My goal here is to give you a set of tools, some of which you may find truly helpful. While I have very little to say about medication I think that scripture does offer us some guidance to really help us with the sadness of our souls and looking at several biblical passages that give examples of dealing with and processing depression can help us to better deal with our own. I don't want you to think I'm fully answering the problem of depression or sadness here, just that I'm trying to help us al...
Nov 12, 2019•1 hr 20 min
My goal here is to give you a set of tools, some of which you may find truly helpful. While I have very little to say about medication I think that scripture does offer us some guidance to really help us with the sadness of our souls and looking at several biblical passages that give examples of dealing with and processing depression can help us to better deal with our own. I don't want you to think I'm fully answering the problem of depression or sadness here, just that I'm trying to help us al...
Nov 12, 2019•1 hr 20 min
A study on the tragic end of John the Baptist. This is the only passage in Mark that isn't directly about Jesus and it records the sad reality of how pride, corruption and lust lead to the murder of John the Baptist. In addition to the discussion on what lead to John's murder under the orders of Herod we will also get into some apologetics issues surrounding the death of John that skeptics bring up, which actually give us more reason to trust what Mark says. Here's the video I mentioned from Ins...
Nov 10, 2019•1 hr 6 min
A study on the tragic end of John the Baptist. This is the only passage in Mark that isn't directly about Jesus and it records the sad reality of how pride, corruption and lust lead to the murder of John the Baptist. In addition to the discussion on what lead to John's murder under the orders of Herod we will also get into some apologetics issues surrounding the death of John that skeptics bring up, which actually give us more reason to trust what Mark says. Here's the video I mentioned from Ins...
Nov 10, 2019•1 hr 6 min
This is the Old Testament Passage that most clearly shows that Jesus died in our place as a substitutionary sacrifice for us because of our sins. It shows that Christ was our sin bearer and our sin offering and that His sacrifice justifies us. It's also the passage most often ignored by those who deny Penal Substitutionary Atonement. In other words, it's important. We will look at how this passage, with the relevant background understanding of the Levitical sacrifices undeniably teaches that Jes...
Nov 05, 2019•1 hr 11 min
This is the Old Testament Passage that most clearly shows that Jesus died in our place as a substitutionary sacrifice for us because of our sins. It shows that Christ was our sin bearer and our sin offering and that His sacrifice justifies us. It's also the passage most often ignored by those who deny Penal Substitutionary Atonement. In other words, it's important. We will look at how this passage, with the relevant background understanding of the Levitical sacrifices undeniably teaches that Jes...
Nov 05, 2019•1 hr 11 min
In an attempt to help you learn how to better analyze and apply commands to the 12 apostles we look at when Jesus sent the Twelve out two by two, telling them to take no money and no extra supplies. We'll see that this command does not apply directly to us but we'll also see that there is still a simply and biblical way to apply it into our lives, a way that I think the Holy Spirit intended for us to find. In this study we'll also look at the use of oil in healing. I hope this helps equip you to...
Nov 03, 2019•1 hr 5 min
In an attempt to help you learn how to better analyze and apply commands to the 12 apostles we look at when Jesus sent the Twelve out two by two, telling them to take no money and no extra supplies. We'll see that this command does not apply directly to us but we'll also see that there is still a simply and biblical way to apply it into our lives, a way that I think the Holy Spirit intended for us to find. In this study we'll also look at the use of oil in healing. I hope this helps equip you to...
Nov 03, 2019•1 hr 5 min
Sola Scriptura is the idea that the Bible is the final authority on what Christians believe and how we live. In this video I’ll explain it simply, give some biblical reasons to support Sola Scriptura and deal with some Catholic rebuttals to it. I’m hoping this is a charitable and gracious experience for everyone even though I know it will be hard stuff for some people to hear. I am convinced this is a huge issue because so many of the teachings of Roman Catholicism are not found in Scripture but...
Oct 29, 2019•53 min
Sola Scriptura is the idea that the Bible is the final authority on what Christians believe and how we live. In this video I’ll explain it simply, give some biblical reasons to support Sola Scriptura and deal with some Catholic rebuttals to it. I’m hoping this is a charitable and gracious experience for everyone even though I know it will be hard stuff for some people to hear. I am convinced this is a huge issue because so many of the teachings of Roman Catholicism are not found in Scripture but...
