Life Lessons with Dr. Steve Schell

A person who is maturing in worship has learned that they have a continual need to be transformed in the Lord's presence, no matter how old. When I am in the flesh, I will still be grumpy; I will still be the old me. God does not come and so change me that I become a really nice person with or without Him. Rather, a mature Christian becomes more and more dependent on the working of the Holy Spirit because I realize I can be filled with the Holy Spirit at one point but then slip back into my flesh at another. That is why I must learn to worship no matter how I feel. This episode focuses more on the practical aspects of how we worship.  To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Hebrews, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge!  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  

We were created to worship and be in love with God. In this new four-part series, we look at how and why we worship. God actually looks for people who worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He goes after men and women who are worshippers. We must see the importance of worship in our life, and we each must become a true worshipper, growing in our understanding and commitment in worshipping God.  To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Hebrews, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge!  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  

We were created to worship and be in love with God. In this new four-part series, we look at how and why we worship. God actually looks for people who worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He goes after men and women who are worshippers. We must see the importance of worship in our life, and we each must become a true worshipper, growing in our understanding and commitment in worshipping God.  To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Hebrews, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge!  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  

Listeners, this episode is a out of chronological order in our study of Luke, but the message is so good we included it anyway! People suffer hardship and rejection for different reasons. Sometimes we reap the bitter fruit of our own mistakes or rebellion. Sometimes we reap the bitter fruit of others' mistakes or rebellion. Yet, sometimes we suffer precisely because we are doing what God has asked us to do. Obedience to Him can bring hostility from people and oppression from the devil, and these can leave us feeling deeply discouraged. But if God's will has led us into hardship, then we can be sure He won't forsake us in the middle of it. In this passage for today, we see Mary giving birth to Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem, and it appears she's having to do this alone. Under these circumstances it's hard to imagine Mary wasn't discouraged as she had to wrap her own baby and put Him in a feeding trough for a crib. So, God did a wonderful miracle to encourage her. He found a group of godly shepherds still awake at that time of night and let them see the joy that heaven felt over the birth of her Son. In effect He sent the shepherds as prophets to encourage and comfort her in those dark moments. And we learn from this that God will also encourage us when His will has gotten us into trouble. He'll let us know He loves us and hasn't forgotten us, and His plan is right on track. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Hebrews, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge!  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.    

You might say this passage describes the first Sunday night service. It takes place on Sunday evening (the first day of Jesus' resurrection). The disciples were gathered for a meal (Mk 16:14) in a room with the door barred against intruders. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in their midst. They had been arguing about the validity of His resurrection, so the first thing Jesus did was to prove He was physically alive. Then He took them through an extensive Bible study of the Old Testament, as well as describing how He wanted them to serve Him in the future. He gave them a message, a ministrv and a promise that they would have the resources they needed to fulfill what He was asking them to do. Today, if we choose to be His disciples, He would give us the same commissioning He gave them. To receive a free copy of Dr. Steve Schell's newest book Study Verse by Verse: Hebrews, email us at info@lifelessonspublishing.com and ask for your copy at no charge! 

If Jesus stood in front of us in white robes, it wouldn't make us believe in Him. Faith doesn't come by seeing. Rather, it is a choice we make. It has to do with our character. In moments when we are caught off-guard, what we really believe comes out of our mouths and shows on our face. We are going to see this fact occur with two disciples who are walking on the road to Emmaus. These disciples have a remarkable encounter with the risen Jesus. We are going to watch their level of faith get tested. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.      

Not all the seventy elders of the Sanhedrin agreed with the decision about Jesus. At least two were secret followers of His who disagreed with the majority and watched in dismay at the brutalization and crucifixion. They were prominent, influential men who believed Jesus was sent from God but were still afraid to confess Him publicly. They knew if they did they would lose their positions and probably their lives. They had seen Jesus' miracles and had heard His teaching, and these had convinced them, but neither healings, miracles, nor anointed teaching could move them to "come out of the closet." Yet, when they watched Jesus die on the cross, everything changed. Suddenly, they put concern for their own lives and reputations aside and publicly took down His dead body and buried it. Why would men who were afraid to own Jesus when He was alive risk their lives to show their love forHim in His death? Whatever it was that transformed Joseph and Nicodemus, we all need it in our lives. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.    

