to pray.
Bible Verses mentioned in this episode:
- Luke 11:1 -One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
- Luke 5:16 - But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
- Luke 6:12 - One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
- Luke 9:18 - Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them …
- Luke 9:28 - About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.
- Mark 1:35 - Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
- Mark 6:46 - After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
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Do you want your life to change for the better?
Do you want more patience and less anger?
Do you want to see bitterness subside?
Do you want to feel spiritual alive instead of spiritually stagnant?
Do you want to grow in your faith?
This episode will tell you how.
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How can God forgive your sins?
When I first became a Christian, I wanted nothing more than to please God. When I felt like I was doing good at that, I was happy, at times even a little self-righteous. When I felt like I wasn't doing good at that, I was down on myself, beating myself up with guilt.
While I knew that Jesus died so my sins could be forgiven, I struggled to really grasp that truth and make it my own. After all, sin was serious - deadly serious. God had to take it seriously, didn't He? He couldn't just overlook it could He?
And since I continued to sin, He had to take my sin seriously, right? And I had to show Him how sorry I was.
So I swung between feeling good about myself and my walk with God and feeling down on myself for failing Him!
Until I understood Romans 3:21-26:
21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed;26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
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The book of Ecclesiastes opens with these well known words:
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”
And the book continually revisits this theme... which raises a very real and pressing question: Is this Bible book saying life is meaningless?
Life can be confusing. It can be frustrating. It can be hard.
But meaningless?!
So many people already feel like life is pointless. Certainly the Bible doesn't agree, does it?
Actually, Ecclesiastes is making a different point altogether, a point that is incredibly profound and insightful. It's a point about the goodness of life and how we should live it as creatures of the living God. It's a message that is very appropriate as we come to the close of the year and begin, not only a new year but a new decade.
How should live in view of the fleeting, confusing, and sometimes hard nature of life?
That's what Ecclesiastes is all about.
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▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
▶️Would you consider a year-end gift to the Bible in Life online teaching ministry? You can donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.
What do you know about the Christmas story?
There's Mary and Joseph, of course, and little baby Jesus. Probably some shepherds. Oh, wise men... don't forget the wise men. There's a stable and a manger.
Some sheep ... and cattle that are lowing.
Angels!
What about night time and a nasty old inn keeper?
And a star!
The reality is, some of those details are in the text, though they're not all in the text at the same time. Some details aren't in the text at all. And so often, what we think we know about the Christmas story is a mashup of biblical details and traditional details, all mixed together into a sentimental Christmas story.
So often, we pay attention to our version of the story and ignore the details of the Bible's version.
In this three-part series, I walk down through Luke 2, and look at the details of the story in its original context.
This is the Christmas as the Bible tells it!
Luke 2:1-20
1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds begansaying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
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Two ways you can support the show:
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Other resources and ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
▶️Would you consider a year-end gift to the Bible in Life online teaching ministry? You can donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.
Was Jesus born in a barn?
I'm guessing that according the Nativity set you have out for Christmas the answer would be yes ... He was born in a barn complete with shepherds, sheep, cattle, and wisemen too!
And of course we know how the story goes: Mary and Joseph make the difficult trek to Bethlehem by themselves, arrive at night, and upon arriving Mary goes into labor.
The town hotel has a no-vacancy sign out and a nasty old inn keeper kicks them to the curb.
And they find a barn out back and give birth to baby Jesus all by themselves.
The reality is, some of those details are in the text, though they're not all in the text at the same time. Some details aren't in the text at all. And so often, what we think we know about the Christmas story is a mashup of biblical details and traditional details, all mixed together into a sentimental Christmas story.
So often, we pay attention to our version of the story and ignore the details of the Bible's version.
In this three-part series, I walk down through Luke 2, and look at the details of the story in its original context.
This is the Christmas as the Bible tells it!
Luke 2:1-20
1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds begansaying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
▶️BOOK MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Click this link Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes
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Two ways you can support the show:
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- Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.
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▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
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What do you know about the Christmas story?
There's Mary and Joseph, of course, and little baby Jesus. Probably some shepherds. Oh, wise men... don't forget the wise men. There's a stable and a manger.
Some sheep ... and cattle that are lowing.
Angels!
What about night time and a nasty old inn keeper?
And a star!
The reality is, some of those details are in the text, though they're not all in the text at the same time. Some details aren't in the text at all. And so often, what we think we know about the Christmas story is a mashup of biblical details and traditional details, all mixed together into a sentimental Christmas story.
So often, we pay attention to our version of the story and ignore the details of the Bible's version.
In this three-part series, I walk down through Luke 2, and look at the details of the story in its original context.
This is the Christmas as the Bible tells it!
Luke 2:1-20
1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds begansaying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
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▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW
Two ways you can support the show:
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- Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
▶️Email - john@johnwhittaker.net
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
"Be a good little boy."
"Johnny, you know the rules ..."
"You know what company policy is!"
Rules. Some seem better than others. Some seem arbitrary.
I think sometimes we think of sin in that context, and assume it's about breaking or keeping the rules ... and those rules might even be arbitrary religious rules or arbitrary divine laws.
But sin is more intrinsic and "organic" than that. That is, it has a lot more to do with our human nature and how we are made to function.
And understand the meaning of sin is necessary to understanding our humanness and what's wrong with the world and the story of the Bible.
Listen to this episode to understand what sin is.
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Two ways you can support the show:
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Redemption.
In church circles, we read that word in the Bible or we sing about it in songs on Sunday.
What does it mean?
In sports, we say things like "this is a redemption game" for this team (almost like revenge or getting even).
In the realm of shopping, we talk about "redeeming this coupon."
But those meanings of the word are very different than how the Bible uses it.
So what does the Bible mean by the word "redemption"? Well it has a lot to do with slaves and pharaoh ... and even lambs.