Oct 29, 2019•53 min
Was Nazareth fake? Was Mary a perpetual virgin? And what can we learn from Jesus being rejected in His hometown of Nazareth? I admit that today's study may seem a bit random but I think you will find it interesting and have some insights that will bless you. Rene Salm wrote a book suggesting that Nazareth was a myth and even though it has been debunked it still shows up on popular atheist web sties today. We'll also deal with the Roman Catholic claim that Mary remained a virgin her whole life an...
Oct 28, 2019•1 hr
Was Nazareth fake? Was Mary a perpetual virgin? And what can we learn from Jesus being rejected in His hometown of Nazareth? I admit that today's study may seem a bit random but I think you will find it interesting and have some insights that will bless you. Rene Salm wrote a book suggesting that Nazareth was a myth and even though it has been debunked it still shows up on popular atheist web sties today. We'll also deal with the Roman Catholic claim that Mary remained a virgin her whole life an...
Oct 28, 2019•1 hr
The idea that Jesus died in our place, suffering the penalty for our sins, is under serious attack. We need to understand where we can find Penal Substitutionary Atonement ideas in the Bible, starting with the Old Testament. This is part of a series explaining and defending Penal Substitutionary Atonement. I'll cover biblical data, historical data, moral objections and more so that you will understand the doctrine, how to defend it and what's really wrong with this modern move against the biblic...
Oct 22, 2019•1 hr 20 min
The idea that Jesus died in our place, suffering the penalty for our sins, is under serious attack. We need to understand where we can find Penal Substitutionary Atonement ideas in the Bible, starting with the Old Testament. This is part of a series explaining and defending Penal Substitutionary Atonement. I'll cover biblical data, historical data, moral objections and more so that you will understand the doctrine, how to defend it and what's really wrong with this modern move against the biblic...
Oct 22, 2019•1 hr 20 min
In the best example of a "Markan sandwich" we see two remarkable healings which are meant to teach us some remarkable and needful lessons. Jesus meets our deepest fear with a call to faith that calms our hearts and changes the way we see death forever. I hope and pray that the beautiful truths of this passage of Scripture will get stuck in your head and heart. Here's a link to the whole series through the Gospel of Mark https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF I'm...
Oct 20, 2019•57 min
In the best example of a "Markan sandwich" we see two remarkable healings which are meant to teach us some remarkable and needful lessons. Jesus meets our deepest fear with a call to faith that calms our hearts and changes the way we see death forever. I hope and pray that the beautiful truths of this passage of Scripture will get stuck in your head and heart. Here's a link to the whole series through the Gospel of Mark https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ3iRMLYFlHuGenHwUdeiQ5M-uj5XW4sF I'm...
Oct 20, 2019•57 min
A lot of leaders who reject Penal Substitution will say that it was invented by Calvin or Anselm and that the early church held to Christus Victor or Ransom theories of the atonement. This turns out to be a painful distortion of history. I mean, this is pure historical revisionism in the name of teaching bad theology! I was shocked to find out how badly church history has been twisted by progressive leaders who, whether they realize it or not, are teaching unbiblical views of how we are saved. I...
Oct 15, 2019•1 hr 9 min
A lot of leaders who reject Penal Substitution will say that it was invented by Calvin or Anselm and that the early church held to Christus Victor or Ransom theories of the atonement. This turns out to be a painful distortion of history. I mean, this is pure historical revisionism in the name of teaching bad theology! I was shocked to find out how badly church history has been twisted by progressive leaders who, whether they realize it or not, are teaching unbiblical views of how we are saved. I...
Oct 15, 2019•1 hr 9 min
Expand this for time stamps (also in the first comment for mobile users) Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 1. 1:04 Can a wife or mom have a job outside of the house? 2. 4:43 Is profanity ever acceptable? E.g. "I _-ing love you, man!" (not in anger) 3. 8:21 Can you talk about the relationship between obedience and faith? 4. 9:28 What purpose does prayer serve for an all-powerful God? How do we affect anyone/anything with prayer? 5. 13:36 Why do you think God created us if He knew it would...
Oct 08, 2019•1 hr 6 min
Expand this for time stamps (also in the first comment for mobile users) Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 1. 1:04 Can a wife or mom have a job outside of the house? 2. 4:43 Is profanity ever acceptable? E.g. "I _-ing love you, man!" (not in anger) 3. 8:21 Can you talk about the relationship between obedience and faith? 4. 9:28 What purpose does prayer serve for an all-powerful God? How do we affect anyone/anything with prayer? 5. 13:36 Why do you think God created us if He knew it would...