You and I need to understand what it means when we say Jesus died for us on the cross. We say it often with real faith, and we mean it. But what Jesus really did for us isn't particularly clear in our minds. We know He somehow died on a cross.  But the more we understand Jesus' suffering and the dignity with which He went through the crucifixion, the more we see Him as the Son of God, and the more grateful we are that He carried our sin.  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.    

The saving of the thief on the cross is undoubtedly the most remarkable salvation of all of those recorded in the gospels. Many people believed in Jesus as they watched Him heal, deliver and perform miracles, but this man believed as he watched Jesus die. He had only a few hours of contact with Jesus, during which both endured the horrors of crucifixion, yet, in spite of this, he embraced the essentials of the gospel and was granted eternal life. No one explained to him what he must do to be saved, but as he watched and listened, his heart told him the truth, and he responded with faith. It would be hard to imagine a situation which better reveals the essential elements for salvation. Let's look closely at this man's experience. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.    

As I read this passage describing the arrest and trials of Jesus, there is an ingredient present throughout which startles me. It's the degree of anger which is directed toward Jesus. He's not just arrested, tried and executed. He is mocked and brutalized at every turn. In view of the fact that He did nothing more than teach, heal and deliver people from demons, it's remarkable how much fury is unleashed on Him. Certainly, one explanation for this is the devil's hatred. Satan at last has his chance to treat the Son of God the way he has always wanted to. But there are humans through which his hateful spirit is being expressed, and each person or group seems to have their own reason for anger. Today we'll look at this phenomenon of anger toward Jesus in each of the groups who judged Him on His way to the cross, and then we'll examine our own hearts and ask why it is that people still get angry at God. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.        

In a short span of time these two disciples both experienced a level of personal failure which devastated them. Judas, of course, betrayed the Lord by leading the religious officiais to the Garden ot Gethsemane. Peter blatantly and repeatedly denied knowing the Lord while waiting among the crowd outside the high priest's home. Though Judas' sin was more deliberate than Peter's, both men show great remorse tor their misdeeds afterwards, but at this point the similarities end. Judas ends up committing suicide and perishing, while Peter is restored to his relationship with Christ and his call to ministry. So it's helpful for us to look carefully at the way both of these men handled their personal failures. At some point in time most people bitterly disappoint themselves by doing something they never thought they would do, and if that has or will occur for any one of us, we want to avoid the path Judas took and run with Peter to the empty tomb. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  

Every year many Americans make promises to themselves and others called "resolutions." These commitments to improve behavior are notorious failures. People promise all sorts of things, but usually these can't be kept for more than a month or two into the new year. The problem, of course, is that our will power isn't strong enough to resist the temptations that lure us back to old habits. Appetites, fears, tempers and emotions pull on us until resolve weakens, and once again we fall under their control. We may know what's right to do, but we can't seem to make ourselves do it. After several failed attempts, discouragement sets in, leaving us feeling hopelessly trapped. But a Christian does not have to fall prey to this familiar cycle. We have access to a source of power that can enable us to overcome the forces of our flesh and the temptations of the devil. In the garden of Gethsemene we see Jesus laying hold of this power. He explains the principle to us with the statement, "Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is wiling, but the flesh is weak" (Lk 14:38). In our lesson today, we wil learn the secret of overcoming temptations and of experiencing genuine transformation. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  

We are still in the upper room with Jesus and the disciples. In these last moments Jesus has before He is arrested, He wants to teach His disciples, among other things, about humility. After Jesus and the disciples have just enjoyed partaking of the Lord's supper, Jesus watches them break into an argument about who is the greatest. Jesus wants His disciples to be humble; and they are not.  And just like the disciples, we are prone to the same prideful reactions and fleshly desires. In this episode we will look at several keys to humility so that we would cultivate this important characteristic in our own lives.  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.      

In this episode, we're going to see the final passover service the Lord served to His disciples. We will look at Judas' betrayal, at the upper room and Passover. And then we will look at the glorious New Covenant Jesus introduced the disciples to through the taking of the first communion. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. 

