After revealing to his disciples for the first time that he is going to die, Jesus takes Peter, James and John up on a mountain where he is transfigured. This event is monumental, it ties many symbolism of the old testament to Jesus' ministry and it is a clear sign that Jesus is the Messiah and that the Kingdom of God is here!
In this episode of the Ether Podcast, Ryan and Rodrigo discuss Jesus' teaching on discipleship in depth. A teaching that demands that we lose ourselves for the sake of Christ. A teaching that is the only way for us to truly find life.
Questions are important but maybe no more important than the one question Jesus asks his disciples. Join us as we discuss the importance of questions and the importance of THE question!
A trip to gentile land highlights a huge difference between the Pharisees and Jesus. With their teachings and traditions the Pharisees make their faith exclusive and isolated from Gentiles. Jesus on the other hand goes among them and performs the same miracles he does in Israel. Join us as we discuss the accessibility of the Gospel, why it was a big deal in Jesus' time and why it is a big deal now.
Morality, no matter the flavor we adhere to, is a crucial part of our every day living. It determines our behavior and helps us navigate our lives. During the time of Jesus, the Pharisees were deeply attached to morality, so much so that they clung to a series of religious norms that would ensure their purity and righteousness. Jesus, however, during a confrontation with the aforementioned religious group, reveals to them that their norms were at odds with the Law of God and did not address the ...
Ignorant? Stubborn? A little bit of both? These are questions that we could ask ourselves about Jesus' Apostles. One thing we cannot deny is that in spite of their possible ignorance or stubbornness, they obeyed and trusted Jesus. What they clearly display is faith. A faith that we have a great deal to learn from. Join us as we discuss Mark 6:30-56, and learn to have faith like the Apostles did.
Jesus gives very specific instruction when he sends out the twelve and later the seventy two. Embedded in that instruction is a principle that Jesus and his disciples used to evangelize the world. The "Person of Peace" principle is a tool that can make our evangelism extremely effective. We have a special guest on this podcast that will help explain this powerful concept that has the potential to revolutionize the way you make disciples.
Jesus was always looking for people of faith. One of the places in which we would expect he would find it is in his own hometown. However, there, he finds a glaring lack of it. We can tend to look down on the people of Nazareth for treating the Christ in a bad way, but would we have been very different? In this podcast we discuss the factors that may have caused Jesus' own friends and neighbors to not believe in him. We also explore some modern hurdles to having deep and powerful faith.
Jesus calms the storm and saves the lives of his disciples. Their reaction is to be fear him. Likewise the people who witness Jesus drive several demons out of a man are afraid and ask him and his companions to leave. Was fearing Jesus a bad reaction to have? We generally consider fear a negative emotion, one that drives us away from people. Yet, fear is an important part of our walk with God. Fear can be good, join us in this Podcast as we explore why.
Starting in chapter 4, Jesus would begin teaching in parables, often starting with the word "Listen". Some of these short simple stories held rich insight as to the nature and breath of the Kingdom of God. Others were meant for self reflection that would lead to repentance. Yet, Jesus purposely taught in ambiguous short stories to keep some people from understanding and repenting. If you think this seems counter intuitive, you should listen to this Podcast. We will wrestle with Jesus' motivation...
When Jesus begins his ministry, he displays power and authority that astonishes his audience. Some follow him, some oppose him but they must all contend with their own expectations as to who the Messiah was supposed to be. In this Podcast we discuss the ways in which different people received Jesus as well as the different ways in which he challenged the status quo.
John the Baptist was a significant figure in the Bible and of his time. He serves as a bridge between the Old and New Testament. Like Elijah he is the messenger who prepares the way for the arrival of the Lord. He is even spoken about by ancient historians like Josephus. Yet this revolutionary gives us a valuable lesson in humility as the basis of Christian living and ministry. Much like the people of his time, however, we can look past him and not give him the importance he deserves. In this po...
Welcome to the first EtherMMC Podcast where Rodrigo and Ryan delve deeper into the historical context in which Mark was written. During the 60s A.D. early Christians were being persecuted in the most gruesome manner and although we might not directly relate to their lifestyle or level of commitment we do need to ask ourselves: How easily do I shrink or how strongly do I believe and how far am I willing to carry my faith? Mark had to write in the most compelling way to help these persecuted peopl...