In this episode, John explores the way the word was used on the street in Paul and Peter's day and the theological background that shaped how those two apostles understood the word.
Bible verses referenced in this episode:
Romans 3:23-24 - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;"
1 Peter 1:18-19 - "knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ."
Exodus 6:6-7 - Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians
Exodus 15:13 - In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed; n your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.
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Two ways you can support the show:
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Jesus came announcing the "kingdom of God." He went about preaching "the gospel of the kingdom." And in fact, the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) are the story of God becoming king, with His coronation day being the day he received a crown of thorns and lifted up on the cross.
This is what all the poets and prophets of the Bible look forward to ... and sometimes even celebrate in advance, anticipating the day when all will say "the Lord reigns." They look forward to the day when He will rule the peoples with equity.
This is the great biblical hope - that God would be king and make everything right again.
So when Jesus comes announcing that the day has arrived in Himself, the people of his day were filled with great expectation!
But when you look around at the world today, it doesn't look like God is king?! Everything hasn't been set right. So how should we understand the kingdom of God?
Bible Passages Reference in this episode:
Psalm 96:7-13
7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength! 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! 9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; 12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy 13 before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Daniel 7:13-14
9 “As I looked,
thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. 10 A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
Luke 1:30-33
30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Matthew 4:17
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
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Two ways you can support the show:
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Grace!
In church, we talk about grace. We sing about grace. We read about grace in passages like Ephesians 2:8: “By grace you have been saved…”
When I first became a Christian, I heard these words and I read these verses and I knew I was saved by grace. I could affirm that ... assert that. I could tell people that - "We're saved by grace!"
But I didn’t really get it.
And spiritually and emotionally I was marked by highs and lows depending on how I felt like I was doing as a Christian. If I felt like I was doing well - reading my Bible, praying, and not sinning too much - I felt good. If I wasn't doing those things, I felt bad. This led to all sorts of striving to be good enough and to comparison.
I knew the word "grace" but I did know grace.
When we truly understand what it what grace means - deep in our bones understand it - it changes everything!
So what is grace?
Bible passages referenced in this episode:
"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14
"The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." - Exodus 34:6
Click this link to buy the book mentioned in this episode:
God Has a Name, by John Mark Comer.
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The word "gospel" is familiar to Bible readers and to Christians. But what many modern Christians mean by the word and what the earliest Christians meant by the word aren't necessarily the same.
Today, the word "gospel" is often associated with a so-called plan of salvation.
But when the apostles shared the gospel, they announced something other than a plan of salvation.
So what is the gospel?
Scripture passages referenced in this episode:
Isaiah 52:7
How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Luke 2:10:
“Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Acts 2:36
Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Acts 10:39-41
We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
Acts 17:31
because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.
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Psalm 37 begins, "Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers."
The picture painted in the psalm is of a person with little to no interest in God or in God's ways, and yet his life seems to be going great. And the person who's seeking God and walking in his ways is struggling to just make life work.
And it doesn't feel fair.
"What's going on God? Why is his/her life going so well and I'm barely making in it?!"
Ever felt that way? Ever looked around at the world and wondered, "Is being good really worth it?"
Sometimes it seems like the godless and immoral people are the ones who get ahead. So why bother being good and doing right!
That's the subject taken up in Psalm 37 and that's what we wrestle with in this episode of the Bible in life.
Psalm 37:1-11
1Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. 2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. 9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. 10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. 11 But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.
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Church.
Interestingly, when it comes to church, the Bible says very little about the things we all too often focus on … it says virtually nothing about buildings, programs, order of services, or any such things that often first come to mind for us when we think of church
And I actually think this silence should be highly instructive to us - because the things we prioritize about a church aren’t priorities in the New Testament!
So, what does the Bible say the church is supposed to be like and how is it supposed to function?
Bible Passages referenced in this episode:
Matthew 28:18-20: And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Acts 2:41-47: So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Ephesians 4:12-13: for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
1 Timothy 3:15: but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.
Ephesians 4:14-15: As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
A couple of the books mentioned in this episode that I'd recommend:
Andy Stanley. Deep and Wide
Tim Keller. Center Church
Jerry Cook and Stanley Baldwin. Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness.
(note: above links are affiliate links which means if you use them to buy the book I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
Connect with me:
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What does it take to live the life you believe God has created you to life, the life you really want to live? I think there's one key factor that underlies all the other components of living that kind of life.
In this episode, I interview college student, college quarterback, business owner, and follower of Jesus, Brock Johnson. He's got a lot going on in life, and none of it happens on accident. And at the center of it all is Jesus. I think you'll enjoy getting to know Brock, a young man who knows who he is and what he wants life to be all about.
Follow Brock on Instagram at brock11johnson.
Check out his Focus Formula course for living life on purpose at focusformulacourse.com
___
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On this episode I answer two listener questions:
- What does it mean to love your enemies? Are Christians supposed to be doormats?
In Luke 6:27-31, Jesus teaches us this:
27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back.31 Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.
- Why does some of the New Testament say women can be pastors while other parts say they can’t?
In answer to this question, I share my understanding of the New Testament about the equality and dignity of women and what that means regarding women pastors.
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In this Episode, John answers two questions from a listener.
First, was Jesus really forsaken by God? Matthew puts it this way in his gospel: About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). - Matthew 27:46. Jesus' cry actually comes from Psalm 22 ... so how does the original context in the Psalms shape what Jesus means when He utters these words on the cross?
Second, what do you think about the idea of "once saved always saved"? Can you lose your salvation? We explore eternal security, eternal insecurity, and what the Bible actually teaches. Two of the most helpful texts are:
"to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." - 1 Peter 1:4-5
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand" - Romans 5:1-2
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Two ways you can support the show:
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
What is the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-17? How do you put it on so you can stand firm?
