Way of the Bible

Welcome to Episode #172 of the Way of the Bible podcast. This is the fourth of eight episodes in our Twenty-Second mini-series entitled The Return of Jesus Christ. On today's episode, we're going to take a look at what Jesus said about his coming back in the New Testament. Jesus was clear that he came the first time as the suffering savior of the world and would be returning a second time in righteousness to judge the world. This was well understood by the Apostles, early disciples, and the early church. Over time, as Jesus' return was delayed, from a human perspective, individuals in and out of the church began to spiritualize Jesus' comments and imagined an ending quite different than what the New Testament writers understood.  I've spent two episodes trying to provide some background for the difficulty we as humans have in comprehending who Jesus is and why he came the first time. We have to overcome that difficulty first before tackling Jesus' coming back. I've used the expression, make your head hurt, several times in prior episodes to emphasize a point. In the modern and now post-modern worlds, the spiritual realm is not readily accepted. And because of that, over the centuries and millennia, the significance of the word of God, like entropy we covered on our last episode, always increases toward disorder and/or chaos. Each generation has to learn on its own the significance of the word of God to guide them on their spiritual walk with Christ. In that regard, let's speak about where every generation has to begin. 

Welcome to Episode #171 of the Way of the Bible podcast. This is the third of eight episodes in our Twenty-Second mini-series entitled The Return of Jesus Christ. On today's episode, we're going to take a second high level flyover of the Bible to continue the case for why Jesus is coming back. What we'll discover today is that there is more to the story than we've been told. Once we see this, the question becomes, “Has the withholding of this information been intentional or a misalignment that over time, took us far away from the intended target?”When you're starting with infinity and forever, the hardest thing to do is to know with certainty where to start. Which reminds me, one of the reasons modern science knows that the cosmos is not eternal is based on what science shows.  In the realm of science, there is a field called thermodynamics that concerns itself with the fluidity of relationships between heat, work, temperature, and energy. Certain maxims of thermodynamics are considered so undeniable, they are considered to be unchangeable laws found in nature. The second law of thermodynamics concerns a concept called entropy. Entropy in simplest form is work accomplished by ordered molecular motion. Think of the Budweiser Clydesdale horses hooked up to the beer wagon versus the same team of horses running loose in a ten-acre paddock. Which of the two teams of horses at the same moment in time just described (hooked to a wagon or running loose) is capable of performing more work than the other?We observe, the more organized the energy, the more work that can be done. The more organized, the more work, the Lower the entropy. Disorganization or randomness of the energy results in a higher entropy, meaning less work can be done. Once you get this, “knowing what entropy is,” everything you encounter in life will suddenly begin to make sense. The second law of thermodynamics assumes a closed system. We established this on our last episode that modern science considers the cosmos a closed system. According to modern science, our four-dimensional space-time is a sealed box. Nothing can either enter or exit the box. However, for about the past two decades science has been having a branding crisis as there is now evidence the box may be leaking. But the mainstream public will never hear about that if science can help it. In this closed system, the 2nd Law of thermodynamics states that entropy (a measure of disorder or randomness) will always tend to increase. Or put another way, no matter how many times you clean your house, it will always move toward a state of greater disorder and randomness. According to this Law, given enough time, all energy within the cosmos will reach equilibrium, bringing the temperature of the cosmos to a level where there is no gradient in temperature. In this environment where energy is equally distributed, no work can be done. But that's not what we are experiencing.The postulation goes that if the cosmos was eternal, it would already have had enough time to suffer this heat death and should not exist at all as we now experience it. Therefore, the cosmos by inference, must have had a beginning. It is not eternal.DrZ, that was a lot of I've never thought about and don't see the tie-in to the topic. Great observation and glad you think that, because that's just the crack in the floor that reveals a huge rabbit hole below. I urge you to let your head hurt a little as you consider what is really going on around you. All is not as it seems. We'll take a quick peek under the pavement and then dig into some healthy content.

Welcome to Episode #170 of the Way of the Bible podcast. This is the second of eight episodes in our Twenty-Second mini-series entitled The Return of Jesus Christ. On today's episode, we're going to do a high-level overview of the Bible to present the case for why Jesus is coming back. What we'll discover is something that will blow your mind. I'm talking about literally make your head hurt, turn your stomach, and hopefully make you want to run around for winning the Mega Cosmic Lottery.There is a low view today in the Western world of Christianity. It seems to be much like it was in the first Century when Rome considered Christianity a cult and worthy of persecution. Even the mega-churches that were birthed in the 1990s through around 2010, are experiencing the vacuous gale blowing through their emptying arenas where once thousands to ten thousand and more were packed in for each of up to six services each Sunday. Many of these have already joined the ranks of the small neighborhood congregations they emptied with the promise of freedom from sin and condemnation, no matter what the newcomers had done or continue doing.Surprisingly, you may discover for the first time that “everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” [1 Jn. 2:16]. This includes the church, which long ago adopted the practices of the world. [See Jesus' seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3]The glitz, the glamour, the charisma of the pastor or priest, the rock and roll praise and worship music shrouded in darkness, strobe lights, dance, song, with incense laden fog all mean nothing. Icons of religious figures, pictures, images, colors, etc. to produce a dramatic effect or to evoke an emotional response do not come from God. While these, and I could name numerous other things as well, do not come from God, does not mean God did not allow their existence and sustains them for his purposes. This is not meant for church shaming but rather for us all to have a gut check of what we are doing in our worship services.  Now to getting our heads hurting with a little bending of our minds. Let's start with concept of nothing. Are you there? Now, assume out of that nothing comes something. Recall that you intuitively understand that nothing comes from nothing. For there to be something, something beyond the nothing had to create the something. Not only that, but, the materials for creating something in the nothing must also have come from beyond nothing. BUT if there was nothing, how can there be something beyond the nothing? Now your head must bother you enough to hit the 15-second backup to listen again as you got lost at “Let's start with nothing.” You may find yourself still listening but stuck on nothing. And knowing that nothing comes from nothing is the secret to knowing the truth about everything.One more time. Nothing comes from nothing. There is no something beyond nothing. Nothing is nothing. Draw a circle on a whiteboard. Identify what is inside the circle as nothing (that's not it). Now erase the circle (that's still not it). Incinerate the whiteboard to ashes (that's still not it). Incinerate the earth to ashes (that's still not it). Incinerate the entire cosmos to ashes (that's still not it). Nothing is not something inside of anything. Nothing is no thing at all. It is a mental concept and likely unprovable, much like infinity. Yet we believe nothing can exist since our entire modern science foundation postulation is that there was nothing. Then out of nowhere, in the nothing, there was something smaller than a nickel in size. This nickel-sized mass in nothing exploded, creating everything in the entire cosmos.Don't laugh, but that is in most simple form the explanation modern science has for the existence of the cosmos. Even more fictitious than this, and even more

Welcome to Episode #169 of the Way of the Bible podcast. This is the first of eight episodes in our Twenty-Second mini-series entitled The Return of Jesus Christ. On today's episode, we're going to pause our overview of the Sermon on the Mount with the completion of Matthew Chapter 6. The reason for this departure is multi-faceted.Over the past nine months, I have been enmeshed in the affairs of the world after becoming the President of a company whose leadership team I was coaching. In order to take what I knew to be a temporary position, I put my coaching practice on hold, and the recording of podcast episodes and my spiritual journey on severe time rations. For the next nine months I I successfully navigated and completed the purpose for which I was hired. About a month ago, I stepped back into my coaching practice and other pursuits including this podcast and my spiritual journey.  While I was able to piecemeal together several episodes of this podcast, during my time away, the world changed. Now that I'm back and ready to begin regular episode releases I sense a conviction to address an important topic for our times as they are now. I'm a student of the word of God, a lifelong learner, and I pay attention to the signs of the times. And I'm sufficiently convinced that the world as we know it is about to enter into the times that the bible talks about more than any other. The judgment of the world, final testing and redemption of Israel, and the initiation of the millennial kingdom. What! I'm not ready for that. Not a problem, nor is anyone else. Or should I rather say, most others as well are as equally ill prepared for what could be coming on the near-term horizon. I think sooner than later and certainly in my lifetime, even at 67, Lord willing. This of course was the apostle Paul's perspective, so I guess I'm in good company.Titus 2:11-15 – For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.I hope you heard Paul saying he was waiting for Jesus to return. That hope was, is, and should always be at the forefront of the mind of all believers as Jesus may return at any moment. But it's been 2000 years now, come on DrZ..!The Holy Spirit anticipated that comment and had Peter address it in 2 Peter 3:8-11 – But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.  That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.Jesus is coming back to judge the world. Of that, the bible leaves no doubt.With that brief introduction, let's get started. A little background to catch us up and then jog and sprint to the fin

Welcome to Episode #168 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our eighth of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today's episode we'll be taking a walk on the beach with DrZ to overview and comment on what we've learned on this mini-series.Welcome everyone to this early morning walk on the beach. I can see everyone is bundled up, and for good reason. I saw a moment ago from the front deck the sun has just had finally fully peaked over the horizon. The thermostat indicated 53 degrees and the flag was flapping, so its' breezy. This is going to be an awesome walk. By the time we're done in a little over an hour, you'll have that top layer off and soaking in the warming beach sands as the temp makes a quick rise on its way up to a high today of 73. We've got plenty of hot coffee and cocoa at the bar and assorted danish and hot donuts from the Donut Hole up on Hwy 98. Thanks Irwin for grabbing those for us. I'll meet you all out at the bottom of the porch steps in ten minutes.I see a few more arrived since I spoke to the group inside. Glad everyone could make it this morning. We're going to head to the beach and take a left walking into the sunrise. I'll make sure to stand to the side that best protects your eyes from direct rays of the rising sun. That's an interesting topic I'll have to save for our time around the coffee bar when we return. I've got my mind one of those huge apple fritters still on the platter. No more time to waste, let's head to the surf.WOW, look at that. The breeze has almost completely stopped, the water is so flat the Gulf of America looks more like a large lake as the sun rays glisten on the emerald waters. This never, ever, gets old. It brings to mind what the translucent floor of God's throne room must be like. One day we will see that translucent and be reminded of our time this morning on this beach and how confirm how much greater is the reality of what we hope for than what we can see from this side of glory. 

Welcome to Episode #167 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our seventh of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today's episode we're going to take a look at short multifaceted passage concerning life and the Kingdom.A quick review before we get started. I routinely do these reviews at the beginning of each mini-series episode to inform listeners who may be joining the podcast in real time of episode release without knowledge of the previous sequence of episodes. While each episode stands alone, eight episode mini-series comprise a bigger message, and the podcast library as a whole is an attempt to reveal a simple truth. What is in the Bible is not difficult or hard to understand if you have two keys. That understanding includes the entire book of Revelation, which is perhaps the most important book in the Bible. You can tell that by what is written at the very beginning and very end of the book of Revelation. Revelation 1:3 – Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. It Is the only book in the Bible that says you are blessed if you read and/or hear the book read. Now certainly, God is not supposing the readers and/or hearers would not understand what was written. Yet that is what the far majority of people both in and out of the church say when encountering it. So what does that tell you? God is not playing hide the ball. It means that for a longtime, perhaps two millennia, the church has been Biblically illiterate, not seeing in plain sight what is in this book.The last verse in the book of Revelation 22:21– I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. What does this mean? It means exactly what it says, you may not understand it, but don't dare change anything about it. It is saying something critically important to the entire Bible.So you're blessed if you read it, and it's meant to say exactly what it says. Periord, literally, the end of the story God wants us to know. And how does the story end? In a new heavens and on a new earth where God himself will have his throne and dwell with humanity into eternity. 

