Concordia Adult Bible Class

Faith is the gift that allows us to follow Jesus! But how do we manage our faith? Do we simply regard it as an internal state of our heart, or something that flows from our heart in our actions that blesses those around us? One of the way that we can grow our faith and manage it well, and bless those around us, is in how we steward our financial resources.

Get to know Concordia's newest Pastor!

One of the reasons so many people struggle in silence is because they believe they're the only one and that others would not understand – or, worse, judge them – if they ever found out what they were going through. The preacher of Hebrews reminds us that we always have someone who understands – Jesus – and we can bring Him anything.

Dr. Steve Notley is in charge of the El Araj archaeological site in Israel near the Sea of Galilee. He was part of a dig there this past July (2022). Dr. Notley presents what was found and the significance of that discovery.

Have you ever made someone your “project”? You think you can fix them, change them, or, perhaps, even save them? Paul reminds us that at the same time we may try to change someone, they are also potentially changing us. He encourages us, then, to choose our relationships wisely and reminds us that the deepest change comes through Christ.

When life gets challenging, it can be tempting to give up. We can be tempted to quit everything from our jobs to our relationships to even our very lives. Jesus encourages perseverance by telling a story about a woman who goes through terribly trying times. He also reminds us that our strength to continue comes from God through prayer.

Last weekend, we talked about how sometimes we don't feel as if we're enough. This weekend focuses on how we often think we don't have enough. “If I just had more money or more time or more energy or more whatever, life would be great!” When Paul writes to the Philippians, he speaks of his concern of not having enough, but also trusts fully that God will provide everything he needs.

“I'm not enough” is an interesting lie we tell ourselves because it's not totally untrue. We do fall short of being enough because we are sinful. Yet, God's Son Jesus is enough and redeems us from our sin to make us whole – to make us enough. Isaiah's call from God is a beautiful picture of how God makes people enough.

Right before Joshua dies, he invites the Israelites to serve the Lord, knowing they will not be able to. In their pride, the Israelites claim they will be able to serve Him. The next book of the Bible – Judges – tells us otherwise. Humility is the key to spiritual growth. How have we fallen short serving the Lord? Out of His grace, God continually invites us to try serving Him again.

As Joshua nears the end of his life, he reflects on how he has been merely a steward of God's Word and ways. It is God's Word that lasts. When we get to the end of our lives, will we have spent our lives with an eye toward what lasts?

A man named Caleb has been waiting for years to receive an inheritance first promised to him by Moses. But rather than becoming bitter because of the wait, he is grateful for his inheritance, no matter how long it might have taken him to receive it. What good things will come to us when we are willing to wait?

Though the Israelites win many battles in Joshua, it is ultimately God who gives them the victory. He is powerful not just against enemies, but over all creation. When we face battles we cannot win, who will we entrust ourselves to? After Bible Class, Concordia's Executive Team does a Q&A with attendees.

After the Israelites conquer Jericho, one of them, Achan, steals some of its plunder. God sees what has happened and punishes all of Israel by allowing them to lose their next battle against Ai. The lies we tell always hurt others. We are called to be people of the truth.

Concordia's interns share their experience serving with our high school ministry in Oklahoma.

When Joshua fights the battle of Jericho, before he fights, he waits. He takes six days to march around the city with trumpets. It is only after giving the residents a chance of Jericho to repent does God decide to destroy the city. God was patient with Jericho and He is patient with us. Will we use His patience as an opportunity to repent of sin?

As Joshua and the Israelites are preparing to march on Jericho, they send some spies to the city to do some reconnaissance work. A foreigner named Rahab helps them and is blessed for doing so. This reminds us that God's promises and God's work are not just for certain people, but for all people.

The book of Joshua opens with a recap of Israel's wandering through the wilderness. In this message, we'll recap the Pentateuch and discover how our past can both warn us and teach us.

Pastor Paul answers your faith-related questions!

When we pray and a prayer goes seemingly unanswered, our faith can be rocked. In this message, we consider how God answers our prayers.

There are many reasons that a good God may allow suffering in our lives. Sometimes, it is to train us. Other times, it is to call us to repentance. In every instance, God uses our suffering to ultimately bless us, even if we can't immediately see it.

Scandals involving hypocrisy have left a bad mark on the integrity of the Church. Living with integrity is paramount in our witness to Christ. Everyone is a hypocrite in one way or another, but rather than hiding this, we must confess it and repent of it.

Aren't Christians being exclusive when they claim that only Christ is the way to salvation? Claiming that all paths lead to the same God is itself an exclusive claim because it excludes those faiths that claim differently. Every claim is, in some sense, exclusive. So, we must discern which claims are true.

It is often assumed that either Christianity or science is true and that the Scriptures reject rational, scientific inquiry. In truth, the Scriptures invite it because they assert that there is a rational God who created a rational universe that we can joyfully investigate.

People want to know about the “weird” Bible verses, especially in the Old Testament – the ones against mixing fabrics and eating shellfish. Do we not take such verses seriously? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus invites us to see all Scripture as fulfilled and interpreted through Him.

Karl Marx famously said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” He saw faith as nothing more than a crutch for the weak to deal with the vicissitudes of life. The reality is that Christianity is, in some ways, a crutch – one that we all need, because we're not as strong as we'd like to think we are. But it is also more than just a therapeutic crutch. It is a divine reality.

