Journey through the Bible with Joshua Smith

All of us at one point will face the doorway into eternity. Jesus warns us of what awaits those who are unprepared for that moment, but graciously also offers us the way into a glorious eternity with Him. 

Stewardship. The idea that we have been gifted something, and are responsible for taking care of it. God has given us good gifts. He has given us the life we live, He has given us His Kingdom to share. Are we stewarding those well? Join me as we discuss these parables and their lessons. 

Join me as I discuss the parables that talk about prayer. We will discover what the essence of prayer is, and it's going to be a marvelous journey. 

Alexander Pope wasn't far off when he said "to err is human, to forgive, divine." Forgiveness is really that difficult, can we as mere mortals really be expected to forgive EVERY time? We dive into Luke 17, Matthew 18, and Luke 7 to see what Jesus says about forgiveness and how it really is possible. 

Jesus gives us a glimpse in Luke 15 of the heart of the Father in relation to lost people. The challenge is, do we have the same response? 

While all Jesus' parables can be defined as "Kingdom Parables," there are a few that teach us specific lessons about the Kingdom of God. Join me as we look at these and what lessons they can teach us. 

We all love a good story! In the Gospels, Jesus uses this love of story to help us understand spiritual realities. Join me as I lay a foundation for us to understand the Parables of Jesus.

In the first of a series of discussions on the nature of Scripture, I and a close friend discuss the importance of allowing the Scriptures to say what they say...nothing more, nothing less.  You can contact joshualsmith379@gmail.com for more information on what Brandon is doing with his ministry in Romania. 

In one of the more dramatic passages in the New Testament, Paul lays clear the battle we are a part of. What is our role in the battle? This question and more are answered in our wrap up of the book of Ephesians. 

Paul continues to detail for us how to walk in the unity he is calling for. 

Holiness is vital for the people of God, but what does that mean? What is holiness and why is it important? I discuss this in this episode of Journey through the Bible. 

Your nature has been changed by Jesus, now walk like it! That is Paul's message here in the latter half of Ephesians 4. 

Paul's first practical exhortation in Ephesians is for us to walk in unity. This unity is not something we can contrive, it comes as a work of the Holy Spirit. 

Paul spends the first three chapters of Ephesians detailing the power and the work of Christ. Here in chapter 4, he begins transition to our response. Since the power of Christ is at work in your life, what does that mean? The answer to that is my discussion on this episode. 

Paul ends his theological discourse of Ephesians 1-3 with a beautiful prayer that we would experience the love of Christ. 

In Paul's discussion on the peace that Jesus brought between the Jewish people and the Gentiles, he brings out an important lesson for us: Jesus can and does bring peace to a divided world. This peace happens in submission to His Lordship. Join me as we learn how Jesus brings this peace. 

In a beautiful and enormous display of His power, Jesus saves us and brings life to our dead hearts! Join us on this episode to hear about who we were before Christ, who we are with Christ, and how His power is what makes the difference. 

Paul sets up his thesis for Ephesians here in the latter half of chapter one, proclaiming that Jesus holds all the power and authority necessary to effectuate the changes in our lives that Paul talks about throughout the book. Paul also offers a prayer for us to know what this power does in us and through us. 

In these first few verses of Ephesians, Paul writes a stunningly exciting ode of praise to God for His plan of salvation. We are redeemed by Christ, to the Father, for His glory! Join us as we dive into this praise psalm and seek to grasp the excitement of Paul as he praises God and His glorious plan of redemption. 

Ephesians is a practical and powerful lesson on how the power of Jesus works in us and through us to change us. This broad overview intro to Ephesians sets the stage for one of Paul's greatest teachings. Click the link to access a note sheet you can use to follow along and grasp the message of Ephesians: The power to know. The power to be.  Ephesians Introduction Notes 

I share a message I preached at Life Church in Windber, Pa exhorting us all to join together and seek God for Revival. 

"Blessed" and "Persecution" don't make a lot of sense together like Jesus states in Matthew 5, and yet we are told that we are blessed in persecution, and even more that we are to rejoice in it! What is Jesus saying and how do we make sense of it all? Take a listen as we endeavor to understand Matthew 5:10-12. 

Peace is not the absence of conflict, but calm in the midst of conflict. In this episode, I discuss what peace really is and how we can be peacemakers. We produce peace because we possess peace, that is we are connected to the Prince of Peace--Jesus!

We are told we will flourish in the Kingdom of God with pure hearts. What does that mean? Join me as I discuss the importance of living with a pure heart and the blessings that come with it!

Our God is a merciful God. He has modeled mercy for us, and as a result desires for us to be people of mercy. What does that mean? Take a listen as we continue our Journey through the Bible. 

Jesus calls us to hunger and thirst after righteousness. He takes two of life's most basic needs to express to us the importance of us yearning after, not actions and works but after Jesus Himself!

The people of Jesus' day thought they were welcoming a temporal king on what is known as the "Triumphant Entry," but that's not what they received. What humanity actually was gifted was an eternal Savior. Join us as we talk about the importance of the eternal in light of the temporal. 

Is meekness weakness? Absolutely not! How so? In this episode we dive into the 3rd beatitude and discuss what it means to walk in meekness despite what happens to us. 

Blessed are those who mourn. Is Jesus looking for us to mope around all day long in great sadness? If not, what is Jesus saying to us? Join us as we journey through the second Beatitude. 

How can "poor" and "blessed" be in the same sentence? Listen to find out how being poor in Spirit is the foundation to flourishing in our life with Jesus!

Throughout history, mankind has searched for happiness. Jesus knew what we were really looking for was blessedness. Join us in this episode as we unpack the meaning of blessedness as found within the Beatitudes. 

In Matthew 5-7 Jesus lays out the constitution to His Kingdom. Join us here as we lay out some foundational truths that will help us understand the words of Jesus and how to follow them. 

In our continued discussion on Jesus' call for us to follow Him, we discuss what He means when He calls us to take up our cross and the absolute beauty and greatness of having the opportunity to follow Him daily. 

Jesus called His disciples to follow Him. He sends the same call to us today. But what does it mean to follow Him? What are the implications for my life? Find out as we dive in the latter half of Matthew 4 and Jesus call to "Follow me." 

Jesus was tempted, just like us. That brings us hope! Join us as we dive into Matthew 4:1-11 and discuss what Jesus was being tempted with, how He defeated the temptor, and how that all helps us. 

Matthew chapter 3 introduces us to John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus. He breaks onto the scene suddenly with a clear message, Repent! What is repentance? Why is it important? Find out as we dive in in this episode of Journey through the Bible. 

In episode 2 of Journey through the Bible, we dive into the story of the wisemen visiting Jesus. In the story we see they worshipped the young Jesus; what lessons can we learn from their story? Join me in this episode to find out. 

Join me as we dive into Scripture together! Matthew focuses on Jesus and His Kingdom, and our role in that Kingdom. This is the 1st episode.