Welcome to Episode #166 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our sixth of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today's episode we're going to take a look at Fasting in the Kingdom.On our last episode we looked at Why Jesus came to earth. On that episode I noted Jesus' coming was revealed by Paul in Ephesians 3:10-11 – His (God's) intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Before starting today, I wanted to add another passage from Ephesians 1 that makes it even more clear why Jesus came. Ephesians 1:7-10 – In him (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.Paul explains this most compactly to the Colossians in Colossians 1:19-20 – For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.The point being, it is not now, nor ever was all about you or us… You and I are not the center of the universe around which everything swirls as God stirs thoughts in his mind. We are but a puff of smoke, a vapor in time soon to be swept away. What! You say. “I don't like thinking about such things” If that is you, I encourage you to hear the words of Joshua and David, both on the precipice of crossing through the veil of dimensionality and into eternal life. First from Joshua 23:14 – “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the LORD your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.”Joshua was not wringing his hands about what was coming next in his life. Rather, he used this opportunity to witness to whoever would “hear” that the promises God made to Israel were fulfilled, none were lacking. The understanding is, to believe God, do what he says, and receive the blessings of God as a result of obedience. Similarly, David repeated this same thought to his son Solomon in 1 Kings 2:1-4 – When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 that the LORD may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.'The point of life being but a puff of smoke is to get us to see, truly, what life as a puff of smoke is about.  Life is meaningless without Jesus. Only two groups of people recognize the significance of this statement. The first group would be those who try to disprove it scientifically or philosophically. Remaining on this deep downward path eventually leads to the inescapable utter darkness of atheistic nihilism.

Welcome to Episode #165 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fifth of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today's episode we're going to take a slight detour and address why Jesus came when he did.On our last episode we l=ooked at the Lord's Prayer, in which Jesus said in Matthew 6:10 – Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. For numerous past episodes I've been talking about this kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of his Son whom he loves, etc. We looked ever so briefly at if this was a literal or figurative kingdom. Jesus told Pilate in John 18:36 – “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” “When” this kingdom was coming was addressed by Jesus in Luke 17:20-21 – Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!' or ‘See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” [NKJV]Why the kingdom is coming is an entirely different matter and is literally the subject of the entire Bible. Most people won't go and look at the “why” answer, even believers. It can literally make your head hurt. Those who can best understand it are particle physicists because they know mathematically and experimentally nothing is really here except concentrations of light energy. I know, that's a lot to handle.Let's start with something easy. Jesus said in John 4:24 – God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” That actually loses most people to a simple thought that God is only in your mind. When in reality, God is all there is. We are all in a very real sense existing in the mind of God even now. Stop, Stop, my head is hurting already. OK, we'll stop there and keep going down another path. Simply look at how the Bible starts and ends. Specifically, Genesis Chapters 1 to 3 and Revelation Chapters 20 to 22. In Genesis Chapters 1 and 2 we are introduced to the creation narrative. I believe these to be reflective of what God wants us to know about what really happened at the beginning. The reason why this is important is how the Bible ends; which we'll get to momentarily. If you can't believe how the Bible begins, you certainly won't believe how it ends. And without the beginning and end being true, the rest of the Bible doesn't make sense. I don't mean you can't read it like an interesting novel, or a book written by a spiritualists or philosopher. With all thoughts starting with man and ending with man and no God or gods there shall be. Yet it talks all about God and gods. Thus, the Bible doesn't make sense without Genesis and Revelation both being true.I hate to burst your bubble, but you may be believing in vain. Not realizing that Paul was telling his readers what is really true in Colossians 1:12-14 – giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. What the heck does it mean to be transferred from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of his beloved Son? Is that transfer some intellectual switch in your mind? Or an actual spiritual phenomena that you experienced. For time, I've got to stop her. Back to the topic at hand. In Genesis 3, we are introduced to a serpent who deceives Eve to eat the forbidden fruit who then gives it to her husband who was with her and he at it. Immediately, sin, condemnation, and death entered not just

Welcome to Episode #164 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fourth of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today's episode we'll be hearing Jesus teaching his disciples how to pray. Now this is a big topic. Prayer.I have to admit, growing up as a Catholic I really didn't think I had a problem with prayer. Since my first communion and later Catechism classes I had a plethora of memorized prayers. Some for use in when in mass and other for use after confession. The in-mass prayers typically included a Hail Mary and an Our Father. The confessional prayers typically included an Act of Contrition an Apostles Creed and multiple Hail Mary's and Our Father's depending on the accuracy of my confession. I have to admit, I held back quite a lot. Eventually knowing I'd forgotten more than I remembered of my sinful past which hadn't been confessed, I realized I was too far gone for grace and accepted hell as my destiny. And that turned out to reemerge in my struggle to receive Christ at my spiritual rebirth by the Holy Spirt. I've shared this account before and will reshare this account on another episode but not right now.The skinny was I wrong about that. But in total honesty, that's how I felt at the soul level. I was unworthy of Jesus, so I had to find another way to God other than my Catholicism. Fortunately for me I married a Baptist and I discovered an entirely different kind of works based salvation than my former faith practices. “We don't drink, we don't smoke, we don't  dance, we don't chew, and we don't go with girls that do.” For me I felt right at home knowing I was breaking all these as well, but they didn't make me confess it so I didn't think about hell. I grew comfortable saying I believed in Jesus and if by chance after I died, I'd came to see him and/or Peter at the gate of heaven, I'd just deny ever remembering my sin. Believe me, I had gotten very good at forgetting sin as soon as I sinned it. No guilt or shame, that was my saving grace so I thought.It was in this new religion I discovered ad hoc prayers. Whatever rolled off my tongue in the moment. Little forethought. Uncomfortable of making a mistake at first, I soon mastered the craft of just talking at God in a measured tone.After a radical salvation by the Holy Spirit my prayer life changed to a more scripture-based content from passages I'd been memorizing. This lasted a good long time before I was awakened out of my prayer slumber. Up to this awakening I became a Methodist, then a none, then a charismatic, before finally settling in a non-denominational evangelical church where I got radically saved in the second service I attended. Once born again, I had questions about talking with God. Then I heard a pastor from the pulpit say his greatest struggle in ministry was his prayer life. That rocked me, how was that possible. I started to do some research and discovered prayer was one of the most written about topics out there. No one seemed to have a handle on it. Everyone had their own take, I guessed to sell more books. I certainly was struggling but I wasn't fully committed like a pastor. I went to seminary and got an MDIV and found no adequate answer there. I had several seminary professors confess struggling with prayer. This seemed to be shear madness. I limped along for over 25 years until last year when I discovered the secret of prayer in the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius. Others have four the same discovery in an area called Lectio Devina. In short, they both emphasize spiritual meditation and contemplation. Learning by doing that special emphasis has been a game changer. And why do I share all that before getting to today's lesson? Because, had I known then what I know now, I would have known the value of Jesus' teaching on prayer he gave to his disciples. Jesus in a very compact less

Welcome to Episode #163 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our third of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today's episode we'll be hearing Jesus teach another foundational and hidden principle of life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Giving to the Needy.You will see this principle of giving to the needy exhibited throughout the scriptures, intimated in the name of God, embedded in the LAW, a major element of the Servant characterized in Isaiah, and of course the hallmark of Jesus' ministry. Let's start with that last one and then get into the passage where Jesus addresses our Giving to the Needy. Jesus said of himself in Matthew 20:26-28 – But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” We were all once dead in our trespass and sin, and even now we are all needy. Jesus came to serve us both then and now. How you ask? It starts with then…Romans 5:6-8 – For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.It is our belief in the sufficiency of Christ's service unto death for our sins and his resurrection bringing us new life that we are saved.An example of Jesus serving us now is found in Romans 8:34 – Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Why is this intercession important? Revelation 12:10 – “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Every accusation against you made by the devil, Jesus smothers out in intercession with the Father.Acts 3:1-10 – Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. 2 And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. 3 Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. 4 And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” 5 And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. 6 But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” 7 And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. 8 And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. 9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.With that as a brief introduction, let's jump into Matthew 6:1-4 – “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Welcome to Episode #162 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our second of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today's episode we'll be hearing Jesus teach the second of two very difficult principles he reveals for Kingdom of Heaven living at the end of Matthew 5.The first difficulty was the prohibition against retaliating against the actions of an evil person. If struck on the cheek you were to turn the other, if you get sued and lose your tunic you are to give him your cloak as well, if asked to go one mile – go two miles, give to those who beg and finally do not refuse one who would borrow from you. These are in the moment actions in response to be confronted face to face. These are not meant for enslavement or sadistic behavior with an evil person. You will see confirmation of this notation when Jesus sent out his twelve Apostles to the lost sheep of Israel and instructed them in Matthew 10:14 and 23 – 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. He did not command his Apostles to remain in the towns so as to be persecuted, but to leave and go to another place. What to do about persecution is in our passage for today. More on that in a moment.To be brief, in the case of an “in your face trial of the moment,” we are to, as did Jesus, submit ourselves to the mercy and grace of God, manifest God's name to our oppressor, and pray for rescue from the trial or the grace to endure. Now to today's passage. I've entitled this episode, Love Your Enemies and Pray for Persecutors. You may, even now, think that seems strange to hear. But let's give it a few minutes and I think what Jesus is saying will begin to sink in.Matthew 5:43-48 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Welcome to Episode #161 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our first of eight episodes in our Twenty-First mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount Part 2. On today's episode we'll be hearing Jesus teach the first of two very difficult principles he reveals for Kingdom of Heaven living at the end of Matthew 5.Many listening may be thinking, “If that's the imagery, DrZ, experiencing torrents in the flesh does not sound very restful.” And of course, that is exactly why many ignore these last two principles in Chapter 5 or say they are for someone else at a future time. For many years that's where I lived, thinking these principles were not for today. But then I learned more fully about the kingdom of heaven and there is indeed rest in the torrent of the flesh.Paul spoke of this experience himself in relationship to his thorn in the flesh from the devil. I thought about sharing portions but am now certain I should share the entire account, as it has direct bearing on what we are going to hear Jesus say as I read today.2 Corinthians 12:1-10 – I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Did you get that? If not, go back and read it again; 2 Cor 12:1-10. I'll reread verse 10 before reading the first of two hard principles of the kingdom of heaven, spoken by Jesus at the end of Matthew Chapter 5. 2 Cor 12:10 – For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Matthew 5:38-42- “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. ' But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. 