Oct 08, 2019•1 hr 6 min
Get insights about demonology, the identity of Christ, the hope Jesus gives to even the most broken life, and some apologetics about a geography issue in Mark 5 related to the location of the region of the Gerasenes. I got a questions after this study about why Matthew says "Gadarenes" instead of Gerasenes. I forgot to mention it during the study but Gadara was a well known city about 6 miles from Galilee with some territory reaching all the way to Galilee. Matthew seems to be using a different ...
Oct 06, 2019•56 min
Get insights about demonology, the identity of Christ, the hope Jesus gives to even the most broken life, and some apologetics about a geography issue in Mark 5 related to the location of the region of the Gerasenes. I got a questions after this study about why Matthew says "Gadarenes" instead of Gerasenes. I forgot to mention it during the study but Gadara was a well known city about 6 miles from Galilee with some territory reaching all the way to Galilee. Matthew seems to be using a different ...
Oct 06, 2019•56 min
It's worse than nonsense. It's destructive. I think this is one of the most common bad ideas people have about God and religion. Let's thoughtfully analyze the idea that all roads lead to God and see why this incredibly common viewpoint couldn't possibly be true. Here's a list of other slogans we'll deal with today. "All roads lead to God" "How can you say that Jesus is the only way? How rude! How arrogant! How judgy!" "All religions teach basically the same thing." "All religions have a differe...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 17 min
It's worse than nonsense. It's destructive. I think this is one of the most common bad ideas people have about God and religion. Let's thoughtfully analyze the idea that all roads lead to God and see why this incredibly common viewpoint couldn't possibly be true. Here's a list of other slogans we'll deal with today. "All roads lead to God" "How can you say that Jesus is the only way? How rude! How arrogant! How judgy!" "All religions teach basically the same thing." "All religions have a differe...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 17 min
Let's get a handle on the various passages where the Bible says that God repents, relents or changes His mind. Personally, I found this study very rewarding and I hope it blesses you as well. Someone came up after I taught this study and shared something with me that I think might add to the content in this message. They said something like, "God is jealous, but not like man's jealousy. God has wrath, but not like man's wrath. And in a similar way God repents but not in the same way or with the ...
Sep 29, 2019•45 min
Let's get a handle on the various passages where the Bible says that God repents, relents or changes His mind. Personally, I found this study very rewarding and I hope it blesses you as well. Someone came up after I taught this study and shared something with me that I think might add to the content in this message. They said something like, "God is jealous, but not like man's jealousy. God has wrath, but not like man's wrath. And in a similar way God repents but not in the same way or with the ...
Sep 29, 2019•45 min
Tips on how to prepare a message, how to maximize your gifting, good software to use to make your study time more efficient, how to think about failures, how to stay true to the Bible, how to process insecurities and nervousness, how to avoid pitfalls of pride, and much more. Free, and very useful, Bible study resources - NetBible has good insights into textual issues and some stuff commentaries often skip. https://netbible.org - BlueLetterBible has tons of free commentaries and helps. I wish it...
Sep 24, 2019•1 hr 31 min
Tips on how to prepare a message, how to maximize your gifting, good software to use to make your study time more efficient, how to think about failures, how to stay true to the Bible, how to process insecurities and nervousness, how to avoid pitfalls of pride, and much more. Free, and very useful, Bible study resources - NetBible has good insights into textual issues and some stuff commentaries often skip. https://netbible.org - BlueLetterBible has tons of free commentaries and helps. I wish it...
Sep 24, 2019•1 hr 31 min
I've heard whole Bible studies through the passage where Jesus calms the storm where the teacher fails to identify a key point in it. When Jesus commanded the storm to cease it revealed something of the divinity of Jesus that had the apostles in awe and reverence for Jesus in a whole new way. Even though they had previously seen Jesus cast out demons and heal the sick, this act of commanding a storm to stop meant something to these first century Jews which is often overlooked by people today. Th...
Sep 22, 2019•49 min
I've heard whole Bible studies through the passage where Jesus calms the storm where the teacher fails to identify a key point in it. When Jesus commanded the storm to cease it revealed something of the divinity of Jesus that had the apostles in awe and reverence for Jesus in a whole new way. Even though they had previously seen Jesus cast out demons and heal the sick, this act of commanding a storm to stop meant something to these first century Jews which is often overlooked by people today. Th...
Sep 22, 2019•49 min