So often, we conceal the things we should reveal – like our sin in confession – and reveal the things we should conceal – like our righteous acts. Jesus invites us to give up boasting and do our best work in secret. These are the works that God honors.

It can be difficult to confess sin because it requires you to give up your pride. The Pharisee in Jesus' parable is proud, but it is the tax collector who confesses his sin who finds mercy.

As we celebrate service at Concordia, we remember that Jesus came to serve us. Jesus gave up His rights and privileges to be served and instead took up a towel to serve us. He invites us to do the same for others.

The Sabbath was a day to give up work so people could take up rest. Sadly, the religious leaders turned the gift of rest into a burden. Jesus invites His followers to experience the Sabbath as a gift rather than a requirement.

In Matthew 4, Jesus spends 40 days fasting. The discipline of fasting – giving up food – can help us take up spiritual control. When we can tame our physical appetites, we can better endure spiritual temptations.

Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar are a family who breaks each other's hearts. But even in the midst of pain and betrayal, God is giving them a new start. How can God give us a new start even when we struggle and suffer with a broken heart?

Because every human relationship is between two sinners, offenses will happen. Adam and Eve sinned against God, but also against each other – especially when Adam blames Eve for feeding him some forbidden fruit. Yet, Adam and Eve stayed together. How do we stay together when we hurt or are hurt by each other? The answer lies in how God stays with us – through forgiveness.

What is the secret that people in long-term relationships know? It is simply this: always humbly put the other person first. The first century world was patriarchal. The man was expected to be first and be treated as first. But Priscilla and Aquilla provide a counter-cultural example. While Aquilla, the husband, is at first named first, primacy is quickly given to Priscilla. Being willing to take a secondary role instead of jockeying for position ascribes value to another person and is the secret the relationships that go the distance.

There can be certain aspects of relationships that just “happen” to you. For example, a child does not choose their father or mother. But for a relationship to thrive, assembly is required. You must not just feel love, but choose to be committed to another person. The story of Ruth and Naomi is a beautiful example of this intentional choice.

It can be scary to share Scripture! We're worried about whether or not we'll have an answer to a question someone is asking, or we're worried we don't know the Bible well enough to share it with anyone else. We can learn how to share the Bible with others by looking at the way Jesus shared the Bible with His disciples.

Reading the Bible can be frustrating because so much of it can sound so foreign. This is why the Psalmist invites us not just to read the Bible, but to meditate on it. Studying the Bible takes time and effort. So, it's okay if you still feel like you have a lot to learn about the Bible!

Many people have read the Bible, but they don't know the backstory to the greatest story ever told. How did this book come together? In the introduction to his Gospel, Luke tells us that careful research went into all the books that in the Good Book.

A popular acronym to understand the theme of the Bible is Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. But though the Bible does contain plenty of instruction, instruction is not its primary theme. Jesus is. Paul speaks of how the Scriptures are able to make us “wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.” If we miss Jesus, we miss the main point of the Bible.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:5-6

See our Christmas Lineup! With all that we have been through, our souls can feel shriveled at times. In Matthew 12, Jesus restores a man with a shriveled hand. What He did for this man physically, He can do for us spiritually.

See our Christmas Lineup! Many know that Jesus was born in a manger... but who did He turn out to be?

Contentment is great! Gratitude is even better, for gratitude is not only happy with what it has – as nine of the lepers healed by Jesus were – but actively thankful for what it has. In this way, gratitude blesses others because gratitude is an expression of contentment and fulfillment.

Join a Concordia Group! The Israelites were wildly blessed by God while wandering through the wilderness – but, for them, it was never enough. Grumbling misses the blessings God gives. The first step out of the trap of grumbling is contentment.

Join a Concordia Group! David refused to even drink water if the water was a product of someone else work and risk. David wanted to work for what he had. Part of stewardship is working for what we have so we can share what we have. Are we more interesting in working or taking?

Join a Concordia Group! Joseph was entrusted with a huge estate. But things quickly turned sour when he was falsely accused of mismanaging what he had been given. How can we be faithful with what God has given us, even when being faithful means sacrificing like Joseph?

Join a Concordia Group! From the very beginning of history, God entrusted people with the responsibility of taking care of His world. What you have is still part of His world. Are you cultivating what God has given you or wasting or hoarding it?

Join a Concordia Group! One of the hardest challenges families face is when they are divided over faith. Jesus' own family struggled to believe in Him! But when we hold on to our faith, our household becomes divided against Satan. And, as Jesus reminds us, a house divided cannot stand. There is hope for your family members who are outside the faith!

Join a Concordia Group! Some of the hardest sayings of Jesus have to do with family. Jesus called twelve men away from their families to be His disciples. Jesus challengingly invites us to remember that, as important as family is, family without Him is idolatry and will only lead to pain.

Join a Concordia Group! Every family encounters problems and conflicts. Before Isaac and Rebekah even have children, God promises their sons will fight with each other. Looking at our family through the eyes of faith – through how Jesus sees them – can help us navigate the short-term conflicts with a larger goal in mind.

Join a Concordia Group! We will often speak of our “friends and family.” There are some friends who are like family (Proverbs 18:24). Paul talks about how we are part of Christ's family by faith in Galatians 3. When our own family fails us, we have a larger family that extends through space and time.

A family apart from faith can attempt some spectacular things, as does the human family in Genesis 11 when they build the tower of Babel. But our success will only be temporary. Each family must ask: what is most important?