In the passage, the apostle Paul uses the imagery of a Roman soldier (it was very familiar to the original audience) to picture what Christians should wear to deal with the spiritual battle we face on a daily basis. The whole point of the passage is standing firm against the spiritual forces of wickedness, but the image of the armor of God is given as the way we do that.
Everyone of us who wants to be faithful to Jesus over the long haul need this. Scripture consistently describes this world as a battleground not a playground. So we need to be serious, level-headed, and prepared for enemy attacks ... and those enemies are not "flesh and blood" as Paul says in Ephesians 6. They are spiritual.
So what does it mean to put on the armor of God?
Ephesian 6:10-17
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
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The Bible Project is probably the best online Bible teaching resource. And Tim Mackie is a key part of it. If you've ever watched a Bible Project video, Tim is the voice. In this interview we talk about the backstory to Tim's life and the Bible Project. It basically works like this: how one church decided to reach out to the skate community and that led to one of the most influential Bible resources of our time!
For more about the Bible Project go to: https://thebibleproject.com.
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Two ways you can support the show:
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
The apostle Paul writes, "You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you" (Romans 8:9). If you are a Christian, you have undergone such a radical change that you are a totally different kind of human being. You are not a flesh-person; you are a Spirit-person!
That means God's very own Spirit - the Holy Spirit - lives in you and enables you to live a new and different kind of life. Not only that, the Holy Spirit guarantees eternal life in the future. If you have the Spirit, God will raise you from the dead just like He raised Jesus.
All this means that the Christian Life is life in the Spirit!
Learn more what that means in the study of Romans 8:9-17.
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▶️BOOK: Here's a link to the book on walking in the Spirit mentioned in this episode: https://amzn.to/2ZOdmXV
(note: this is an affiliate link which means if you click and buy using this link I get a small commission)
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How can your days be marked by life and peace?
The apostle Paul knows the secret, and in Romans 8:1-9 he shares that secret with you and me. Romans 8 is Paul’s grand, climactic solution to all the problems of sin, death, and condemnation that we see in the world all around us.
Paul says God solved all these problem now and forever in Jesus.
Paul has already told us that trying to keep God’s law apart from Christ won’t solve it. Paul himself tried that approach and knows firsthand that it doesn’t work.
No, he says, the secret to experience life and peace now has to do with what you allow to occupy your mind. We can focus on and fill our mind with the values, ambitions, goals, and life strategies of the world around us. Or we can set our mind on the things of God’s Spirit.
And then we carry out our life according to the values, ambitions, goals, and life strategies of the Spirit.
This podcast will explore this life-changing passage of Scripture and help you learn how to walk by the Spirit!
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Two ways you can support the show:
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Romans 7:13-25. "The things want to do I don't do and the things I don't want to do, I do." Can you identify with the struggle with sin the apostle Paul describes? I think many of us do.
And because we identify with it, we easily miss the point of what he says!
That's not the best communication strategy, right. Like, you're talking to someone and they say something that makes you think of something in your life and before you know it, you're talking about yourself and never really heard what they were saying!
So, let me be totally clear: Romans 7:13-25 is not about the conflict of two natures in the christian life. What is it about? That's what this episode is all about. Check it out.
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Have you ever heard someone say something like "the Old Testament is just a bunch of rules and rituals"? Or that "the Old Testament is full of legalism, but the New Testament is full of grace." It's not uncommon for Christians to speak negatively about the Old Testament, especially about the Law, as legalistic rules (even if most wouldn't go as far as Andy Stanley and say we need to unhitch ourselves from the Old Testament - for more of my thoughts on Andy's comments see here on a patron only podcast).
If we're going to have a healthy and accurate theology of the Law, we need to listen closely to the apostle Paul.
In Romans 7, the apostle Paul explores what's wrong with the Old Testament Law (aka. the Torah)... and it's not the Law itself. He does say the Law led to sinning and even led to death. But he also says the Law is holy, righteous, and good.
How can both of those be the case? Well, Paul says, that's because the Law said what was right but was unable to enable fallen people to do right. The Law was actually a victim the insidiousness of sin! Which leads us to a deeper appreciation of how bad we are and how loved we are at one and that same time!
Listen to this episode for all the details!
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In Romans 7, the apostle Paul begins to explain why the Old Testament Law (the Torah) is no longer in charge of God's people. In this episode, we explore Romans 7:1-6, which is the second part of Paul's answer to the question of why shouldn't we sin because we're not under the Law but under grace.
Paul believed that the Law got tangled up with sin and led to death (this isn't because the Law is bad ... Paul will explain that in the following paragraphs) because it was working with people who were in the flesh not in the Spirit. The contrast between flesh and Spirit is central to this section and to Paul's thinking on living the Christian life. He believes the Spirit is now the way God governs His people and the Spirit actually enables us to live the kind of life which God desires for us and which the Law wished to give but couldn't.
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
In Romans 6:15-23, Paul is helping us further understand why no longer living in sin is the only real option for us. God's grace doesn't only free us from the penalty of sin; it also frees us from the power of sin! That means we can actually obey God now. And that is super good news, because sin is poison and leads to death but righteousness leads to life ... real, lasting, eternal life!
So once again, we need to examine how our life is arranged. Is it arranged so that sin has sway? Or is it arranged so that righteousness calls the shots? If the latter is the case, Paul says that will lead to "sanctification." Sanctification in this instance refers to the process of becoming holy. In other words, if we arrange our life to listen to God and remove things that give sin a voice in our life, then increasingly we will become holy like Jesus.
So how is your life arranged unto God?
- Are you learning and listening to His word?
- Do you use both planned prayer times and spontaneous prayer throughout the day?
- Do you have fellow believers who have the freedom to speak truth into your life?
Practices such as those are means of presenting ourself to God, so that we can live our our new identity in Christ.
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Two ways you can support the show:
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Since you are dead to sin, you need to live like it!
