Back Deck Bible Study

Even the Minor Prophets have a little brother, though this one is pretty cool. 

A classic of the Minor Prophets and one of my favorites.

God in a Minor Key, looking at the shortest book in the Old Testament, one of the oldest feuds in the Bible, and two sisters who just cannot get along. #StuffSteveSays

Locust plagues and the Divine Warrior are prominent in this great Minor Prophet.

A little bit of "normal" prophecy, a little bit of weird, and a fair amount of adultery. Welcome to Hosea.

A powerful book and our first look at a "normal" prophet.

Welcome to God in a Minor Key, a study in the Minor Prophets. We'll start with the best known--and weirdest--book in the series.

We wrap up our study in Acts and review the high points of what we've learned.

A huge step involving dreams of food and walking through a door.

Is it possible Paul/Saul needed a timeout before he was really ready to be God's apostle? That's one of the questions we'll ask in this episode.

It seemed like a simple plan. Travel to Damascus, arrest some Christians. 

Episode 52. From a sermon on Acts 8, we look at how Philip, operating in the peace God gives, was able to accomplish some incredible, life-changing things.

Umm, I've got an idea. Why don't we, like, start actually doing the Great Commission. Yep, it only took eight chapters to get there. 

You may not have picked up on it (I didn't for years) but Stephen's sermon in Acts 7 is among the most important in the Bible. In this podcast, we look at why.

A pivotal chapter in the life of the church, Acts 6 is also a great lesson on the importance of organizational change.

As we'll see today, purity plus passion produces power, a lesson from the early church it might be good if we would apply today.

Some generous people--and some genuine phonies in this transition period in the early church.#StuffSteveSays

It may not be obvious at first, but Chapter 4 probably belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of chapters in Acts. It's that important.

The disciples thought they knew what was going to happen. They were wrong, and Acts 3 is the beginning of this totally different path. 

Does the book of Acts give us the blueprint for how we should be doing church, an historical example of how one group did church, or is the answer more subtle?

The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost has as much to do with two prophets from the Hebrew Bible as it does with the feast it happened during. 

One of the markers of the early church had to be confidence. And honestly if 120 people really believe they are going to remake Judaism and then restore the whole world, confidence is a prerequisite.

Beginning a brand new study in the Book of Acts. We get to watch the early church have great successes, make big mistakes, and almost stumble their way to carrying the Good News into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. 

A great technique to read the Bible for application and transformation instead of just information or inspiration. 

Wrapping up Revelation with one final, amazingly cool touch from the master of Apocalyptic Literature.

We talk a lot about what Heaven is going to be like, but it's rare people actually look at the description of Heaven found at the end of Revelation. 

Is there a difference between truth and Truth? I think there is, and I think it will help us greatly as we try to understand the Book of Revelation.

No part of Revelation is more controversial than chapter 20 and the Millennial Reign of Christ. In this podcast we'll be looking at the four primary views and why we need to be humble in our approach to this chapter. 

Judgement time has come, and man is it a doozy!

Revelation 19 can be challenging, especially when we see the people rejoicing because others are being judged.

There's a reason people have thought Revelation would be fulfilled soon. It sure seems to be describing today, as we'll see this session in Revelation 18.

With the Unholy Hooker and beasts and all kinds of cool stuff (including reasons Jesus is definitely coming back in the 1980's), this study of Revelation 17 has some great material.

John does something amazing in the last few chapters of Revelation. But to see it, we're going to need to start and the beginning and pull way back.

If I ever get to the valley of Megiddo, Biblical Armageddon, I'm gonna grin! (But I won't say anything.) Find out why, and a lot of even cooler stuff, on today's Back Deck Bible Study.

The shortest chapter in Revelation is setting us up for the home stretch of the book. Grab your popcorn. It's getting good.

Many people are troubled with the idea of a good God sending people to Hell. That's one of the topics we'll discuss as we look at Revelation 14.

Microchips and the Antichrist and prophecies that get fulfilled multiple times and even Nazi Germany. Revelation 13 has it all.

Beasts and dragons and antichrists--and a number that means things may get bad, but we're going to be okay.

We complete this most critical chapter in Revelation with a closer look at those three-and-a-half years, some more discussions of dragons, and finish our discussion on the beaches of Normandy.

As we continue in chapter 12, we'll meet what may well be an amazing confluence of the eternal and the natural timelines. And there are cicadas. And a few dog yaps. And a rant about whiny Christians. In other words, just another day on the back deck.

Taking a one-week break from Revelation on the last week of the year to dig into the process God uses to help us grow spiritually. While some think it's a mystery, Jesus explained it three times in John 14.

Revelation 12 is the central and pivotal chapter in the book, so it's going to take us a few sessions to work our way through it. But it is so worth the effort.

There are four primary ways people interpret the Book of Revelation. Today we look at all four and why humility should be the order of the day when it comes to how we interpret the book.

Wrapping up the most difficult chapter to interpret in the Book of Revelation.

Revelation 11 is considered by many to be the most difficult chapter to interpret in the entire book of Revelation. But I believe if we follow the clues John lays out for us, we can find the meaning he intends for us to get.

The tiniest thing in this big chapter can have the greatest impact on our lives.

It's Revelation 9 and thanks are about to get real. Or unreal. Or both.

Revelation Chapter 8 starts with silence but ends with the loud sounds of judgment.

Revelation 6 ended with the question, "Who then can stand?" If things are going to be this bad, who is going to be able to survive it. Chapter 7 is the answer to that question--and you're going to like it.

The Book of Revelation is the climax of God's Big Story,. Things really get moving as the Lamb begins to open the seals. Meet the original Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and learn how they mirror God's passive judgment on all eras, not just the end days.

During uncertain times--like, I don't know, November of 2020--it's a great idea to remind ourselves that God is in control. And there may not be a better chapter in the whole Bible to reinforce that concept than Revelation 5.