Welcome to Episode #160 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our eighth of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today's episode we'll be taking a walk on the beach with DrZ, hey that's me, sorry, couldn't help that it was just there. As I was saying, we'll be taking a walk on the beach to overview and comment on what we've learned on this mini-series.So glad so many of you were able to join us today given the reality of two hurricanes impacting the Gulf shores of Florida. First was Hurricane Helene which roared onshore n the Big Bend area of FL last week as a Cat 4 hurricane before quickly crossing into Georgia, South Carolina, Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee leaving in its wake catastrophic devastation. And a week later, Milton making landfall as a Cat 3 hurricane on Siesta Key near Sarasota, Fl before slicing a path across Florida and heading out over the Atlantic Ocean. The beaches along the emerald coast along Highway 30-A between Destin and Panama City were spared this round. But all those who have been around for forty or more hurricane seasons sense and are fairly resigned to the reality that it is only a matter of time before a storm comes knocking on your door.  But enough of that for now, while the coast to our east and south have been ravaged by wind and waves, the Gulf waters out back are almost perfect. Still a little warmer than normal as are our daily temperatures. While we won't break a sweat this morning, you can still get sun burned pretty quick, so hats, sunscreen, and sunglasses suggested.I'll meet you out back in five minutes. Make sure to top off your coffee or get one of many other options available at the bar area. Speaking of bars, we've got the Rooftop bar of Bud and Alley's reserved for a private mid-morning brunch. They're expecting us within the hour so let's hop to it. See you out back.I see we are all here. We'll head toward the water and the lightly breaking surf and take a left, heading East into the early morning sun. As we head that way I'll remind you we've not yet finished overviewing Chapter 5 of Matthew. The first of three chapters (5 to 7) that are referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. We still have at least two and likely three more mini-series before we complete the Sermon on the Mount. That means at least two or three walks on the beach after this one. Perhaps for one of those walks we can take a road trip over to the Big Bend area to lend a hand with recovery and do the same on another walk on Siesta Key. Participation is not mandatory, but if you have the inkling to go and would like to help let me know as there is a lot of preparation and staging to be done to make our trips beneficial and not an inconvenience for those most in need of assistance in these areas.We are not at the water's edge and ready to make our turn to the East. As you go through the text of Matthew, you get the sense Jesus made a similar turn at his baptism by John the Baptist. His turn was from a life in Nazareth which we know little about to a focused three-year life of ministry teaching, calling and training disciples. During this time, he taught with authority, was a miracle healing extravaganza, and demonstrated with signs and wonders power over the created order that testified to his being the Son of God, the Son of Man.Shortly after his ministry life began he called his first disciples and laid out for them the foundational teaching upon which all his subsequent teaching rested. We call this teaching the Sermon on the Mount. You will discover as you dig into the epistles, the apostles were writing the boots on the ground versions of the principals Jesus was teaching his disciples. These principals deal with living in the kingdom of heaven. Something all believers are doing even today, though not all believers know it.Let's do a quick recap of where we've been so far in t

Welcome to Episode #159 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our seventh of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today's episode we'll be hearing Jesus teach on Pinkie Swearing as it relates to Kingdom of Heaven living.Given this is our seventh episode in this mini-series, and some listeners are just joining us, let me do a quick recap and then get right to our text for today. Jesus began his ministry immediately following his forty-day wilderness wandering, fast, and temptation by the devil which had immediately followed his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist.Jesus reveals the heart of his ministry message in Matthew 4:17 – From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. You will find the rest of the book of Matthew ties into this foundational teaching of Jesus. Again, for repetition, this foundational teaching was, Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Jesus then calls his first disciples to join him as he begins teaching in synagogues throughout all Galilee, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. Jesus was a walking Miracle Working Extravaganza. His ministry is described simply in Matthew 4:23-24 – So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. Jesus became a very bid deal.We then see at the beginning of Matthew 5, Jesus goes up on a mountain side with his disciples. As Jesus sees the people approaching from below, he teaches his disciples a primer on the kingdom of heaven. Specifically, what life in the kingdom of heaven was to be like. He began with what we call the beatitudes and then addressed specific topics one at a time. These have included the disciples being Salt and Light, Christ came to fulfill the law and unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt 5:20). Speaking of righteousness, Jesus then addresses anger, lust, and divorce.We've spent the first six episodes of this min-series on each of these topics beginning with the beatitudes being our first and divorce being our last. I noted as we began these episodes that life in the kingdom of heaven would be life in the will of God. And that God's will is reflected in his name revealed to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7 – The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”We then looked at each topic and how God's name was reflected in Jesus' topical comments and observations. God's name is also inclusive in our topic for today, Pinkie Swearing or as it is put in the text, taking an oath. So here we go. Matthew 5:33-37 –  “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.' 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes' or ‘No'; anything more than this comes from evil.Don't get tangled up by the many words just yet, let the last

Welcome to Episode #158 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our sixth of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today's episode we'll be hearing Jesus teach on what is today perhaps his hardest test to pass. Marriage is for life.As with our last episode that addressed our primal urge bent toward abandonment of God in a heated quest for sex, drugs, rock and roll, this is a huge topic. And while Jesus covers this topic in only two verses, it is much larger than can be addressed in one episode. As with our primal urge bent on lusting the topic, of divorce follows hand in hand. We'll just scratch the surface of this tidbit Jesus dropped into his sermon. We're going to jump right into the quagmire and take our time climbing out. If you are one who has experienced divorce either by being from a child of a broken marriage or by going through a divorce yourself, hang in there as you will hear the reason why it is so difficult to reconcile in your life. Remember from the start, God has reconciled all things to himself in Jesus Christ.So here we go. Matthew 5:31-32 – It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.Before you turn off this episode, please hear what I read next and then you can turn it off. Part of our problem with Jesus when he says something we don't like, don't agree with, or flat out just makes us uncomfortable is we're not recognizing who he really is. I purposely said “who he really IS” because Jesus is God, the Son of God, the eternal and ever existent “I AM that I AM” from which and through whom all things seen and unseen in heaven and on earth were created. God in the person of Jesus was incarnated in human form, lived a perfect life, died THE PERFECT DEATH, raised again to life on the 3d day, forty days later he ascended into heaven where he received the glory he had from before the world began, and upon sitting down at the right hand of the Father, God the Father sent His Holy Spirit to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to rescue those who would believe in Jesus; even in his name. That's us and there is infinitely more.I'm convinced we will spend eternity with Jesus and never fully comprehend what he and his Father did to redeem the many of mankind and to reconcile all things in heaven and on earth to himself. Key point here I don't want you to miss. Please pinch yourself right now. Seriously, pinch yourself. Some of you are still hesitant, I get it. Did you know there are people so lost in the world, they purposefully cut themselves to prove they are alive and have feelings. If you've ever seen Fight-Club that's the adult version of teenage cutters.Point being, you are alive, you are living a life, you are listening to my voice on this podcast; at least if you've kept listening this long. You are human; surprise!! We've been here for at least six thousand years and many believe much longer. But six thousand plus will suffice to make my point. You didn't create yourself. You have a mother and a father; whether you're speaking to them or not; your parents had sexual relations, your mother carried you to term without a miscarriage or aborting you, and you're still living. We have a tendency to think somehow, we just showed up around eight grade; fully formed wth hormones just starting to rage. It took twenty years from the 1960's to the 1980's to seep in, but by the mid-1980's divorce was in full swing. Many of the obstacles to divorce had been lessened and latch key kids became a reality. Today, you don't even need a reason to divorce, simply both sign a piece of paper and wait six months and you're done. There are se

Welcome to Episode #157 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fifth of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today's episode we'll be hearing Jesus teach on the deepest of all primal urges. Our passage appears in Matthew 5:27-30. This is a huge topic, much larger than can be addressed in one episode. This is the central theme running through Scripture, the core message of the Bible, the pearl of greatest price. We'll just scratch the surface of this tidbit Jesus dropped into his sermon. Five episodes into the sermon on the mount and we're only just crossing the midway point in the first of three Chapters. We're on a deep dive into what Jesus is instructing us as we sit at his feet and listen meditatively to what he is saying. I think I just lost a few people there so let me briefly pause to explain. Jesus told his disciples in John 14:25-26 – These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Was Jesus speaking only to those disciples gathered with him in the upper room or to all disciples who would seek to learn from him. Remember, Jesus is not dead but is God incarnate now dwelling in heaven. In that regard, the Prophet Jeremiah wrote in Jeremiah 33:23 – Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it—the LORD is his name: 3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Now imagine disciples not in the room that night with Jesus who also needed to remember what they'd heard Jesus say. Or in the third century when the gospels and epistles were being passed from church to church. What did Jesus really say and what do the scriptures mean? In the John 14 passage just read, Jesus said the Holy Spirit sent from the Father would teach the disciples all things and remind them of everything he said. Could the disciples call to the Lord as spoken in Jeremiah. And would the Father through the Holy Spirit do what Jesus said. Would the Holy Spirit remind them of what they heard Jesus say, and what he may have said to others?Two blind men followed after Jesus when he'd passed, calling out to him, Son of David, have mercy on us. Jesus responded to them in Matthew 9:28-29 – When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.”I think you could guess what happened. But how did it happen; Jesus didn't touch them or pray over them; he said, “According to your faith be it done to you.” This is where we're going.

Welcome to Episode #156 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fourth of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today's episode we'll be looking at Jesus' teaching about Anger found in Matthew 5:21-26. When you get this one you may stay on your knees in front of Jesus just a bit longer than you expected.As I mentioned in our last episode introduction, we're just getting started in presenting Jesus' teaching given in what is commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5 to 7. In this sermon, Jesus is teaching his disciples and laying out for them what it means to follow him in kingdom of Heaven living while in a world of darkness. Entrance into the kingdom of Heaven is a permanent Supernatural transformation from death to life, from darkness to light. Colossians 1:13-14 – He [God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.Jesus opened his sermon talking about character qualities and associated blessings for living a kingdom of heaven life. Let me quote a verse for you to momentarily consider and then I'll offer you a prompt to reflect upon in your next meditation.1 John 2:5-6 – By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.Oh my gosh, I just heard the firehose pump kick-in as I wrote out that verse and now see the water line go from flax to taught; straining not to burst, eagerly awaiting the nozzle valve to be opened. Let me quickly cut off the compressor. Whew. No need to drink from a fire hose so early in the episode.Here's the skinny, I'll leave it to you to fill in the text references. What John is speaking of in 1 John 2:5-6 is what all the New Testament writers are trying to inform us of. Let me give you the negative first. Jesus was not sent to earth by his Father to make your life easier in this life. Now the positive, that for some is a turn-off negative and/or a reason to say there is another way to God than through Jesus. Jesus was sent here by his Father to invite his sheep, those who hear his voice and respond, to willingly follow Jesus into his death to this life. Two passages and then a brief comment.Luke 14:27, 33 – Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. …33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. What we learn in the gospels and epistles and letters is that through assimilation with him in his death by grace through faith we gain eternal life, rebirth in the Holy Spirit, and the opportunity in this life to experience Union with God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. That Union with God is what John is saying in 1 John 2:5-6 when he says, “whoever says he abides in him.” Jesus describes this abiding in him in John 15. The significance of this abiding in seen in John 17:21 to 23 where Jesus tells his Father this abiding, our Union with God and Jesus Christ, will be a witness to the world that God sent Jesus into the world. 