Paul's treatment is very balanced in Romans 6. He assures us that we've died to sin - that's the truth about us. But even though that's true and we're dead to sin, sin is not dead. So we have to intentionally rearrange our life to live out the freedom we've been given. In Romans 6:12-14, Paul gives very concrete plan for how to do that.
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- Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at my Patreon page
- Donate through World Family Mission … all gifts are tax deductible.
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Romans 6:1-11 is one of the most powerful passages for understanding who you are and for living your Christian life. It explains why you don't have to sin anymore and the first step to living out the new freedom you have in Christ.
▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the “Read the Bible Right” bundle at https://www.johnwhittaker.net/free-resources.
▶️INTRO TO THE BIBLE COURSE: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/get-a-grip-on-the-bible
▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW
Two ways you can support the show:
- Become a patron for as little as $5 per month at https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker
- Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
On this episode, we're beginning a new series through Romans 6-8. This section of the Bible teaches truths that are incredibly powerful for dealing with temptation and living the Christian life but are so often overlooked. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! And don't forget to share the Bible in Life with your friends.
▶️FREE RESOURCES: Get the Bible reading and praying bundle at johnwhittaker.net.
▶️SUPPORT THIS SHOW
Two ways you can support the show:
-
Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
-
Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you value this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email, and good old word of mouth!
In the 1 year birthday episode, I reflect on the past year. I offer stats to explain why online resources are a necessary part of making disciples today and share my heart for this podcast and online Bible teaching ministry.
▶️BIBLE INTRO COURSE:
https://www.johnwhittaker.net/get-a-grip-on-the-bible
▶️SUPPORT THE SHOW:
Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
▶️YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
▶️Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
▶️Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
What about hell? What does the Bible teach about that? Is hell just?
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Resources and Ways to Connect with Me:
▶️GET STARTED READING THE BIBLE RIGHT: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/podcast
▶️YOUTUBE: I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
▶️SUPPORT THE SHOW:
-
Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
-
Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
▶️SOCIAL MEDIA:
-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
There are things that happen in life that are just heavy. But ... the weight of the glory to come is much heavier. The heaviness of life doesn't even compare to the weight of glory. And thus, we can live not lose heart!
In response to this episode, I'd encourage you to memorize 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
▶️Be sure to check out Surprised by Hope, by N. T. Wright at https://amzn.to/2X5fCJ1 (note this is an affiliate link)
▶️Subscribe to my mailing list and receive free resources by signing up for the Bible reading plan at johnwhittaker.net.
▶️The Bible in Life is a listener supported show. There are two ways you can support the show:
1. Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here and receive a bonus podcast every month.
- Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
▶️Other resources and ways to connect with me:
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Continuing to look at what our hope in Christ consists of, this episode explores the most important element of our hope, the thing without which our hope really wouldn't be good. John looks at Philippians 1, 2 Corinthians 5, several Psalms, revelation 21 all to show that our hope will be our hearts deepest longing satisfied once and for all!
Bible in Life is a listener supported show. There are two ways you can support the show:
Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
It's common to reduce judgment day to the time when God will decide who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. But judgment day is so much more than that. In the Bible, when God comes as judge is looked forward to with overwhelming anticipation - it's a day you can't wait for! Why is that? Take a listen.
Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/johnwhittaker - if you want to hear some of my thoughts on the Book of Revelation, become at patron for as little as $5 per month.
Book - Surprised by Hope https://amzn.to/2WmviXK - This is a great book by N. T. Wright on a biblical understanding of Christian hope. Note: this is an affiliate link.
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
In this episode of the Bible in Life, I explore Revelation 22 and show it connects with Genesis 2, providing the perfect conclusion to the story of the Bible. As such, it offers a resolution to our story that better than we could have ever dreamed of!
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Get my free guide "The #1 Key to being Changed by the Bible" at https://www.johnwhittaker.net.
-
The Bible in Life is a listener supported show. There are two ways you can support the show:
-Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
-Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
- Other resources and ways to connect with me:
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Let's be honest - war is awful! Anyone who's ever been a part of it knows that. The effects on cultures and countries goes way beyond the war itself. God's got a plan to eliminate war, and that's part of our hope!
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Here's the link to the church subscription page mentioned in this episode. https://www.johnwhittaker.net/copy-of-church-subscriptions
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Here's the link to the Bible Survey course mentioned in this episode. https://learn.johnwhittaker.net/courses/bible-survey
-
Two ways you can support the show:
-Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
-Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
- Other resources and ways to connect with me:
-YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
-Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
-Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
One of the major themes in Christian hope is the return of Jesus. First Thessalonians 4:13-18 is one of the key texts talking about that. This study looks at the some of the background info that helps us understand that passage in its original context, and in doing so, raises questions about the popular rapture theology.
- To buy the two books I mentioned in this episode (these are affiliate links, which means using these links helps me out a little bit):
-Heaven, by Randy Alcorn - https://amzn.to/2H2XllL
-Surprised by Hope, N.T. Wright - https://amzn.to/2VgflC2
- Two ways you can support the show:
-Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
-
Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
-
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
As a follower of Jesus, what's your ultimate destiny? That is, what's your ultimate hope? If you're like a lot of Christians I talk to, then there's a good chance it's actually something different than you think! Check out this Bible study of 2 Peter 3:10-13.
- To buy the two books I mentioned in this episode (these are affiliate links, which means using these links helps me out a little bit):
-Heaven, by Randy Alcorn - https://amzn.to/2H2XllL
-Surprised by Hope, N.T. Wright - https://amzn.to/2VgflC2
- Two ways you can support the show:
-Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
-
Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
-
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Every time passages about hope (eschatology) show up in the New Testament letters, they are always connected in some way to Christian living ... to perseverance, to holiness, to grief, or some such thing. In other words, Christian hope fuels Christian living. The stronger our hope, the stronger our faithfulness!