It's Tuesday afternoon of Jesus' final week in Jerusalem, and He and His disciples are heading back to the Mount of Olives where they will camp for the night. As the road rises, going up the hillside, the Temple comes into view with the setting sun glistening behind it. Though it has been 49 years in construction, it is still not completed, yet the beauty of the gold and white marble is breathtaking. While the disciples admire the view, Jesus stuns them by prophesying that it will one day be dismantled, stone by stone. They ask when this will happen and when He will come again, assuming the destruction of the Temple would take place at the end of the age (Mt 24:3). Over the next twenty-two verses Jesus answers both questions, though Luke leaves out some information supplied by Matthew (24:4-31) and Mark (13:5-27). He explains that the Temple wil be destroyed long before He comes again and gives signs to watch for and instructions to His followers for both events. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.    

The subject of finances is one that can make us uncomfortable, but there are things we need to do with our finances as Christians in order for us to be blessed of God. And the model for us is this marvelous widow who gives all she has out of a faith-filled and generous heart.  Though we are not told, we have to ask the question: What possible reason could there be for her to do what she did? We will answer that question and learn from her beautiful example on this episode. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

We begin this episode in Mark 11, and we hear Jesus use prophetic symbolism when he comes across a fig tree on the road. The fig tree was one of the major symbols of Israel, so the fact that this fig tree had leaves with no figs indicates something was wrong, since figs and their leaves always come out at the same time. The Messiah is looking for fruit on His tree. Does the religious structure have leaves and fruit? In other words, are people being made godly in their character? Do people love God? Do they care about the lost?  As we look at this section of Scripture and then at Luke 20 with Jesus' response in the temple, which was intended as a place of evangelism for other people groups, we see a righteous and indignant Lord judging His people as he drives the animals and merchants out of this area.  What's going on here? Listen to this episode to find out! To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.    

It is obvious that our society is becoming a dishonest society. Lying is now normal. When things happen slowly enough around us in our culture, we become transformed by it without even knowing it. As the culture becomes a culture of lying, we don't sense the difference, and Christians can bring it right in to their lives too.  We will talk in this episode about the problem with lying and hopefully come to the conclusion that as a Christian we want to be certain that lying isn't a tool we will ever use. Instead, our lips will be used as an instrument for the Lord. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

While escorting Jesus to his home, Zaccheus is overcome by the power of the Holy Spirit and born again through repentance and faith. As they stand in the street, they are surrounded by a great crowd of disciples and onlookers. According to the ancient Roman historian Josephus, approximately two million pilgrims would flood into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, so the crowds must have been enormous. In this atmosphere the religious excitement is high. Every miracle Jesus does adds to the growing conviction that He is indeed their Messiah and that when He arrives in the capital city, He will begin a revolution to free them from Rome's bondage, like Moses freed them from Egypt's. Unfortunately, in spite of all that Jesus has said earlier (Lk 9:22,44; 18:31-34), even His disciples are caught up in this misguided fervor. So He addresses a parable to them which is intended to correct their thinking so that when He does come to judge the earth, they will not be ashamed. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

The Lord needs to instill in each of our hearts a healthy fear of Him so that we are protected from sin and the schemes of the devil. We'll talk about the danger of hypocrisy, of developing a hidden life. We'll talk about integrity, of developing a life that is the same no matter who is watching. We'll also define the fear of God and talk about why a Christian should fear God to begin with. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.         

In Luke 18, the rich, young ruler encounters Jesus on the highway on the road south to Jericho. This young man, probably in his late teens or early twenties, is very rich, and he has some kind of position of authority. He falls on his knees in front of Jesus, who looks intently on the man and loves him. But Jesus sees the man is in bondage. Jesus is able to look at our lives and see the thing we really love more than God, even when we don't see it. And Jesus sees this young ruler is in bondage to an idol, one he doesn't know exists. In this episode we will see how Jesus deals with this young man, and then we'll discuss how Jesus deals with us because we also have things we love in our lives sometimes more than God as well, and we may not even know it until He reveals it to us.   To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.             

