Common Sense Bible Study

There is a difference in head repentance and heart repentance. One will allow you, or leave you in control while the other will not. One is a lie and one is freedom. That's what this podcast will discuss.

Now that Jonah is in the stomach of the fish, we will look at Jonah's prayer in chapter 2. But does Jonah really repent? That's what this podcast will discuss.

After looking at the reason for the story of Jonah to happen, now it's time to look at the reality. Did the story of Jonah really happen? Was it a made up story, or can we use Scripture to show it's a real life story? That's what this podcast will discuss.

Was God punishing Jonah or was Jonah having to deal with the consequences of his choices? Does God punish us today or are we only dealing with the consequences of our choices? That's what this podcast will discuss.

Often times we mistake having to deal with the consequences of our actions/decisions as punishment. This podcast will look at the difference between consequences for our actions against punishment.

Because Jonah is unwilling to repent, he will be putting numerous other people's lives in danger. Jonah is showing how that unrepentant sin can get such a strong hold on us that we become self-centered to the point we don't care about others.

We can be so deep into and blinded by our sin that we miss and are unaware of opportunities in front of us. Jonah shows that he misses opportunities because he has rationalized and justified his sin and hatred for Nineveh. That's what this podcast will discuss.

The way that we see/view sin is very important. As we look at Jonah in this passage, we will find that the sin that Jonah commits is the same as you and I do, more frequently than we would like to admit. But that sin has a cost. That's what this podcast will discuss.

We often see biblical people and their stories and don't think we can relate. We see their bad decisions, their sins, and [maybe don't want to admit it out loud] that we wouldn't have made that decision. As we begin to look at Jonah, I think we are more like him than we think and that's what this podcast will discuss.

There are many today, even preachers and teachers, who claim that Jonah was a fictitious character and the story of Jonah an allegory. So was Jonah a real person and his story real? That's what this podcast will discuss.

As we begin a new book to study, this podcast will begin by looking at who Jonah was and why the Book of Jonah was written.

In this last episode of the book of 1st John, John brings this letter to a conclusion. His is encouragement to the young believers to abide in Jesus which brings assurance in all other areas of life. We can apply this to our lives today.

John moves to prayer in this passage concerning others dealing with sin. This is a challenging passage, but gives us perspective on how to pray for others rather than being judgmental.

John continues the topic of confidence in faith that is in Jesus. He moves into how we can have confidence in our prayer lives because of the confidence we have in Jesus. That's what will be discussed in this podcast.

As John continues to talk about the importance of testimony, John states plainly that he is writing the things he is so that the recipients know they have eternal life and that the fullness of God dwells within them in the Holy Spirit. But is Jesus enough, or do we find ourselves longing for more? That's what this podcast will discuss.

John has said believers are victorious and conquerors because of faith in Jesus. Now he goes into witnesses that state that Jesus is who He says He is. What does that mean for us and how do we apply it? That's what this podcast will discuss.

John tells the believers, and us, that becasue of our faith in Jesus we are victorious and conquerors. But do we really exert and show our faith in the daily Christian walk? In our prayer life? That's what this podcast will discuss.

John talks in this passage about how children of God, those saved, are to love. What is the kind of love that John is talking about and how do I know if that's how I'm loving others? That's what this podcast will discuss.

John is going to tell us in this passage that we cannot say we love God whom we have not seen and then say we hate our brother or sister who's right in front of us. So how does this apply to us today? That's what this podcast will discuss.

In this passage John shows how that fear cannot dwell where Christ's love is. So what does that mean for us when it comes to fear and worry? That's what this podcast will discuss.

John is going to move from how we are to show the love of God in us toward others to now how His love impacts us. He wants us to abide in His love so much that we have confidence in that love concerning everything from the world around us to the day of judgment.

John shows us that Jesus is the only way to God the Father. To remain in God's love is to be in relationship with Jesus.

Most Christians know about the Holy Spirit, but do we really believe the Holy Spirit is God living in us? What does that mean and look like? John is going to show how the Holy Spirit living in us is vital to experiencing God's love daily in our lives.

John is going to show in this passage that, yes God does love us, but He wants so much more. God wants us to know Him, He wants to dwell with us in a way that causes us to know Him and others see Him in us. That's what this podcast will discuss today.

Taking the passages from 1st John 4:7-11, where John has told us to love and show love like Jesus has loved us, this podcast will discuss and look at the question of do I love like Jesus in my life toward others?