Welcome to Episode #155 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our third of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today's episode we'll be looking at very short teaching of Jesus' found in Matthew 5:17-20. While short, this teaching is perhaps the pinnacle teaching of Jesus in his humanity. Jesus came to fulfill the LAW.We're just getting started in the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus counsels his disciples on the moral and ethical behavior of believers in the kingdom of Heaven. A kingdom that Jesus brought to earth following his death, resurrection, and ascension. Entrance into the kingdom begins at rebirth in the Holy Spirit and is permanent. Colossians 1:13-14 – He [God] has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.I encourage you to listen to our last episode (#154) where I go deep into that topic to address our being Salt and Light. Which was the lesson Jesus taught after beginning his sermon with the Beatitudes. Believers are Salt and Light while we live in the world but are not of the world. Remember, we are living in the kingdom of Heaven, not in the dominion of darkness.Let me make a brief detour and cover this before moving on. Hopefully this will either affirm what you already know and be an encouragement or get you a little antsy as you do not yet conform to what the text says. I was very antsy once myself; so take heart if that is you. Listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling you as you hear this and then do what He says. I really don't think he'd tell you to turn off this podcast; but that may just be me saying that – full disclosure.Now about not being of the world. While Jesus was speaking this sermon to his disciples' crowds of people “of the world” were gathering on the mountain side below them. Would Jesus have described his disciples as people of “the world?” Think again…

Welcome to Episode #154 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our second of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon on the Mount. On today's episode we'll be looking at Jesus' teaching on Salt and Light found in Matthew 5:13-16.This short passage follows directly after Jesus' teaching on the Beatitudes. The manner of living expected of Disciples in the Kingdom of Heaven. With the Beatitudes, Jesus launched into a teaching he could have been teaching all around Galilee.Matthew 4:17, 23-25 – From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” …23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.I emphasized on our last episode, Jesus proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom in the Galilean synagogues. And, how Jesus validated that His good news of the kingdom was coming from God by performing miraculous healings beyond anything ever seen. John 3:2 – This man [Nicodemus] came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” John 14:10-11 –  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.Believe on account of the works themselves was not just meant for them then, but also for us now. What kind to works is God doing today through Jesus that believers should be wakened into a new reality? If you are a believer this sign has already been given you. God has already transferred you from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his Son, the kingdom of light, the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom has come where God's will can be done on earth as it is in heaven. You are already living in that kingdom!!Don't believe that? Read the opening Chapter of Ephesians and then read the rest of the book and discover who you are. Read the books of Philippians and Colossians and discover what the life you now possess is supposed to look like.

Welcome to Episode #153 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our first of eight episodes in our Twentieth mini-series entitled, Sermon. On today's episode we'll be looking at the setting of the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus' opening foray with the Beatitudes from Matthew Chapter 5.  On this mini-series I'll be briefly presenting my observations from Meditative and Contemplative prayers of this Sermon as I sat at the feet of Jesus. My prayer for listeners during our last mini-series was that they would explore and put into practice meditative reading and contemplation prayer practices such as found in St. Ignatius and his spiritual exercises and/or Lectio Divina. As part of my encouragement for jumping into running conversation (prayer) with Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, I read the entire Sermon on the Mount between Episodes 1 to 7 but did not comment at all on the text while reading.Today, I'm going to present my brief commentary on this, perhaps the most important text in the Bible for believers. In this Sermon that spans a mere three chapters in Matthew, Jesus summarizes what a believers life should look like in the kingdom of Heaven. Paul tells us that all believers are transferred by God into that kingdom.Colossians 1:13 – He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved SonI say perhaps the most important text because it concerns the day-to-day life in the kingdom of heaven which was the central theme of the earthly ministry of Jesus. You will hear affirming passages to that last comment of this perhaps being the most important text for believers from the opening and closing of the book of Acts.Acts 1:3 – He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.Acts 28:30-31 – He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.With that as our short introduction, let's jump into the text. We'll start in Matthew Chapter 4 as this introduces where Jesus finds himself when he speaks his sermon.Matthew 4:12-17 – Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—16 the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.” 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”We see Jesus beginning his ministry after John the Baptist was arrested. The focal point for most of his ministry work was in Galilee and not in Jerusalem. He was fulfilling the prophecy found in Isaiah 9:1-2. What's the big deal about Isaiah 9:1-2 and Galilee? John the Baptist came in fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3 – A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. John's ministry beginnings to announce the coming of the Lord are mentioned in Matthew 3:1-2, 11-12 – In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”… 11 I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff h

Welcome to Episode #152 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our eight of eight episodes in our nineteenth mini-series entitled, The Vineyard Owner's Son. On today's episode we'll be taking A Walk on the Beach with DrZ and exploring some of the ramifications of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and living in the Kingdom of Heaven. So with that very short intro, let me get right to the action at the beach house.WaHoo to you too. I know right!! What's that? Exactly. OK… Hopefully we've been able to satisfactorily address local beach buzz concerning the recent drownings and shark attacks along the emerald coast. Now to why we are gathered here.First, I'm so glad you've come out in force today. This may be our largest group. I see a number of you have invited guests. I would like to meet and greet each of you and will hopefully do that when we return from our walk. It is my hope we can discover today or later that we are brothers and sisters in-Christ. Members of the forever family of God. His dearly beloved children. Joint heirs of Jesus Christ our Lord. It's another glorious day awaiting us on the beach outside. I saw the sun had fully risen a few minutes ago from the upper deck before coming down to join you. I've made it a habit to be on the upper deck, weather permitting, an hour before sunrise every morning I'm up there to spend time in conversations with Father and Jesus through the Holy Spirit. This is something I do every morning no matter where I am. Just a reminder, it's a bright and warming sun dayd, so make sure you have sunscreen on whatever is not covered. I see I'm not alone in wearing a long sleeve SPF 50 top picked up off the back porch table. Tommy and Irwin splurged and put out the swag gear on the table for whoever is interested. Hat's, sunglasses, suntan spray cans, and SPF 50 shirts. Thank you Tommy & Irwin!!As always, the beverage and snack bars are open for topping off before we head out. I'll meet you at the bottom of the stairs out back and we'll be on our way.  

Welcome to Episode #151 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our seventh of eight episodes in our nineteenth mini-series entitled, The Vineyard Owner's Son. On today's episode we'll be looking at the Reckoning of Faith as told to us in Matthew Chapter 7 by Jesus Christ; Son of God and Son of Man. On this mini-series we've been reading the Sermon on the Mount as recorded by Matthew in his gospel in Chapters 5 to 7. My prayer for listeners during this mini-series has been that they would explore and put into practice meditative reading and contemplation practices such as found in St. Ignatius and his spiritual exercises and/or Lectio Divina. Why?Jesus and the New Testament writers make it very clear that disciples are to learn from Jesus; be disciples of Jesus; and walk with Jesus in daily life. Jesus is not dead and useless in this regard. Jesus died yes. But he rose again, breaking the power of death, opened the way for believers to enter the kingdom of heaven through rebirth in the Spirit, ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, and God the Father sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all believers. The Holy Spirit is our guide through the word of God to remind us of all that Jesus said and did; to illumine wisdom, understanding, and the knowledge of God; to sanctify us through the renewal of our minds and guiding us in obedience to Jesus commands discerning good from evil. Our sanctified lives should reflect the pursuit of good and rejection of evil. I'll be reading the entirety of Matthew 7 near the end of this episode. Please take the time to reread the text again in a quiet place and allow Jesus by the Holy Spirit to provide you with an interpretation and application in your life today. You'll discover if you haven't already these quiet times are not typically quiet as intimacy with the Holy Spirit involves a lot of back and forth banter. As you seek, call out for wisdom, and yearn to possess the knowledge of God the Holy Spirit always without fail delivers…

Welcome to Episode #150 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our sixth of eight episodes in our nineteenth mini-series entitled, The Vineyard Owner's Son. Wait a minute. Did I just say our 150th episode. That deserves a WaHoo for no other reason than it is a milestone number. I'm not sure what it is a milestone number for. And now that it has been mentioned the memory of it is already getting foggy and the glory quickly dissipating. And snap we're back on the treadmill Hades gave Sisyphus of pushing a huge bolder up the steep hill in Tartarus. It's the way of the world, the way designed by the evil one who is in charge of this age. The devil points us to a high mountain of our own vein interests and promises us glory, fame, fortune, sex, drugs, and rock and roll if we can summit the peak. We map out a strategy, identify milestones along the way, pack up equipment and provisions, and begin. As we travel, we meet many people along the way. Some people we help and many more we harm as we keep our eyes fixed on the prize. The people we hire to help us reach the peak never share in the spoils of the conquest that we seek. Undaunted and unwearied we fight and struggle until finally the peak we summit. We look with awe at sights and wonders of that long sought summit and from the peak immediately plummet. Our thoughts are cloudy and fall a tumble as we ponder our humbled life now a squander.Is this all there is? We ask standing and gasping where the air is so thin. And then we feel the pang of emptiness deep from within; and hear the serpent laughing at the immensity of our sin. We too laugh then cry seeing the peak of our conquest vein pride of own making. Most say no matter the folly, no matter the plight, we glory in accomplishments and with rivals' fight. Few discover the truth not found in riches, honor, or fame. Who craves a pure heart and a soul in which there is no stain? Has there ever been a time when there was no pain? Such a thing was seen in the Garden of God. In a couple, Adam and Eve, who in a pride filled quest for wisdom, glory, and fame put forever mankind to shame. What started as a dream story to tell ended in all the offspring destined for hell. BUT GOD…Now where did that come from? That's right our 150th episode. Best to just leave it at that.

Welcome to Episode #149 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fifth of eight episodes in our nineteenth mini-series entitled, The Vineyard Owner's Son. At the end of this episode, we're going to hear Jesus teach his disciples relevant lessons for those who choose to follow him. These lessons include giving to the giving to the needy and prayer. My prayer for you is that you accept my challenge and reread these passages in conjunction with a Spiritual Formation exercise. I personally use the prayer practices taught by St. Ignatius in his Spiritual Exercises, and there are others such as Lectio Devin. What I've discovered over the past eight months is that something I used to have difficulty approaching regularly has become an integral and passionate part of my daily life; prayer. I've come to learn prayer is merely speaking with God our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord continually throughout my day. It is what we were created to do and how we were fashioned to be – in union with our God and doing his will.Spiritual Formation exercises are ancient, well studied, and proven effective by many over the centuries who have used them. In their writings they describe daily interaction and intimacy with Jesus Christ and his Father though the Holy Spirit. Life lived now in the kingdom of heaven/God on the earth transformed and in union with God on a continual basis.I was formally taught in seminaries and learned from personal interactions with pastors and laymen within a non-denominational evangelical faith community to be suspicious of those who claim such a reality was available today. Possibly a work of God for the super Apostles and saints but not for the simple common believer.My experience for the past twenty-five plus years as a believer was to daily read the Bible for personal edification, study the Bible for greater understanding, and to teach lessons from the Bible that encourage others to engage the word themselves. Often, I was given revelations of the Holy Spirit while reading or studying the text and enjoyed a long season of opportunities to teach the word of God to others. Over these years I've visited and been invited to attend numerous charismatic churches in the area and have attended services at many of them. My experience within them was pleasant. I sensed movement of the Spirit more readily in these churches but also sensed a lack of Scriptural foundation. During this time, I've also known and am still friends with many who made the switch from a conservative evangelical church to a conservative charismatic evangelical church. All was good.In October 2023, as a result of seeking the Lord on the subject of Union with Christ, I was introduced to the St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises. Using a Jesuit written workbook ordered from Amazon I spent thirty-two consecutive weeks immersed every morning in the word, seeking God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I now attest, that I too, NOT A SUPER SAINT, just a normal Philip, have come to know and experience for myself daily intimacy with Jesus Christ and Father through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and the living and active word of God. Most listeners are likely how I used to be, finding it had to pray and skeptical of anyone who said otherwise.I'm openly saying otherwise as I cannot deny what I have experienced and know to be true. That God really does love us and desire intimacy with us through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I was under the impression this intimacy happened in heaven after I die. I now know Jesus has been waiting for me since I was a child to speak with me and introduce me to his and our Father. Will you join me on this journey? Listen to the rest of the episode and adapt a Spiritual Formation exercise of your choosing. Let me know if you need any help in getting started. 