In this episode the Lord is currently on His way to Jerusalem at the end of His public ministry on earth. We don't know which town He is in right now, but He is coming down towards Jericho. The crowds are huge right now in His ministry, and in the midst of the thousands of people who are coming for healing, a group of parents are bringing their babies in arms and are asking Jesus to bless their children. And despite the disciples trying to prevent it, one at a time, Jesus folded each child into His arms and laid His hands on each child's head and blessed them. We will talk about four lessons from this occurrence Jesus has with His disciples and the children because the kingdom of heaven is made up of children. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

The Lord told this parable to make sure His followers would never grow discouraged by God's seeming reluctance to punish their enemies. Though it would seem like God was refusing to answer their pleas for relief from persecution, they must not allow this to spoil their faith. They must continue to pray, believing God to answer all their needs. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

Isn't it interesting that Jesus told His disciples about events which would not take place until the end of world history? Today we can say with confidence that many of these things would not take place for at least years (1967 + 32 = 1999; This sermon was originally preached in 1999). Why would believers need to know about something that far in the future? Obviously, Jesus felt they did, as did Paul (2Th 2:5) and Peter (2Pe 3:1-13) and John (1 Jn 4:3). And, if the early church needed this information, then we who are nearly 2,000 years closer to His return need it as much or more. Jesus knew that to protect believers from being spiritually deceived and to give them the strength, they need to endure persecution; they must have God's perspective of human history. The forces at work in the last generation are present in every generation. As history moves towards its end, hostile spirits have and will spring up and repeatedly express themselves in human society. So by learning to understand what afflicted the last generation, we will recognize the spiritual causes of that which opposes God in our generation. Jesus knew that: 1) every generation will experience these same forces; 2) every generation must be vigilant and informed; 3) every generation needs hope; and 4) every new believer needs to be told these things to protect them. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

The apostles have asked the Lord to increase their faith, and in verses six through ten Luke records two of the foundational truths with which He answered them. Both are given to them as parables. The first, in verse six, reminds us to keep our attention focused on the unlimited power of God rather than the size of our own faith. It's God's power that does the work, and all we need is enough true faith to connect with Him. The second truth is the subject of our study today, and in this parable (vs. 7-10), Jesus bluntly warns us to never think we earn answers to prayers because of the service we do for God. When it comes to God answering prayers, He will no more reward us for ministering on His behalf than a slaveowner would reward a slave. The normal tendency in all humans is to try to earn God's blessings. When we have faithfully done things for Him, we assume He will be grateful and therefore be more ready to answer our prayers. But, this attitude is built on the presumption that we can earn God's favor. By selecting the cruel institution of slavery, Jesus makes it unavoidably clear that when it comes to serving God, hard work would be followed by more hard work and, even after all was done, we still would not have earned one special favor from God. At first glance, this makes God sound like a thankless taskmaster who abuses His servants, but that is not what Jesus is saying, and from many of Jesus' other teachings we know God is not like a slave owner at all. We know He is thankful and will reward us for our service (Lk 12:37,43,47; 19:17) and does not consider us slaves, but rather His adopted children (Lk 15:19,21, 22; Jn 15:15;Gal 4:1-7). But, if we take Jesus' teaching to heart, we will never again rely on our good works to get God to answer our prayers. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.     

In this episode, we are talking about forgiveness. It's one of those subjects you simply have to talk about regularly because offenses come, issues come into our hearts, and we can grow bitter and hard. So God is constantly reminding us through His word to forgive each other. We will talk about two levels of forgiveness in this episode. We're not just talking about the personal offenses that take place, although we will touch on that, but we are talking in more detail about what happens when we see another believer slip into some serious moral or doctrinal error. God expects us to go after that person. In other words, when I start to slip, we can't say, "It's not my business," because we are a family of believers, and we are indeed our brother's keeper.  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.     