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Parenting book - www.preparethemtoflourish.com
-
Two ways you can support the show:
-Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
-Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
-
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
-
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
-
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
We need hope. Our world needs hope. But ... Why hope? Is it just blind optimism? Isn't pessimism more in touch with reality?
This episode begins a new series on hope in the Bible.
Resources and ways to connect with John:
-
Parenting book: http://www.preparethemtoflourish.com
-
Online Bible Courses: https://www.johnwhittaker.net/courses
-
Two ways you can support the show:
-Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
-Donate through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
-
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
-
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
The religious leaders of Jesus' day didn't think God would welcome and eat with immoral people. Jesus disagreed. And in the parable of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15, Jesus paints a beautiful portrayal of God that should encourage immoral and moral people alike to receive the Father's compassion and generosity.
Check out John's new parenting book Prepare Them to Flourish at preparethemtoflourish.com
Other ways to connect with John and support the show:
Two ways you can support the show:
Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
Give through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
You should get _____ because you deserve it! Fill in that blank with whatever - promotion, scholarship, etc. We're used to getting what you deserve. And every cultural - which means everyone of us - has a measuring stick to determine who should be first and who shouldn't be.
But God doesn't calculate worthiness. He deals with us differently.
That's the point of the parable of the laborers in the vineyard found in Matthew 20:1-16.
Here's the link to the Bible Study Skills course mentioned in this episode - https://learn.johnwhittaker.net/courses/bible-study-skills.
The Bible in Life is a listener supported show ... Here are two ways you can support the show:
Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
Give through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
In this episode I explore the parable of the 10 Virgins in Matthew 25:1-13. It's a bit of a sobering parable, calling us to seriousness and focus and preparation in our relationship with Jesus. There's a party coming ... a whole new day coming, in fact. And we don't want to miss out by being half-hearted or cavalier in our walk with God.
Also, this is the result of a suggestion/question by a listener. If you have a question or passage to study, message me.
A huge thanks to all of you who make this show possible through your financial support! It means the world to me (plus it helps pay the bills and enables me to keep making more content like this!) Thank you!
If you want to help, here's two options for supporting the show:
Become a patron for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here.
Give through World Family Mission at http://worldfamilymissions.org/missionaries/john-whittaker/ … all gifts are tax deductible.
Other resources and ways to connect with me:
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net. - Be sure to check out the courses page for more teaching.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
The greatest impact of the Bible I have ever experienced was at Boise Bible College. I attended there and was powerfully shaped by Scripture during my student days. Then I taught there for 19 years. And the transformative power of the being immersed in God's word day in and day out is truly evident for man or woman who humbly submits to God's work in his or her life.
In this episode, Interview Derek Voorhees about Boise Bible College and power of immersing people into the Bible. To learn more about Boise Bible College go to http://www.boisebible.edu.
For information about monthly subscriptions to my courses go to https://www.johnwhittaker.net/church-subscriptions.
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
Patreon: You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
One of the dominant assumptions of Christians and non-Christians is that good people are in good with God. And good people can mean religious people - people who pray, read the Bible, serve at church, etc. Or good people can simply mean decent people - people who have a good job, work hard, have a nice family, etc.
Jesus has a different opinion about who's in good with God ... not good people but humble people. This is in fact, the repeated refrain of the Bible: God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.
So in the episode we explore Jesus' parable in Luke 18:9-14 where Jesus answers the question, Who's in good with God?
The Basics of Spiritual Growth course: https://learn.johnwhittaker.net/courses/the-basics-of-spiritual-growth
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
Patreon: You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
In Luke 14:15-25, Jesus offers a sharp warning to people who you'd think be the most likely to be a part of God's eternal kingdom ... to the very people you'd think were certainly gonna be there... to the people who were self-assured that they'd be there. A warning that ought to get our attention if we are "church people": you're not gonna miss the party, are you?
It's also a parable that illustrates our need to read the Bible in its context so we can hear what it's actually saying. So in this episode I mention my my study skills course that's available online. You can find that here - https://learn.johnwhittaker.net/courses/bible-study-skills.
Pastors, church subscriptions are available here - https://www.johnwhittaker.net/church-subscriptions. I'd love to chat with you about how they can be a part of your discipleship process.
YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/JohnWhittaker
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram (plus pictures of my grand daughters!)
Patreon: You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
What is one thing in life you'd give up everything to get?
Jesus' answer is the "Kingdom of Heaven."
What is the "Kingdom of Heaven"? And what is the Kingdom of Heaven like?
We're in a series on the parables of Jesus and in this episode Jesus shows us how valuable the Kingdom of Heaven is.
Here's a link to the Basics of Spiritual Growth course that I mentioned in the podcast: https://learn.johnwhittaker.net/courses/the-basics-of-spiritual-growth
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YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvGar3gboVHXDIplJW6TWQ
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
Patreon: You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Did you know that it's possible to listen to the Bible's teaching and be worse off because of it?
That you can be immune to the power of God's word?
That hearing the Bible can be dangerous for your soul?
Jesus believed this was true, and that has a lot to do with why He taught in parables.
In this episodes we begin a series of studies on the parables of Jesus by exploring Luke 8 and what Jesus expected his parables to do.
Bible Reading Plan: Here's the link the bible reading plan I mention in the episode - https://www.johnwhittaker.net/readingplan.
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YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel ... subscribe to those here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvGar3gboVHXDIplJW6TWQ
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
Website - If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
Patreon: You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
There is one Bible story I want everyone to experience. I don't just mean read ... I mean experience. I want you to experience it. To imagine yourself being there. To feel what the townsfolk felt ... and what the Pharisee felt ... and what Jesus felt ... and what the woman felt. To put yourself in the place of various characters in the story and experience what it was to be there. To see the look on people's faces. To see the look on Jesus' face as he looks at this woman.
If you've every felt like there's no way Jesus could ever love me! This story is for you. Sit with it. Soak it in. Savor it.