Welcome to Episode #148 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fourth of eight episodes in our nineteenth mini-series entitled, The Vineyard Owner's Son. At the end of this episode, we're going to hear Jesus in the remainder of Matthew Chapter 5 as he teaches lessons that have demonstrated over the centuries to be Hard to Follow even within the church. The lessons address the topics of Divorce, Oaths, Retaliation, and Loving Your Enemies. As with prior episodes in the mini-series, my hope and prayer for you is that you would reread these passages on you own this week while practicing some form of prayerful meditation and contemplation. You can use the prayer practices taught by St. Ignatius in his Spiritual Exercises, others prayer practices suggested by proponents of Lectio Devina, and/or other spiritual formation prayer practices. The most important thing is that you learn not from me about what these passages say but allow Jesus through the Holy Spirit to be your teacher. Allow the living word to come alive in your heart, mind, soul, and strength as the love of God pulses through and energizes you by the power of the Holy Spirit given just for this purpose.We have not come to believe and base our faith on a dead God or an inanimate statue or an idol of our minds. We believe and have been born again into a living hope made possible by Jesus our Lord and Savior who rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Jesus was glorified upon his return to heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father. He is 24/7 interceding on our behalf and praying for our continued fullness of his presence in our lives. The sequence of events surrounding the death of Jesus, him being falsely accused, condemned, crucified, buried, and raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit, was a cosmic game changer. “Literally.”Before we get there though, as believers we must stop listening to naysayers, deniers, unbelievers who refuse to believe in God because they've heard he's angry and vengeful. Or believe in a God who chooses people for salvation. Or believe in a God who allows people to make their own choice which results in them being condemned to hell.We all were one of these unbelieving naysayers before we came to saving faith. We all came to know it was not because of anything we did but by God's grace that he plucked us out of the world, granted us repentance and saving faith, had us reborn in the kingdom of God by the Holy Spirit, adopted us as his children, and given us the Holy Spirit to indwell us and be our comforter and guide along the WAY to union with God. Please bear with me as I unpack some passages you need to “hear” before listening to what Jesus is saying in his Sermon on the Mount discourse. In this discourse, Jesus is speaking of what life in the kingdom of heaven is supposed to look like. But first, we need to know how we went from living in the world to living in the kingdom of heaven/kingdom of God. And what happens to everyone else…To the surprise and disbelief of all in heaven and all on earth God demonstrated in the fullest terms possible the capacity of his name. God declared his name to Moses as he passed by while Moses was standing on a mountain side. Exodus 34:6-7 – The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Welcome to Episode #147 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our third of eight episodes in our nineteenth mini-series entitled, The Vineyard Owner's Son. On this episode, we're going to hear Jesus address Anger & Lust as recorded in the book of Matthew from what is commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. On our last two episodes #145 & #146, we were introduced to the beatitudes, the disciples being salt and light, and Jesus coming to fulfill the LAW. Let me clarify what I mean by being “introduced to.” For the past two mini-series, and even before, I have been emphasizing the benefits of engaging the scriptures in some form of meditative prayer for the specific purpose of spiritual formation. Paul noted this spiritual formation in terms of mind transformation in Romans 12:1-2 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.I came to understand through my own experience that these are not merely pretty words of religious traditions penned by Paul or his scribe. So much to say here but not enough time to cover in a sound bite; but I'll try and be brief.Paul describes and illuminates the path of all believers as established by Jesus himself in Ephesians 4:11-14 – And he [Jesus] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.FULL STOP: This means stop all movement and assess the situation. Very few, I would even go as far to say extremely few, who read this passage stop to consider what Paul is saying. When I got to this verse in my Podcast overview of the book of Ephesians the Holy Spirit showed up and gave me a FULL STOP. I've never been the same since the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see and my ears to hear.

Welcome to Episode #146 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our second of eight episodes in our nineteenth mini-series entitled, The Vineyard Owner's Son. On this episode, Salt, Light, and the LAW, we're going to continue the introduction of the Kingdom of God as revealed by Jesus in what is called the Sermon on the Mount recorded in the book of Matthew. On our last Episode #145, I read and encouraged the listeners to use a meditative reading technique to chew, swallow, and digest the rich serving of Blessing presented at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:2-12.In this passage, Jesus spoke of the blessing of everyday life of a believer in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew is the only gospel writer to use the term kingdom of heaven. He also uses the term kingdom of God in his text. Many scholars believe these two “kingdom of” phrases of heaven and God mean the same thing. Could be interchanged in the text without consequence of loss of meaning.Other scholars believe Matthew, as guided by the Holy Spirit's inspiration, used kingdom of heaven to refer to the time of the Millennial reign of Jesus when he returns to judge the world. When the rule of heaven will be brought down to earth as is suggested in the Lord's prayer. These same scholars believe Matthew as well as the other gospel writers use the term the kingdom of God to refer to God's sovereign rule over all of creation which he has always held and will never relinquish.I personally hold to this view and believe Jesus is going to bodily return to earth, judge the nations, and set up a kingdom with King David as prince ruling over Israel. Jesus will live in a new temple to be built on the highest mountain in the world just north of Jerusalem and rule the nations with an iron scepter. All nations will come to this mountain and bring offerings and worship Jesus for 1000 years. After which will be another rebellion led by the devil, the destruction of the rebellious by Jesus, the final great white throne judgment, and the permanent and eternal separation of evil from the new heaven and new earth eternal state God will create.All that to say, I believe Jesus is referring to the kingdom of heaven all believers are born into when they are born again. When Jesus the God/man ascended into heaven and was given glory and dominion by God over the heavens and the earth, Jesus opened the way to submit under his authority as a disciple in the kingdom of heaven on earth. The afore mentioned passage I read last week, commonly called the beatitudes, refers to those who live in the world but are no longer of the world, but citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

Welcome to Episode #145 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our first of eight episodes in our nineteenth mini-series entitled, The Vineyard Owner's Son. On this episode, The Blessed and Happy, we're going to introduce this mini-series and then identify the blessed and happy in the Kingdom of God. This is our second mini-series to encounter the God/man Jesus Christ as revealed in the gospels.I want to encourage all of my listeners at the outset of this episode and for all future episodes to discover for yourself, if you have not already, the practice of Lectio Divina and/or contemplative prayer. I personally was introduced to both through the St. Ignatius Spiritual Exercises. These are all huddled under the academic heading of Spiritual Formation.Spiritual formation is ubiquitous in the world and is not limited to Christianity. Every person of every tribe, language, and nation is individually created by God in his own image and likeness. Into each person, God gives a spirit. It says in Ecclesiastes 12:7 – the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.Both the Old and New Testaments clearly indicate a result of sin is the death of this spirit to God and his commands. Jeremiah 17:9 – The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? Romans 8:7 – For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Ephesians 4:18 – They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. Colossians 1:21 – And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds.While dead to God and his commands due to sin, this spirit given by God is not dead to the world and the powers and authorities that control it. The formation of this dead to God spirit is at the heart of all rebellion on earth. Read Romans 1:18 to the end. In this passage you'll have a very good picture of how this dead spirit to God leads mankind into ever increasing darkness and eventually literal death. In this downward spiral, the scriptures note three milestones which cause God to turn mankind over to the next iteration of self and self-destruction. At the heart of all this is Spiritual Warfare. Paul notes in Ephesians 6:12 – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.We learn the nature of mankind in: 2 Timothy 2:26 that mankind is captured by the devil to do his will; Hebrews 2:24 that mankind is held in slavery by the devil because of our fear of death; Mark 10:18 – No one is good except God alone.The devil is called the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), the ruler of this age (John 14:30), and the whole world is under his power (1 John 5:18). With that in mind spiritual formation in and of the world is accomplished through deceitful spirits and demons. And these were both to be anticipated in the church. 1 Timothy 4:1 – Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, We are well into those later times in 2024. Here's the issue today. For two hundred years or more, the focus within the protestant churches in the West has been primarily on Soteriology which deals with who is saved, by whom is one saved, from what is one saved, and by what means is one saved. Little or no emphasis in the church has been placed on sanctification, being made into the image of Christ. 

Welcome to Episode #144 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our last of eight episodes in our eighteenth mini-series, Son of God and Son of Man.  On this episode we're going to take A Walk on the Beach with DrZ and explore together the intersection and conflagration of all things when God and sin converge. There can be only on God; and in the end that reality will be self-evident.So glad you could accommodate a change of locations on such short notice to join me at the Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City for our walk on the beach. As you could see when you pulled in the parking lot, we're across Front Beach Road from the beach with a huge condo complex between ourselves and the water. Both of which we'll be visiting after we leave here. But not before our talk and a surprise. I hope you all brought your swim suits.This is our eighteenth walk, and while it is gorgeous on the beach right now you have to admit sitting here in the first and second rows of the dolphin arena is pretty cool as well. On several of our previous walks we've seen pods of these guys swimming alongside the sandbars, but now we can see them up close and personal. To understand why I've brought us here is the topic of our walk so let me metaphorically jump right in.I had the intention when starting this mini-series of beginning to go through the gospel's week by week and episode by episode to expose the foundations of Jesus as the Son of God and Jesus as the Son of Man. What I was not expecting were the revelations being given to me by the Holy Spirit as I too walk along the path of discipleship following Jesus. The revelations concerned a deeper understanding and insights into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. These were regular, almost daily revelations, as we all walked through the Lentin season culminating in Holy Week and Easter Sunday just a couple of weekends ago. Covering the Holy Week topics from the perspective of Jesus being both the Son of God and the Son of Man seemed to be a keyway for God dropping bursts of understanding into my daily morning meditations and podcast preparations. Everyday I'm constantly encountering that this world we live in is not all that it seems and certainly not all that there is. The earth and the world that dwells upon it is infinitesimal in comparison to the enormity of the heavens and the beings God has created to inhabit them. And they too are infinitesimal compared with the enormity of God within whom all things exist. But I digress.