In this parable Jesus pictures the death of two men. One is a rich, self-centered man who had no compassion on the poor, and the other was a beggar named Lazarus. Jesus takes us beyond the grave and lets us see what happens to each as they step into eternity. The passage is meant as a warning against hardening our hearts toward God, thinking that life will go on forever and that we will never have to account for our attitudes. It's also a warning to those who think they can make up excuses for ungodly behavior. We may justify ourselves in our own minds, but we will not fool God at all.  As we consider the rich man and his hard-hearted family, we will look more closely at the forces that harden a person's heart, and ways in which God is able to soften hearts so a person can be saved before he/she dies. All of us know people who stubbornly resist repenting and turning to God. Understanding why people refuse to turn to God and how God works to win them back to Himself should help us pray for such people and to be more patient while we're waiting. And through it all, we must remember no one loves hard-hearted people more than God (Eze 18:23: Jn 3:16:2Pe 3:9). To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

You and I need to be faithful managers of God's money. But how do we do that in a practical sense? As we continue through the book of Luke, we are looking in this chapter at more of what Jesus says specifically to His disciples as opposed to the Jewish leaders. So if you are a disciple of Jesus, these words are for you! In this episode we will look at the basic principles of this parable and then ask how we can be faithful managers ourselves. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

People who zealously give themselves to faithful service can always be in danger of falling into "Elder Brother Syndrome." A common termused today is "burnout." This is not a problem reserved for Pharisees and scribes, but can and does affect Christians—especially Christians who hold themselves to high standards and consistently give time and energy to serve God. You would think that those who hold themselves to high standards and consistently serve God would automatically have a great relationship with God and be overflowing with joy, but this is not always the case. Without certain principles and skills being practiced in our lives we can, like the elder brother, develop feelings of alienation, self-pity, lovelessness and pride. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

Jesus has been talking to religious leaders and great multitudes of people, and He gives a severe call to discipleship, telling the full price a disciple would pay up front. And as we look at the well known parable of The Prodigal Son, it is good to keep this cost of discipleship in mind. Jesus is really talking about priorities. Following Christ comes first.  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. 

Every Christian can't move to a foreign nation to be a missionary, but every Christian should have the heart of a missionary. In these two parables Jesus looks deep into the heart at our motives for serving people, and the attitudes He teaches us are those which we typically associate with a missionary. Jesus' teaching should also act as a checklist to see if we are sensing God as effectively as possible, because He tells us who we should be seeking to reach. No one person could possibly reach all the people Jesus is inviting to heaven, but if each Christian has the heart of a missionary, we'll see results beyond our fondest hopes. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

There is a deep underlying principle in this passage which is expressed over and over again throughout the Bible. We might state it simply in this way. "God honors those who honor Him, and He disciplines those who honor themselves." With this parable of guests being seated at a wedding feast, Jesus brings us face to face with the attitudes of pride and humility. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.       

We want God to wave His hand over our world and change it all at once. And indeed a day will come when Jesus will return to earth bringing all evil to an immediate halt and believers will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye. But, for now, until He comes again, that's not the way God grows His kingdom. With the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus is revealing God's strategy to win the world. And what a surprising strategy it is! He takes one person who is filled with His Spirit and places them in a group of people and then uses that person to draw others to Himself. God delights at selecting people that seem insignificant and weak, and accomplishes great things through them so that when the work is done, everyone must glorify God. Jesus Himself is the first "seed" which God has Thrown" into His "garden," which is the world. Then, just as God "cast" His own Son into the earth so the Son of God casts His followers (Mt 13:36-38). As these declare Him to others the Holy Spirit indwells each new believer, and they in turn, also become seeds that the Son scatters into the world. Just as a plant multiplies the life that is in it by bearing fruit which become fruit-bearing plants themselves, so God's rulership expands through the human race until Christ is the head of a great kingdom composed of people from every nation. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

In this episode we see a woman who has been demonically oppressed for eighteen years, yet as soon as Jesus sees her, He calls her forward and delivers her of the assaulting spirit, and lays His hand on her to heal her damaged body. In the following debate He calls her a "daughter of Abraham" which for Him is a very special term meaning much more than just an Israelite physically descended from Abraham and Sarah. As He listens to the discernment of the Spirit, Jesus recognizes that she is a woman of faith though outwardly she is humiliatingly contorted. A "child of Abraham," whether a man (Lk 19:9) or a woman, is a person who so trusts God that they will wait for His answer over time and through hardship. Many of the marks of faith in this couple's life are listed in Hebrews 11:1,2,6-19,39,40. All Christians are seen by God as "children of Abraham" (Gal 3:6-9,26-29), so in the account of this healing we learn some important lessons that apply to our lives today.