May this story draw you further into the love of Christ.
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YouTube - I release short Bible studies every Thursday on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvGar3gboVHXDIplJW6TWQ
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
Patreon: You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
"Raising kids is is piece of cake" said no parent anywhere!
Parenting well is hard work ... soul stretching work. Being a new grandpa (you need to follow me on Instagram and Facebook so you can see pics! No seriously, go check out the pics!) has me thinking about kids and parenting. So in this episode I explore a biblical view of children and how that should shape our parenting.
My Parenting Book -- For more of my thoughts on the specific strategies for raising kids click here, check out my book on parenting - preparethemtoflourish.com
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
Free Resources: You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Social Media-I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
Patreon: You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
In Philippians 3:20, the apostle Paul says that we are "citizens of heaven," and I think most modern Christians misunderstand what he means. We think he means that we've got our ticket and we're going to heaven when we die. While it may be true that Christians go to heaven when we die (although that isn't our final hope, by the way), that's not what Paul means by describing us as "citizens of heaven."
What he means has a lot to do with the culture and situation of the Christians in Philippi, and that's what we explore in this episode.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
I would love to connect with you on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Be good. I grew up thinking being good referred to my morality. But in the Bible goodness is less about morality and more about our interactions with others.
Goodness is something we show to people and give to people.
In this podcast we explore Galatians 6:7-10 and consider just how important doing good actually is ... and how long we should do it for.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, via email.
You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
In this episode of the Bible in Life, John chats with Aaron Couch of Real Life Ministries about reading the Bible in context. Aaron is a preacher and pastor and has led a number of tours to the Holy Lands. John talks with Aaron about his experience in Israel and this significance of the Jewish background to the Gospels and to Jesus.
Aaron hosts a podcast called A Better Conversation and you can find that here: https://liferotp.com/abetterconversation.
You can follow Aaron on Istagram @kelsguy1113.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching leave a review and share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
You can support John's podcast for as little as $5 per month on his Patreon page by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
You go to church pretty regularly. And Bible study too.
You read your Bible sometimes. You actually know the Bible pretty good. You even have passages in your Bible highlighted!
Warning - that could be just enough to trick you into thinking you're a real disciple!
And if that's the case, there's a good chance you might get disappointed - maybe even disappointed with God - when your life seems like more of a wreck than you think it should be.
That's because when it comes to following Jesus, learning and knowing the Bible is not enough. There's one really important thing we all must do if we want to be a disciple of Jesus and have a solid life.
And that one thing is what Jesus tells us in this final paragraph of the Sermon on the Mount.
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You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
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As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email - and make it easy for other people to find it!
Do you want to help support John’s podcast financially? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Jesus continues his final appeals at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, this time warning about pretenders who would lead genuine followers away from the narrow road. Such pretenders look good ... they look like genuine followers of Christ and they can perform impressive religious deeds; but they're fake.
We have to be honest: not everyone who looks spiritual or religious is a sincere disciple of Jesus. Not everyone whose bible is marked up or who preaches powerful sermons really knows Christ.
How do you recognize pretenders?
Jesus says you recognize them by their fruit. And in this episode we explore what that means for us.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Choices.
We all have them. Everyday we make them. Most of our choices are small. A few are big. But all have them shape who we become. The small choice of what food to eat shapes our health. The small choice of how to start our day affects our mindset and forms our character.
Choices matter.
In this episode we reflect on Matthew 7:13-14 where Jesus uses the imagery of a gate and a road to present us with a choice: How will we choose to respond to Him and his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount? What road/way of life will we choose?
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Was Jesus really born in a barn? Did Mary ride a donkey to Bethlehem? Were Joseph and Mary all alone at Jesus' birth?
All of us bring assumptions and pre-understanding to our reading of Scripture and that is certainly true when it comes to the common (western) understanding of the Christmas story. The goal is not to pretend like we don't have such assumptions but to acknowledge them and try to inform and clear them up with solid research. In this episode I compare some of our common traditional understanding about the nativity story with Luke 2 in its cultural context.
And then I consider why it matters.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Christmas invites us into a familiar story, a story told in Luke 2 and Matthew 1-2: In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a tax census should be taken of the entire Roman world...
Mary and Joseph and the little town of Bethlehem. Shepherds and wisemen and angels and stars.
But, according to Revelation 12, there's more to the story than all of that. Revelation 12 presents another nativity story, a sort of a behind-the-scenes expose' of Christmas.
And in telling its story, Revelation 12 shows us that Christmas is about two kingdoms in conflict: the evil empire and the eternal empire. The superficial kingdom (the one we can see and experience all around us right now) and the real kingdom (the eternal one).
And Revelation 12 dramatically depicts the outcome of this most celebrated of births.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
What if instead of criticizing each other prayed for each other? If instead of blaming and faultfinding, we prayed?
In context, Matthew 7:7-12 instructs us to do just that ... to treat others the way we want to be treated. Wouldn't you want people to refrain from self-righteous criticism of you? Wouldn't you want them to avoid pushing their "pearls" on you with a holier-than-thou attitude? Wouldn't you want them to pray for themselves and for you with a humble heart? So would I.
And that, I believe, is how Matthew 7:1-12 all fits together, which is what I explore in this podcast.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. To help you get started, sign up for a free reading plan here or watch a free 15 minute mini-course on how to read the Bible and pray here.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Like many of you I have been afflicted by a plank in the eye. As a follow up to my first podcast on Matthew 7:1-6, this episode explores in more detail what plankeye looks like and what are some spiritual practices that will help cure it.
if we want to be disciples of Jesus and follow Him into surpassing righteousness, Jesus' wisdom on this topic is crucial to us. We must listen to Him with an eye on ourselves, ready to see any tendencies towards having a "superiority complex."