Welcome to Episode #143 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our seventh of eight episodes in our eighteenth mini-series entitled, Son of God and Son of Man. On this episode, THE KEY of Faith, we're going to tie together why we are exploring the life of Jesus Christ as revealed in the gospels. This exploration has begun already and will takes several more mini-series to complete. Throughout Jesus' ministry, he was not hesitant to let people know his identify as the Son of God and as the Son of Man. More often than not he would perform miraculous signs and wonders to authenticate that he was Son of God while verbally articulating he was the Son of Man prophesied in Daniel Chapter 7. At his trial before the Sanhedrin, He admitted openly to the chief priests and rulers of Jerusalem that he was both the Son of God and the Son of Man; and because of his admission he was condemned to die.Mark 14:61-65 – Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63 And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? 64 You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death. 65 And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with blows. We know what happened next regarding the death and burial of Jesus. Given our time constraints of one episode, we'll only be addressing what happened on the third day after Jesus was crucified. He didn't just rise and ascend. He bodily appeared to his disciples over a period of forty days after his resurrection to speak to them about the kingdom of God. We'll address those days, Lord willing, on future episodes.The resurrection of Jesus is found in all four gospels. I'll be reading passages from Matthew and Luke for the resurrection and from the book of Acts for His ascension. As I read, and when you later read these same passages for yourself, picture yourself in the account. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you through the action. He was there and an eye witness. This was not a normal day.Paul emphatically expresses the importance of the resurrection of Jesus in the full Chapter of 1 Corinthians 15. We'll only take a look at a brief snippet.1 Corinthians 15:12-20 – Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Welcome to Episode #142 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our sixth of eight episodes in our eighteenth mini-series entitled, Son of God and Son of Man. On this episode, Mutual Comfort, we're going for a trilogy of one-episode sidebars on our exploration of the life of Jesus Christ as revealed in the gospels. We'll be exploring the fallout of following the resurrected Jesus and the benefit of experiencing such fallout.With that short introduction we're going to jump right into it. What you'll see in the book of Acts and then spread throughout the epistles is that becoming a believer in the resurrected Jesus was serious and dangerous business. At a minimum you were persecuted and intimidated. If Jewish, if you didn't observe the sacrificial laws and ordinances, you could be kicked out of the synagogue and ostracized by the community. You would be considered dead by family and friends.   If you were a gentile, you would be prevented from conducting any business in public markets as Christians didn't offer the required daily sacrifices to the gods. Not honoring the gods was grave and could put you in the grave.Alexander the Great made a special dispensation for the Jews as a protected religious class. The Romans continued that tradition. The Jews made sure the Romans knew Christians should not be mistaken as a Jewish sect, but rather a false religious cult.As a gentile Christian you became part of an unprotected religious class within Rome. That designation opened you up to the full gambit of rejection, persecution, punishment, and even death for dishonoring the gods of Rome. It wasn't long before it became acceptable and rewarding to arrest, persecute and even kill Christians while confiscating all their goods as plunder like spoils of war. This persecution went on for three centuries, and at times was promoted and unhindered by the emperors of Rome. There are lot of well-respected scholars and experts who have investigated Christian persecutions by Roman emperors, and it was a dirty business. An evil and darkness that was dispelled in the early fourth century.In the mid to late 19th Century this darkness and persecution of Christians emerged back into the world through atheistic philosophers and agnostic and atheistic scientists. By the 20th Century the emergence of darkness empowered the rise of atheistic leaders who instigated wars and revolutions killing over 180-million people. It was the bloodiest century in human history, by far!!After WWII, a global philosophical shift occurred that allowed Christian persecutions to reemerged in predominately Muslim nations. This was almost immediately followed by the emerging darkness of Christian intimidation, persecution, and ostracism in the public and private sectors.As we sit here in the Spring of 2024, let us look back to the Spring of 2020 and see what was unleased on the world by dark forces of evil. A global pandemic, daily riots and looting sprees across the country and globally as an expression of grievances. As the citizenry of the world surrendered most of their rights to governments and special interest groups, by January 2021 the riots and looting mysteriously stopped. Even though none of the grievances that were given for the riots and looting were ever addressed. It was as if it were all arouse to silence the opposition for what is coming.I don't know what is coming, revival or global persecution. The signs of the times indicate the latter. 

Welcome to Episode #141 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fifth of eight episodes in our eighteenth mini-series entitled, Son of God and Son of Man. On this episode, Why They Killed Jesus, we're going to follow-up our last one-episode sidebar with a second one-episode sidebar of our exploration of the life of Jesus Christ as revealed in the gospels. Having just completed Lent, Holy Week, and the Paschal Mystery of Christ, I thought it appropriate to address the seemingly abrupt and brutal end of his ministry and life.We are only beginning our exploration on Way of the Bible podcast of the life of Jesus in the gospels. Yet I find myself at this point in time addressing his end. In many ways Jesus' end, his dying on the cross, was only the beginning of the next phase of God's redemptive plan for mankind which he developed before time began. And we will get to that after we complete the exploration of Jesus' life as presented in the gospels.The term I used earlier, Paschal Mystery of Christ, is reference to the trial, death, and resurrection of Christ. That trilogy of events points to something not plainly clear to an observer. Why would the religious leaders of the Jews demand the Romans to put to death their own Messiah by crucifixion? They demonstrated they had the ability to execute Jesus themselves when these same people stoned Stephen, the first martyr of the faith (see Acts 7:58-60). What transpired on the cross such that Paul would write in Colossians 1:19-20 – For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.And finally, how did Jesus go from dead and buried to resurrecting and appearing to his disciples over a period of forty days in a physical body of flesh and bone? And how did that flesh and bone body ascend into heaven. Acts 1:9-11 – And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” The term mystery is a focal point of Paul's doxology at the end of the book of Romans. Romans 16:25-27 – Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the MYSTERY that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.  First we need to see and UNDERSTAND, the revelation of this mystery to people hearing the gospel is what God is using to bring about the OBEDIENCE of faith. Second and just as important is faith is not an intellectual ascent. Faith involves a change of mind and will in a person that produces OBEDIENCE.Paul speaks of the origin of faith in Ephesians 2:8-10 – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.Faith that renders salvation is neither by mental ascent nor by works. Both faith and salvation are given by grace as gifts of God. Or put another way, faith and salvation begin the revealing of mystery by grace that leads beyond the veil of dimensionality and terminates in the mind and will of God. 

Welcome to Episode #140 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fourth of eight episodes in our eighteenth mini-series entitled, Son of God and Son of Man. On this episode, Fix for Rebellion, we're going to take a one-episode sidebar. As I'm writing, recording, and releasing episodes I'm also attending to my spiritual journey following Jesus. In October 2023, I started reading and following a guidebook for completing the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. The author provides instructions and prompts for a seven day a week, thirty-two week journey. I'm just completing week 25 which deals with the trial and death of Jesus.  I was convinced months ago, but God continues to give me daily reminders that He is in absolute charge of everything happening in my life at every possible moment. How is it that I complete the Passion narrative in the book I'm following at the same time I usually begin writing my next podcast that will release next Thursday (I'm writing and recording this a week the Saturday before the Thursday release). For a number of reasons I won't go into, I've long been a proponent of a Thursday crucifixion of Christ rather than the traditional Friday observation. That means, my podcast episode Easter week is going to be released on what I consider the actual crucifixion day. How is it I've been looking at this day for an entire week in my morning meditations sitting before Jesus, the week before this day will be observed globally?All this to say, we're going to look at the Fix for Rebellion, God introduced at the beginning of time which will be completed at the end of time as we know it. Given the gravity of the situation we're dealing with, I will have little to no running commentary and allow room for you and the Holy Spirit to discuss together lessons he has for you today.With all that, let's get started. And we'll start at the beginning. NOTE: Before the six days of creation on the earth described in Genesis 1, there was a rebellion in heaven by angelic beings against God. The rebellion was initiated by the fall of Lucifer when pride was found in his heart because of his beauty (see Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28). Lucifer, the devil, took a third of the angels with him in his rebellion. God created mankind to end all rebellion, both in heaven and on earth. Mankind's rebellion stared in the Garden of Eden. It will end when Jesus casts the devil, his angels, all those whose names are not written in the lambs book of life, and death and hades, into the eternal burning lake of fire. Then He will create a new heaven and new earth… But that comes later. Let's begin with the rebellion on earth, war in heaven and consequences on earth.Genesis 3:15 – And I [God] will put enmity between you [the Serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.REVELATION 12:7 - Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.Ephesians 6:12 – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.Ephesians 3:8-10 – To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.THE FIX: Colossians 1:19-20 – For in him [Jesus] all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, mak

Welcome to Episode #139 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our third of eight episodes in our eighteenth mini-series which is entitled, Son of God and Son of Man. On this episode, Jesus Surprises/Terrifies Disciples, we're going to look at some surprises that Jesus showed his disciples that terrified them at times. We've been walking with Jesus on this mini-series and hoping to get glimpses of Jesus as the Son of God and Son of Man.As the Son of God, Jesus is the second person of the trinity. This imagery is seen in Psalm 2:7-12 – I will proclaim the LORD's decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father. 8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.Jesus as the Son of Man is a reference to the Son of Man seen by the prophet Daniel in a vision. Son of Man was Jesus' calling card name he used when addressing religious officials. It comes found Daniel 7:9-14 – “As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. 11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) 13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Mark ties these two names together in a passage from Jesus trial before the Sanhedrin. Mark 14:61-62 – Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”  Jesus was not just a sinless man while on earth; although that would have made him unique in the world. He was the exact image of God in human form. So much so, Jesus told the disciples that when they saw him they had seen God the Father. John puts it like this in 1 John 1:1-3 – That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.With that in mind, I thought we'd follow Jesus to see some of the ways he revealed his identity to his disciples that he didn't plainly display to the public until the very end. What better way to display your unrestrained glory to a small group than in a boat at sea or on a mountain top.

Welcome to Episode #138 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our second of eight episodes in our eighteenth mini-series which is entitled, Son of God and Son of Man. On this episode we are going to join the disciples of Jesus as they walk along with Jesus.  And as we do, let us surely do as they did, wonder together about “who is this man?” Jesus in his short three-year ministry did a lot of walking. He began ministering and selecting disciples in the region of Galilee which was fifty to eighty miles north of Jerusalem on the west side of the Sea of Galilee. The walk from his hometown of Nazareth to Jerusalem was approximately sixty miles. At a normal walking pace of two miles an hour that would be a thirty hour walk minimum with no time for rest, stops, etc. And that was if you went through Samaria which constituted much of the area of the former northern kingdom of Israel.The northern kingdom of Israel was defeated by the Assyrian's in 721 BC. The Assyrian takeover strategy was to export the vanquished to other counquered territories and import foreigners to occupy and resettle the land. The resettling is described in 2 Kings 17:24 – And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the people of Israel. And they took possession of Samaria and lived in its cities.The text continues and says because the people who were brought to the land did not fear the Lord, God sent lions in among them to attack and kill the people. The king of Assyria ordered that a priest of Israel be sent back into the land to instruct the people. So a priest was found who moved to Bethel and taught the people how to fear the Lord. The result is described in 2 Kings 17:33 – So they feared the LORD but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.The exiled Jews resettled in Judea did not like the Samaritans for a multitude of reasons. Samaritans were considered unclean and perhaps more unclean than Gentiles. Samaritans recognized this hostility and responded with hostility toward the Jews.The tension was bad enough that Jews of Judea going north made it a point to walk around Samaria by going east across the Jordan and then north on the king's highway through the Decapolis till just south of the Sea of Galilee where they'd cross into Galilee. This route to avoid Samaria dramatically increased the duration of a trip north.  I present that as background as we'll spend the first part of our episode in that region. I'll comment briefly as I read the text. 