Jesus challenged the people of His day by pointing out that they were more interested in predicting the weather than they were in seeing the spiritual warning signs all around them. A person didn't have to be a prophet to see that there was trouble ahead if religious leaders did not repent soon and begin using their influence to direct people toward true faith in God. People were more interested in fighting with the Romans than in bearing fruit for God, and if this continued, there would be wide-spread disaster in the near future. Just as Jesus challenged the religious structure of first-century Israel, His words ought to challenge the Church in America today. Are there "signs of the times" that we ought to discern as well? To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

This passage in Luke 12 points to the subject of what happens to a family when the gospel comes in. Anyone who has received Christ and sought to minister to their family knows there can be issues. How do I share Christ with my family members because they don't always respond the way we think they will. In this episode we will give some practical advice for how and when to share the gospel with unsaved family members.   To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge. 

We've added the Bible reference in the title for you! Earlier in this chapter Jesus warned His followers not to deny Him (12:9,10) and to beware of greed (12:15-21). Next, He told them to focus on the ministry to which He had called them, trusting God to provide for their needs (12:22-34). Now, as He continues speaking to His disciples. He tells them that they must personally take responsibility for their own spiritual condition, realizing that someday, each one will give an account for his or her life. On some future day God wili examine every believer to see whether or not that person has continued to be faithful to obey Him and still has a living faith in Christ. If the enduring of my faith and obedience to the end is not automatic and I am expected to take steps to ensure that I am ready to meet Him, what are some practical ways I can do this? To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.     

In Luke 12:13-34, Jesus talks about money. We are going to look over the parable He uses to explain giving, try to understand the parable, and then answer some practical questions like: Why should we give? How much should we give? And what good is money to God? To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

In Luke 11:37-54, we are going to watch Jesus as He goes to lunch with a group of Pharisees. Have you ever been invited to a lunch where you know you are going to get raked over the coals? Yet Jesus accepted the invitation despite the possibility of a clash. We are talking in this episode about legalism. Legalism is any fear-driven attempt to please God. The emphasis is on human effort to get salvation. We will examine both legalism and lawlessness as we watch Jesus deal with these religious leaders.  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!  

Jesus often used the image of iight and its effect on darkness to teach us what happens when God's presence and truth come into our lives (Mt. 5:15; Mk. 4:21; Lk. 8:16; Jn. 1:4-18; 3:19-21; 8:12; 9:5; 12:35, 36, 45, 46). When He spoke of light He was speaking of God explain in Himself to humans by His presence. Like light being turned on in a dark room, when God's truth and presence arrives in our lives, it exposes what is really there. The Lord's words that we are reading today were made as He stood in the middle of a huge crowd that was filled with skepticism even after seeing His miraculous ministry. His words are a warning, clothed in a parable: God is revealing His "light" to them, and if they receive it in faith, it will change everything about them from the inside out, but if they reject it, those less fortunate than they will rise up to judge them at the final Judgment of God. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.   

Why do our prayers seem to go unanswered or the answers seem cruel? Jesus teaches a disciple about prayer in Lk 11:1-13 by reminding him of the Lord's Prayer, and then He tells two parables about the heart of the Father. Anybody who has prayed for something and not seen it answered or who has been waiting for a long time for a prayer to be answered: this message is for you.  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!

In Luke 10:38-42, we watch Mary's and Martha's interactions with Jesus when He visits them along with their brother Lazarus. Martha makes all the food and preparations while Mary sits at the Lord's feet. What is going on here? There are three options: did Jesus bring too many people to dinner? In other words, does God give us too much to do? Second, were too few people willing to help with the dinner? Or third, did Martha try to prepare too elaborate of a meal? We will look today at what happens when we do more than the Lord requires of us.   To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!        