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Like many of you, I've been confronted by a blaming, faultfinding spirit. From others for sure. But also in myself. That posture towards someone that makes our heart resistant - a little stiff and hard- towards them, so that even if our behavior is technically fine they can sense something's off in us. We've all experienced that from others and I'm pretty sure we've all done that to others.
Jesus addresses this in Matthew 7:1-6, which we explore in this episode.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Wouldn't you love to live without worry? But it doesn't seem possible, does it? There's so much to worry about! The bills. The kids. The future. The job doesn't seem secure. The ...
So how can Jesus say, "Stop worrying!"
"But Jesus," we protest, "you don't understand."
But what if Jesus understands the world far better than we do? What if He understands the cause and cure for worry like we never could? What if He has a prescription that could help us live a lot more of a worry-free existence?
In this episode we listen to Jesus' wisdom concerning worry.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Just about all of us struggle with believing that if we just had a little more, then we'd really experience the good life. If I just had a nicer house ... If I could afford to go on vacations like that ... If I could buy ... If I ____ you fill in the blank. Have you ever felt that way? I know I have.
Now let me be clear about one thing right up front: wanting nice things is not bad. Poverty is not more spiritual!
But putting our faith in money and stuff to give us the good life, however, is a problem. A real problem that more than likely we all have wrestled with, especially those of us who live in places like the USA.
Which is why this episode is so important. In it, we get to listen to Jesus' assessment of money and stuff and where He believes we should focus our energies for experiencing the good life.
If you haven't yet subscribed to the podcast on iTunes, I'd encourage you to do that. That way you won't miss an episode plus it helps other people find it.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
Prayer is central to our walk with God, but prayer isn't always as easy as we'd expect. I have struggled to be a person of prayer for years and I've wrestled with the Bible's teaching on prayer.
Listening to Jesus' teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount sparked listeners to ask some of their questions on prayer, so in the last episode and this one we pause teaching through the Sermon on the Mount and answer listeners questions on prayer.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
Prayer is central to our walk with God, but prayer isn't always as easy as we'd expect. I have struggled to be a person of prayer for years and I've wrestled with the Bible's teaching on prayer.
Listening to Jesus' teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount sparked listeners to ask some of their questions on prayer, so in the next couple of episodes we pause teaching through the Sermon on the Mount and answer listeners questions on prayer.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
A friend stabs you in the back. A spouse is unfaithful. A parent abandons you. The fact is, life is full of people who wrong us in both big and little ways.
So how do you respond?
Jesus teaches us to respond with forgiveness, which is exactly how He Himself responded. In this episode, I explore Jesus' teaching on forgivness and reflect on what's involved in forgiving others.
Forgiveness is the only path to peace. As Peter Kreeft says, "Unless we forgive, we fight." This teaching of Jesus is crucial to our well-being and our world desperately needs followers of Jesus to embody His mercy and forgiveness.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
Connect with me on facebook and instagram
Have you ever wondered how to pray? What to pray for? In this episode we continue listening to Jesus' guide for how to pray, what we call the Lord's Prayer. And then I conclude with some observations about prayer in general that emerge from Jesus' instructions here.
I plan on putting together a short series on prayer and I would love to hear some of your questions about prayer, so that I can answer them on the show. Email them to me at john@johnwhittaker.net.
If you want to stay in the loop and get updates and offers from me, subscribe at johnwhittaker.net.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help John create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
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To stay in touch with John and receive updates and offers from him, subsribe to his webstie at johnwhittaker.net.
The Lord's Prayer. A well-known phrase. For some a well-know passage. But what does it teach us about God and about prayer? How could we learn how to pray by absorbing and reflecting on Jesus' model teaching on prayer in the Lord's prayer?
In this episode, John reflects on the very first part of the prayer: Who do we pray to? Who is God? What's He like? What does it mean for His name to be "hallowed" (the only palce the word is used in modern times is connected to Harry Potter and I don't think that's what Jesus had in mind!).
if you want to deepen your prayer life, check out this episode and what Jesus has in mind in the Lord's Prayer.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help John create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
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For updates and info, subscribe to John's website at johnwhittaker.net
Have you ever fasted? If so, what kind of experience was it for you? Did it draw closer to God? How so? Or was it so miserable it made you wonder why anyone in their right mind would ever fast?
What does skipping a meal or two have to do with God anyhow?
In this episode looks at Jesus' critique of one mispractice of fasting and offers some guideline for why and how we should practice it.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help John create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
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Do you want to know Jesus? Do you want to become like Him? Prayer is vital to that.
In the episode, John explores Jesus' teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:5-8, the second example Jesus gives of doing righteous deeds to be noticed by others. He ends the episode by reflecting on the essence of prayer as seen in the passage.
You can deepen your walk with God by reading the Bible and praying consistently. Get a free reading plan here or take a free 15 minute mini-course here to help you get started.
Do you want to help support John’s podcast? Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on Facebook, Instragram, Twitter, via email.
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I'm sure you've been told that being generous is a good thing. But did you know it can be harmful to your spiritual health? According to Jesus, we can give in a such a way that it doesn't draw us closer to God and doesn't make us more like Jesus. We can give in such a way that it twists our soul.
That's the topic in this episode of the Bible in Life.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on facebook, instragram, twitter, via email.
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Looking good isn't bad.
But when it comes to the following Jesus and becoming like him,"looking good" can be a significant barrier.
In this episode, John unpacks the next major section of the Sermon on the Mount (barriers to surpassing righteousness) and begins to explore the first barrier - keeping up religious appearances.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on facebook, instragram, twitter, via email.
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Patreon: Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
And if you're not already, follow John on facebook and instagram
God is love and invites us into a life of love ... a lif of love that's so rich, we are able to love anybody and everybody - including those who are against us.
This kind of love is the epitome of surpassing righteousness, so it's the culmination of Jesus' examples. In loving this way, we become like God who loves all people and does good to all people.