Welcome to Episode #137 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our first of eight episodes in our eighteenth mini-series which is entitled, Son of God and Son of Man. As a follow-up to our last episode, A Walk on the Beach with DrZ [17], I thought it would be beneficial on this episode to tie into another passage that illustrates Jesus is the same as God in the Old Testament. Jesus – One WITH the Father.If you're a long-time listener you know I love to plow not just through a little, but a lot of scripture each and every episode. My words are not the vehicle by which the word of God animates, coming alive as the Holy Spirit guides and teaches us all things both of this life and the life to come. It is by the spoken word of God on this podcast God moves to encourage us in the Holy Spirit to live a life reflective of his divine will. That we would be joyful always, praying continually, and thankful in all circumstances (1 Thes 5:16-18).Before we get to the scripture, a little background that will help put perspective on why I choose the passages I did for this episode. We're starting this mini-series in the deep end so take a big breath. Over the past thirty years plus years I've been reading the Bible every year, teaching the Bible, leading Bible studies, and learning as much as I could about Jesus. All the while I've continued to pursue secular vocational pursuits to fund my Bible habits of teaching, preaching, and earning two seminary degrees. The secular pursuits were shut down by the pandemic in 2021 and are just now being revived. During the shutdown I launched this podcast and began to pursue my passion of introducing people to the entire Bible, book by book. While writing, recording, and editing episode after episode of the entire Bible I confirmed I knew a lot of information about God and Jesus Christ his Son as revealed in the Bible. I also knew by revelation and Holy Spirit rebirth I had intimacy and a personal relationship with both Jesus and God the Father. I've had sporadic and dramatic encounters with Jesus and Father that have involved miraculous events, dreams, and visions. And that is what I thought was normal for a believer to encounter along the way. And perhaps that is, BUT:During my podcast overviewing of the books of the Bible I had a progressive revelation as I went book by book. I knew something was different this time through the Bible when I read 2 Kings 23:1-30 for the umpteenth time in preparing the episode for that book. This section is entitled in the ESV, Josiah's Reforms. That title says little about what I saw. While it seems I'm digressing, and perhaps I am just a bit, I think it is important enough that I continue. I pray you bear with me as I do.

Welcome to Episode #136 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our last of eight episodes in our seventeenth mini-series, The Man Jesus Christ.  On this episode we're going to take A Walk on the Beach with DrZ and explore together the undercarriage of the God/Man Jesus Christ. Jesus is likely the most well-known and most misunderstood person in history. What does it mean he was fully God and fully man? Even theologians have found it impossible to fully define him. Rather the doctrinal definition of who Jesus was, is, and forever more will be is called Mystery.Welcome to Episode #136 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our last of eight episodes in our seventeenth mini-series, The Man Jesus Christ.  On this episode we're going to take A Walk on the Beach with DrZ and explore together the undercarriage of the God/Man Jesus Christ. Jesus is likely the most well-known and most misunderstood person in history. What does it mean he was fully God and fully man? Even theologians have found it impossible to fully define him. Rather the doctrinal definition of who Jesus was, is, and forever more will be is called Mystery.

Welcome to Episode #135 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our seventh of eight episodes in our seventeenth mini-series, The Man Jesus Christ. So far in this mini-series we've looked at the divinity of Jesus, his incarnation and early life, his transition into public ministry, his big Miracle Extravaganza splash, and the calling of his first disciples. On this episode we're going to look at the Ministry of Jesus among the people.I've also been addressing on this mini-series my own spiritual transformation. I've been a born-again Holy Spirit filled believer of Jesus Christ for almost thirty years. And for thirty years before that a believer in Jesus, but I did not know him. While producing and recording the earliest episodes of this podcast I began tracking the relationship of good and evil in regard to intimacy with God. What I discovered by the end of the Old Testament was intimacy with God was hindered by sin. Sin fosters lack of belief and disobedience of God's commands. It all goes back to God's counsel of Cain (see Gen 4:7).I had a gut check when I finished the Old Testament. I believed in God and what he has done, is doing, and will do through Jesus Christ. Yet I did not feel the intimacy I knew others had written of feeling. Think of Teresa of Avila, John Wesley, Brother Lawrence, George Muller, Jonathan Edwards, George McDonald, C.S. Lewis, Mother Teresa, Dallas Willard, Eugene Peterson. What did they know that I didn't. What had they encountered with God that I had not. Now that I know what I know now [that which I did not know before I knew what I now know] is something I knew others had experienced but I thought was just for the “super” saints. Continual, weekly, daily, hourly, moment by moment intimacy with God our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord. Then I started with the New Testament.When I started with the New Testament, I continued looking for good and evil in relationship to intimacy with God and also began including belief and obedience. It was a muddled picture until I hit the book of Romans. Paul laid it all out for both good and evil and belief and obedience. Intimacy is directly related to belief and obedience. By the power of the Holy Spirit temptations and desires to do evil and “sin” are muted while eagerness and earnestness in doing good are amplified. There is a whole lot there, much more than can be covered in one mini-series much less the introduction to one episode. Let me cut this short and say I crested the mountain when I got to Ephesians 4:11-13 – And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.Paul was saying we are all to attain ultimately to the fullness of Christ. That is Union with God in-Christ; something that Jesus prayed for all believers in John 17. If we are all to attain to the fullness of Christ “ALL” includes all believers not just “super” saints. I'm one of the “ALL” so how do I get to Union with God? 

Welcome to Episode #134 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our sixth of eight episodes in our seventeenth mini-series, The Man Jesus Christ.  On this episode we're going to look at what the scriptures reveal about Jesus calling disciples and choosing some to follow him. Jesus said in Matthew 22:14 – For many are called, but few are chosen.Last episode we looked at Jesus traveling with several of his disciples and demonstrating to them and to large crowds his Miracle Extravaganza. This week we're going to look at the earliest disciples called by Jesus and how they started following him.Over the past few episodes I've mentioned a method I've been using to develop intimacy with God our Father through Jesus Christ called Lectio Divina. This method was developed in the third century and used for almost two millennia to encounter the living word of God (scripture) and in so doing be in fellowship and union with God our Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.The best description of Lectio Divina I've encountered is in the late Eugene Peterson's 2009 publication, “Eat This Book.” I highly encourage the reading of this book front to back. Lectio Divina provides the guardrails that allow you to enter into the living word of God and find Jesus alive, well, and talkative. The guardrails include the assimilation, integration, and synthesis of text through reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation.There is little rigidity regarding the order these four guardrails (reading, prayer, meditation, contemplation). They are engaged as one is led by the Spirit through the text. Go with the flow of the Spirit is the best counsel I could give.       As I go through the passages on this episode there will be little to no running commentary as I do not want to unduly influence your time with Jesus. That's right, I pray you to take the opportunity of spending time and have back and forth conversations with Jesus. This was not something I thought was possible until about four months ago. Since discovering the Lectio Divina method with the aid of an Ignatian Spiritual Exercise book I can testify that my prayer life and intimacy with Jesus have been dramatically improved. What I'm encouraging and praying you do is not to know more information about Jesus (which is not bad), but in the here and now to know the living Jesus more intimately, to love the living Jesus more intensely, and to following the living Jesus more closely. I've found these three pursuits of grace recommended by St. Ignatius to be very fruitful.

Welcome to Episode #133 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fifth of eight episodes in our seventeenth mini-series, The Man Jesus Christ.  On this episode we're going to look at what the scriptures reveal about Jesus' entrance into ministry. He didn't start with a whimper. To demonstrate the kingdom of God he was proclaiming Jesus kicked off with a Miracle Extravaganza! Before getting into our text today I want to frame the foundation of the podcast episodes for this and the next several mini-series. Jesus in his ministry called people to follow him; to become his disciples. He trained his disciples to show other people also how to follow him [Jesus] after he returned to heaven. The disciples of the disciples “all” following the same Rabbi, teacher, Jesus trained others how to follow Jesus up to today.But how is one supposed to follow a guy that lived over two millennia ago? Jesus had that covered from the very beginning. He told his disciples in John 14:16 – But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John tells us in 1 John 2:27 – But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.From these two passages we learn that the Holy Spirit that abides in believers will teach them all things, bring to remembrance all that Jesus said, and teach them about everything. All things, all that Jesus said, and everything are pretty all inclusive.Jesus disciples literally followed him around listening to his preaching, seeing and hearing his interactions with people, and witnessing his performance of great signs and wonders. He would question them from time to time as to their thoughts and provide feedback. He had his disciples participate with him in the feeding of the multitudes. He eventually sent his disciples out two by two to do what they had been seeing him do. They went and did as Jesus had done, and they all returned amazed.Paul tells his disciple Timothy, his follower of Jesus he's training in  2 Timothy 3:14-17 – But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.By the third century, monastic monks had formalized a discipleship they practiced to follow Jesus. It included the reading of scripture in the Spirit, prayer/conversation with Jesus through the Spirit regarding the text read, meditation on the text with the Spirit's guidance, and finally contemplation of the text throughout the day. With the Holy Spirit as your guide, it is simply sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning from him through his word. The name of this practice is Lectio Divina. Look it up as there is a lot written that is helpful to get you started on the Way into the heart of the Father.

Welcome to Episode #132 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fourth of eight episodes in our seventeenth mini-series, The Man Jesus Christ.  On this episode we're going to look at what the scriptures reveal about Jesus' transition from a private secluded life in Nazareth to active ministry in Galilee. On our first episode of this mini-series, I introduced biblical Christian discipleship. Salvation, often promoted as the central message of Jesus, is only the entrance into eternal life in the Kingdom of God now! Jesus brought salvation. He taught about living life in the Kingdom of God as a child of God, saved by grace through faith (i.e. Salvation). This type of living is described in Hebrews Chapter 4 as entering the seventh day rest of God. Hebrews 4:11 - Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. (Unbelief).Central to our entering that rest is to walk in the yoke of Jesus through our interaction with the living and active eternal word of God; the Bible. The word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the presence of Christ where two or more are gathered, all guide us. In the yoke, I am not to be pulling Jesus to my messes and telling him to clean them up. In the yoke, I am not to demand my wants telling Jesus he owes me. Jesus is doing all the pulling and heavy lifting. I simply walk in his presence and follow where he leads.What about learning from those I've been listening to? What about you listening to me right now? For us both, our learning and rest come from having Jesus are our primary teacher and burden bearer. That's the first huge oyster to swallow; but it goes down easy. Does it mean we stop listening to others or that you turn off this podcast; NO! We are to take every thought we have on our own or gained from another and make it obedient to Christ. How can we do that if we don't know what Jesus said. The apostle John said in 1 John 2:6 – whoever says he abides in him [Jesus] ought to walk in the same way in which he [Jesus] walked. What does that mean? As we walk out each day, let us walk in the manner of Jesus, doing what Jesus does. And we'll know what Jesus did by studying and meditating upon the gospels. We will offer our bodies daily as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God and allow him to transform the way we think so we will know his good pleasing and perfect will.For the past seventeen weeks I've been following prompts of Spiritual Exercises and daily Scriptural readings from a workbook called The Ignatian Adventure, by Kevin O'Brien, SJ. In this workbook, The Spiritual Exercise prompts provide the bible passages to read and what to consider for prayer and meditation. Central to the Exercises is the ancient Lectio Divina method of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's word. This method was first practiced by the monastics in the 3rd Century and has been carried forward to the 21st Century as I am a witness and now practicing. Lectio Divina does not consider Scripture as something to be studied for information's sake. Rather, it considers Scripture as the living word of God. The living word that calls out to mankind to encounter and plumb the depths of God's revelation. These depths are bottomless, containing “ALL TRUTH” God has deemed profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. To the end that in discipleship by the word and in the word we would, “all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:13)I encourage you after this episode to go look up Lectio Divina. It is not Bible Study where you interpret the Bible theologically or historically. It is a personal one-on-one conversation with God throug