Christmas is traditionally a season during which we feel prompted to be generous with others. And it's only natural considering we are celebrating God's incomprehensible generosity toward us by sending His Son to rescue us from our sins. We who have freely received such kindness are naturally motivated to treat others in the same way God has treated us. This account of Jesus' conversation with a scholar of the Old Testament and the parable He uses is a wonderful passage to prepare our hearts to love our neighbors as ourselves. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!      

As Jesus prepares for a final evangelistic campaign, He tells His followers that after ministering through Samaria, Perea and Judea they will end up in Jerusalem where He will be arrested and killed. He warns them that the days ahead may bring hardship and even death for them as well. Then as they actually all begin to travel southward, the reality of what lies ahead begins to worry some of His disciples and test the depth of their commitment to Him. Luke records three brief conversations which show people struggling with the decision to follow Jesus into the firestorm ahead. It's one thing to follow Jesus during the glory of His preaching and healing ministry, but it's quite another to follow Him on the road to the cross. Now the quality of our decision to follow Him gets tested and the deep motives of our hearts come to light. As we listen to Jesus interact with each person, we will learn important truths about making decisions that last. To purchase Pastor Steve's new book Understanding Acts: Life-Changing Lessons from the Early Church, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!    

After a Samaritan village rudely refused to welcome them, James and John, two brothers with a reputation for temper anyway (Mk. 3:17), angrily responded by wanting God to destroy the entire town. Had God done so, a lot of innocent people would have died without a chance to hear the gospel. How frequently we give up on people by deciding they are hopelessly beyond God's power to save—forgetting how much persistent love it took for God to reach us. When He corrected His disciples, Jesus warned them that they were deceived by their angry emotions. Undoubtedly, they assumed they were motivated by wanting people to respect Jesus, but in truth their rage didn't come from God at all but was hateful revenge. Then He reminded them that God's heart was to save lost people, not speed their passage into hell. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!      

Jesus makes some strong statements in Luke 9:43-48 about greatness in His kingdom. His idea of greatness is so radically different than what we normally find in human experience that it is shocking. In this passage Jesus talks about seeing ourselves in an entirely different light. God doesn't establish leadership based on outward appearance, education, social status or other human measurements for greatness. He is looking for a person who has chosen to become like a child. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!      

Jesus has been up on the Mount of Transfiguration, and He and His disciples are now coming back into the valley and into all of the confusion, disease, suffering and strife that is going on. The disciples have been praying for a young boy, and they have failed to heal him. How many of us have  prayed for things and have failed to have an answer? The way we respond in that situation is important. In this account, we see how the Lord wants us to wait in the valley.  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!    

How is it possible to "take up a cross daily" and not grow depressed or exhausted by the process? Jesus has just exhorted His disciples that He must suffer and that they must suffer if they are to be His disciples, but the prospect of this kind of life can seem overwhelming unless God has provided much support along the way. Here on Mount Hermon we see the Father strengthen His Son in ways that ought not only amaze us because of their miraculous nature, but encourage us because we see principles here by which He strengthens us as well. To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!    

Suffering, personal sacrifice and persecution aren't God's wil for us in tfie sense ttiat He enjoys watching us suffer, but these are unavoidable realities given the condition of the human heart and the influence of Satan. Why does Christianity always conflict with the world?  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!  

On this episode we are looking at Jesus miraculously feeding about 15,000 people, counting the women and children. And there's quite a lesson we can learn from it.  To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!

Some people are not looking for God. Others are people who are ready to hear, and the Lord knows their name and is determined to reach them so they may be saved. In Luke 9:1-6, Jesus is sending out the 12 apostles which He has selected for a trial run. Their assignment is to preach the kingdom of God, pray for the sick, cast out demons. They are to do what they have seen Him doing. Jesus is training His 12 because He wants to reach everyone who is looking for Him. We have marching orders today just like they had: to reach those who are seeking, to fulfill the calling God has on each of our lives.   To purchase Pastor Steve's newest book Understanding Romans: Life-Changing Lessons from Paul's Greatest Letter, visit Amazon.  Also check out our website at lifelessonspublishing.com for additional resources for pastors and leaders. We have free recorded classes and other materials offered at no charge.  And check us out on Instagram as well!