As always, if you appreciate this teaching share freely - on facebook, instragram, twitter, via email.
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Patreon: Become a patron and support the show by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help me create an audio commentary on the New Testament.
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In this special bonus episode, John explores how to become the kind of person who is actively kind to people who aren't kind to you. This follows up episode 12 which looked at the meaning of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:38-42. Jesus' teaching is so contrary to the usual human way of living and we can feel like no matter how hard we try we just can't do it.
Well that's because trying - even trying hard - won't cut it.
We need a wiser, more intentional approach than just trying to to be kind when someone treats us badly. We need to train and be prepared so that it's second nature to live this way. And in this bonus episode John reflects on some ways we can do just that.
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It doesn't take long to learn that some people aren't very nice, that some people are gonna treat us poorly. Conventional wisdom has one way to deal with it; Jesus has another.
In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus passes on to us one the most important and most distinctive traits about us who follow Him. This trait set Him and sets us a part from so much that goes on in this world.
We need to hear what He says here and take it to heart.
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Blessings!
P.S. And if you haven't done so yet, why don't you swing over to my website (www.johnwhittaker.net) and subscribe for updates and more teachings from John.
Jesus envisions a world where your word is your bond ... where you don't have to promise or swear or convince people that what you say is true. A world where a handshake is all that's necesary. A world where you can trust each other and count on each other because each and every one of us has complete integrity.
And that world begins right here, with me and you.
Would you share this podcast with a friend?
-Text them the link
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To support the podcast financially on Patreon, click here. You'll get access to bonus material and help fund the creation of an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Blessings!
P.S. And if you haven't done so yet, why don't you swing over to my website (www.johnwhittaker.net) and subscribe for updates and more teachings from John.
Divorce hurts. It hurt people in Jesus' day. It hurts people today. It's not the way it's supposed to be. No one dreams of meeting the love of their life, getting married, and 4 years later having it all end in divorce.
In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks to the betrayal that divorce is ... that it's another way of being unfaithful to your spouse.
There's great wisdom here, should we choose to receive it.
And solution isn't to issue an edict that heaps guilt and shame on people who get divorced. The solution is to help people become the kind of person who can live with another person for a lifetime.
So listen to grasp what Jesus teaches about divorce.
If you find these teachings helpful, spread the word and share them with your friends via facebook, twitter, word of mouth etc.
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We live in a sex-driven society. Sex is used to sell everything from cars to toothpaste! Porn has taken over the internet. But misuse of sex is nothing new. And Jesus has some important wisdom concerning sexual faithfulness and purity.
In this episode of Bible in Life, John guides us through Jesus' words about adultery, lust, faithfulness and sexual purity.
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Just because you've never killed anyone doesn't mean your living the way God designed you to live. And murder isn't the only form of violence towards each other. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus begins to illustrate what surpassing righteousness looks like ... surpassing righteousness goes to the heart of the matter. And that means it deals with your anger, and mine.
Jesus intends to make us people who are full of peace and free from anger and contempt!
Wouldn't it be a great world to live in if peace and patience replaced anger and contempt?! That's the vision Jesus has for His followers ... and he has the resources to make it possible.
Remember to share this podcast with you friends via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, good ol' word of mouth or however you like to share these sorts of things!
If you want to become a patron and support the show, you can do that by clicking here. You'll get access to bonus material and help fund the creation of an audio commentary on the New Testament.
Is the OT Law bad? Did Jesus come to nullify the Law? With all of the wrong people flocking to Jesus, does that suggest that Jesus has no standards? Just how righteous does Jesus expect you to be?
In this podcast, John tackles the thesis paragraph for the Sermon on the Mount - the paragraph that sets up everythng else in the sermon. In this paragraph, Jesus answers the question, How righteous do I have to be?
Remember to share with you friends via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, good ol' word of mouth or however you like to share these sorts of things!
In this podcast, John mentions some bonus content on his patreon page that he's just putting together. In a special podcast on that site, John wrestles with how what Jesus says in Matthew 5:17-20 fits with some of the things the apostle Paul says about the law. If you want that bonus material and would like to become a patron and support the show, you can do that by clicking here.
Jesus has an open door policy to His kingdom. And once He's welcomed you in - regardless of where you've come from - he bestow on you a high and holy calling ... and He intends to make you the kind of person that's fit to carry out that vocation. In this episode, John explores Jesus' words describing that vocation and how we can live that out in and through all the parts of our life.
Remember to share with you friends via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, good ol' word of mouth or however you like to share these sorts of things!
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Who is welcome in Jesus' kingdom? Who can experience the blessing of His kingdom? In this episode, John explores the opening words of the Sermon on the Mount, traditionally called the Beattitudes. He questions a common understanding that the beattitudes are virtues for us to pursue and offers an alternative approach.
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Often times, we think of our spiritual life as the religous activities of our life. So we answer the question, How's your spiritual life been lately? by referencing our devotional life - our Bible reading and prayer life. That's important for sure, but Jesus' view of the spiritual is much more all-inclusive and much more down to earth. In Jesus' view, you only have one life - and it's either spiritual or it's not. So your spiritual life includes your whole life, every part of it.
In this episode, we begin our study of the Sermon on the Mount by looking at Jesus' down to earth spirituality and the big picture of the sermon: what's the Sermon on the Mount all about?
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This episode looks at Paul's example of the radical reorientation of life that occured when he met Jesus - how Paul's focus, ambitions, and goal for his life changed from the day he met Jesus. Paul's example challenges us to evaluate our life: what is the #1 goal for our life?
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In this episode John reflects on John 15:1-11 and the key to lasting joy. After all, who doesn't want more consistent joy in their life?!
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In this very first Bible in Life podcast John introduces himself and explores the imagery of a flourishing tree in Psalm 1 as a picture of a life rooted in God's word.
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