John dives into God's love for us in these verses. The starting point for all of us is the Cross. But do we really understand the Cross, the love God showed for us there, and how God loved us at our worst? That's what this podcast will discuss.

In our culture today, love is a word that has so many meanings that it's open to the person stating it to define it. However, in this passage from 1st John 4:7-8, we see love is defined clearly. So what is that definition? That's what this podcast will discuss.

As we close this passage on false teaching, one of the biggest problems Christ followers face today is this word and idea: tolerance. Tolerance is engrained in false teaching. This podcast will discuss the difference in showing compassion verses tolerance.

In this podcast we move from testing and judging in the lives of ourselves and others to what false teaching is, how we recognize it, and what is our role and responsibility in that.

John begins chapter 4 with the topic of testing the spirits and false teaching and false prophets. This is something the young believers struggled with in John's day and we still do today. So what does it look like to test the spirits? That's what this podcast will discuss.

Looking at the last few verses of 1st John 3, we will see how John shows that daily deepening in the understanding of learning how much Jesus loves us brings reassurance in our lives.

As John has just finished discussing doubt, now he moves to confidence. However, these verses are those that can easily be taken out of context concerning prayer. What do these verses teach us and what is the right context to view them? That's what this podcast will discuss.

John continues talking about the difficulty with doubts and the assurance we have in Jesus. This podcast will take a look at misconceptions of doubt, how we walk through doubt, and how we get victory from doubt.

We all face times of doubt and uncertainty. It was no different for the believers in John's day. John writes this passage to bring some encouragement and reassurance to them in times of doubt.

John describes how that as a Christ follower we can know love and know that we belong to Jesus. That's what this podcast will discuss.

John gives us a very tough passage here where he states if we do not have the love of Jesus in us and showing through us we are murderers. Does this apply to you and me? How do we handle this passage? That's what this podcast will discuss.

John is going to talk about where our heart lies, with God or being dominated by self. He will go back to the example of Cain and show how that our decisions are always a choice and matter of where our heart aligns: with God or self.

John is continuing with the distinguishing marks of a Christ follower by pointing to love and a lack of love. He is going to talk about envy as that lack of love. I believe that envy is an “under the radar” sin that more people struggle with than will admit. That's what this podcast will discuss.

John will talk about the difference between a real believer and a religious believer. There should be characteristics in our life that shows we belong to Jesus, not religion. That's what this podcast will discuss.

John has been showing how Satan uses deception. Now John will show what it means to be truly saved. But what does that mean? How do we know if we are truly saved? That's what this podcast will discuss.

I continue in the passage from 1st John where he is warning them about the deception of the devil. This podcast will continue to look into how Satan is still using deception as his greatest tool against mankind.

John is going to share with the young believers the importance of not being deceived. The question comes to mind about our current state; are we deceived? This podcast will look at this question.

In this passage John will begin to discuss the tool of deception used by the enemy. One of the ways that the believers in John's day, as well as us today, are deceived, is by sin. This podcast will discuss how the deception of misunderstanding sin is harming us.

Often we measure everything in life by doing. Yet when it comes to the Christian life, Jesus taught us everything is upside down from what culture teaches us. This podcast will look at the passage in 1st John 3:2-3 and see it's more about being with Jesus than doing things for Jesus.

John talks about one of the blessings we get from our salvation—being called God's children. But what does that really mean? This podcast will discuss how important that is and what that means for the Christ-follower daily.

John is going to talk with the young believers about God's love. But have we made God's love conditional due to overpreaching/teaching about the love of God? Are we truly in awe of the love of God the way we should be? That's what this podcast will discuss.

John has talked a lot about abiding, as have I. But do we really know how to abide? Do we know what abiding in Jesus really is or means? That's what will be looked at and discussed in this podcast.

John continues talking with these young believers telling them the importance of abiding in the Word and the Holy Spirit to recognize false teaching. This same message applies to us today. Am I abiding in the Word? Would I recognize false teaching? That's what this podcast will discuss.

In John's Gospel in chapter 15, Jesus talks about the Vine and the branch and abiding. John now talks again to these believers he is writing to about the importance of abiding in Christ in light of the false teachers he just mentioned to look out for.

John has told us about false teaching in the previous passage. Now he shows us that we must have discernment to know what the truth is. But how do we discern? This podcast will discuss how we discern false teaching from truth.

John showed that there are false teachers when he said to look out for the antichrists. However, in this passage John will show that they came out of the church. But just becasue someone goes to church doesn't mean they are a Christ follower. This podcast will look at this passage of determining a false teacher.