Welcome to Episode #131 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our third of eight episodes in our seventeenth mini-series, The Man Jesus Christ.  On this episode we're going to look at what the scriptures reveal about Jesus from his birth until he started his ministry. As we'll see there is not much in volume of text but what is there is rich in content.The title of this episode is Babe to Son of Man. As we covered on our last episode, Jesus was incarnated in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit. His birth was prophesied by the angel Gabriel who visited Zechariah, John the Baptist's father. Gabriel prophesied in Luke 1:16-17 – And he [Zechariah's son to be, John] will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” Shortly after John was born Zechariah prophesied over his son at his circumcision ceremony. Luke 1:76-77 – And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people. As a reminder, what we're doing on this and many mini-series in the future is to look more closely, go more slowing, and examine more fully the life and ministry of Jesus Christ our Lord. How can we follow one we do not know. Knowing is gained by seeing in the gospels HOW Jesus did, What he did, Where he did, When he did, Why he did and with Who he did all the things recorded for us.I will present Scriptures for us to consider this episode with little running commentary. I encourage you to purposefully carve out time regularly (daily, weekly, etc.) to intentionally spend time with God in prayer, meditation, and fellowship and discuss with him one or more of the texts you hear. Allow Jesus to be your teacher through the Holy Spirit given to you for just that purpose.As we read, pray over, and meditate on the gospel scriptures we want to be having a running conversation with our Father and Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. We want to allow our mental imagery and all five senses to experience the accounts with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In our meditations let the Spirit teach us what we need to know about Jesus for our own faith journey ahead. Then in fellowship ask our Father and Jesus Christ what you are curious about. Give them time and room to respond; as surely they will.With all that as a brief introduction let's get started. 

Welcome to Episode #130 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our second of eight episodes in our seventeenth mini-series, The Man Jesus Christ.  On this episode we're going to examine scriptures that reveal Jesus was not unexpected. We noted often throughout our 112 episodes that overviewed both the Old and New Testaments that ALL scripture speaks of and points to Jesus.The title of this episode is Guess Who's Coming to Earth? The Jewish religious elites knew someone was coming but they did not receive Jesus as the promised Christ. Rather, they shut the door in his face, claimed he was possessed by the devil, and had the Romans impale him on a cross. Beginning with this Episode we are starting down the PATH of Christian Discipleship and/or Spiritual Formation. We will be traveling along the WAY that leads to intimacy and union with God. Along the WAY we learn to remain in the yoke of Jesus while walking in the kingdom of God. We learn to live under the reign of God and obey his commands through the power of the Holy Spirit. We learn to live in the world but not be of the world. We learn that living in the will of God results in a life that is joyful always, prayerful continually, and thankful in all circumstances for God's will is good, acceptable, and perfect.

Welcome to Episode #129 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our first of eight episodes in our seventeenth mini-series, The Man Jesus Christ.  On this episode we're going to Introduce to topic of Christian Discipleship.Beginning with this mini-series, I'll be starting weekly on-line discipleship Zoom meetings. The first meeting will be to go deeper together in the materials covered during the current episode. The second meeting will be for general podcast questions and sharing of faith and prayer. Both meetings are meant for our mutual encouragement in the faith and deepening our knowledge of the Son of God. If you're interested in attending either meeting, please go to the Contact Page on my Website, WayoftheBible.com, and let me know of your interest in one or both meetings. I'll send more information and weekly updates with meeting days, times, and links for meeting entry. There is no requirement to attend the meetings, just know I'm available if you'd like to grow in grace and faith together.I didn't record or release a podcast during the month of December 2023 and the first week of January 2024. I took the time normally spent on this podcast to complete the manuscript of a Christian fiction book I hope to publish this Spring. In that regard, if any of you know of an editor and/or literary agent for a Christian publisher please let me know as I'm in the market for both. I self-published a coaching book on Amazon in 2021 and would prefer to work now with a professional; I know my own limits.During December I also did additional study into the topic of Christian discipleship. It was in additional studies a new facet of a well-known but unexplored reality opened to me. Not just opened, but enveloped and swallowed me. That reality has to do with Jesus making available life in the kingdom of heaven/God now; where God reigns over my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Point being, Jesus not only brought salvation to mankind, he made available the reign of God in the lives of normal humans like you and me.Christian discipleship is a life-long process of learning directly from Jesus and the Holy Spirit the lessons of Jesus that allow us to walk as he walked in obedience to our Father and his commands. As we learn from Christ we transformed more and more toward what Paul called in Ephesians 4:13 – to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.Christian discipleship is not about following rules, checking boxes, or meeting a standard of behavior identified by an individual, committee, or denomination. It is about submitting to the Lord Jesus Christ as his student and being responsible only to him for learning, transformation, and assignment of calling. This is what Jesus called his disciples to do – to make disciples of all nations.  

Welcome to Episode #128 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our last of eight episodes in our sixteenth mini-series, The Obedience of Faith.  On this episode we're going to take A Walk on the Beach with DrZ and explore together The Obedience of Faith. This is only the beginning, Lord willing, of a journey that lasts generations of lifetimes…So glad you could join me for our walk on the beach this afternoon. It is crystal clear outside. The cold front that blow in last night dropped the temps into the upper thirties early this morning. After my early morning rise and quiet time it was a brisk and chilly walk to the water and immediately retreating back inside for my second cup of coffee. But I'm pleased to say it's up to 58 now. Pleasantly chilly with a high afternoon warming sun for our walk.  We've got a couple of decanters of mint, milk, and dark hot chocolates and fresh ground medium roast coffee's on the bar. Fill up you own decanter or take one of our souvenir Walk on the Beach insulated cups. Long story but Joe made these hot/cold cups available for our walks at his own expense. His hope is that when we drink out of these in the future we'd be reminded to be always following Jesus and walking with God.   Let's take another ten minutes to mingle and greet our last few arrivals and meet on the back deck at 2:00 pm.Great to see such a big crowd on a weekday for our afternoon walk. We'll head to the water and go to the right with the sun and the breeze in our face. Given we may get a chill in the next little while, I've got a little surprise for us at our turnaround spot that I think you will all enjoy. So let's get to it.I went back over the episode show notes for this mini-series to refresh myself as I'd thought we'd covered a lot of scripture. My refreshment revealed in-fact we had covered a lot. Some of which I'll share again on our walk this afternoon. The main point of them being they all indicate our response as a believer in Christ is much broader than what most, including myself, have encountered in our walks of faith.

Welcome to Episode #127 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our seventh of eight episodes in our sixteenth mini-series, The Obedience of Faith.  On this episode we're going to have a conversation with Magan Cavalier about discipleship toward spiritual maturity in-Christ. Magan is a global mission's leader, disciple maker, spiritual advisor, homeschooling mother of four, miliary wife, and servant to her community.As I was completing the mini-series fourteen and the overview of the Bible, God placed a passion in my heart for future podcast mini-series. That passion was to pursue the topic of spiritual maturity in-Christ. This topic came to the forefront of my mind as I was overviewing the books of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. Way more here than I can even hope to introduce. It was clear before I started these four books that living a new life in-Christ was available starting on the day of one's salvation. I personally had experienced that. In the progression through these four books the Holy Spirit impressed upon me, convinced me, and convicted me that spiritual maturity in-Christ was to be sought and lived out in all believers until we are called home. This was something I'd often wondered about for the past 25 plus years of being a believer, but never fully investigated. I'll get into this much deeper on our upcoming Walk on the Beach with DrZ.As I was considering who to contact about having as a guest speaker to address the mini-series topic of The Obedience of Faith one name clearly popped into my mind. Magan. When I thought why Magan, I remembered it was she who I called to find out more about Saint Ignatius, Dallas Willard, and spiritual formation. We talked briefly and she recommended a workbook she was going through herself that followed the pattern of the Ignatius Spiritual Exercises.As I considered this thought, more rushed into my mind that made Magan the obvious choice. She was a mature Millennial (greatest generation in human history). She'd recently completed the Master of Arts in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas (a degree program heavily influenced by the late Dallas Willard and James Bryan Smith). And since middle-school she's been progressively active and developing as a missions leader and disciple maker.With all this as a brief introduction, let me get Magan on the phone and have her fill in some more details before beginning our conversation. 

Welcome to Episode #126 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our sixth of eight episodes in our sixteenth mini-series, The Obedience of Faith.  On this episode we're going to look at an example from scripture of The Normal Christian Life.We've been exploring on this mini-series what the obedience of faith involves. Jesus made it very clear to his disciples the expectations of one choosing to follow him included discipleship for sanctification into maturity in-Christ. We've been using Ephesians 4:11-16 as our guide for what this discipleship and sanctification looks like.   The gospels indicate Jesus called his disciples into service with him and they followed.  The epistles and letters allude that many if not most of those who came to faith by the preaching of the apostles and disciples did not go beyond salvation in pursuit of discipleship for sanctification. They kept doing what they'd been doing if possible. The epistles and letters seem to be trying to correct the disconnect between salvation and continuing as a member of the body of Christ into good works of salvation.Fast forward to 2023. If an onlooker or someone within Christianity today tried to discern what The Normal Christian Life should look like where would one start looking? Perhaps they would look toward the two oldest Christian denominations: The Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. Both of these churches are global and trace their lineage back to Jesus Christ and the apostolic empowerment that was given by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The Roman Catholic Church was founded in Rome with Latin as the common language. It is called the Western church. The Eastern church is Greek Orthodox, founded in Constantinople with Greek as the common language. These two churches held the monopoly on Christianity until the 16th century.In the 16th Century at the height of the Renaissance the Protestant Reformation was initiated in northern Europe. Five major denominations came out of the Protestant Reformation: Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, and Anabaptist (i.e. Mennonite, Quaker, Amish). Concurrent with the European Reformation was the English Reformation that birthed the Episcopalian/Anglican Church.What started out as large group reformations in the 16th Century resulted in exponential splintering of the church during and after the Enlightenment of the 17th and 18th Centuries. According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity about 31% of the world's population (2.5 billion people) identify as Christian. There are now over 45,000 denominations globally, 200 of which are in the United States.Trying to tie down the similarities and differences in the 200 denominations in the United States could be difficult. But, at least six categories or buckets have been identified that generalize these churches as Contemplative, Charismatic, Evangelical, Holiness, Incarnational, and Social Justice. The basis of Christian faith and doctrinal differences within these buckets are most commonly associated with varied reliance upon Scripture, traditions of the church, and human reason.With over 45,000 denominations worldwide there are likely many more buckets globally than the six just listed. Trying to tie down The Normal Christian Life in 2023 from the witness of members of any of these denominations would be difficult if not impossible.Fortunately we don't have to accept impossible, we can simply look at what the Bible says. What would the Bible have to say regarding The Normal Christian Life that would be relevant in anyway in 2023. Listen and Find Out!!

#125 Welcome to Episode #125 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fifth of eight episodes in our sixteenth mini-series, The Obedience of Faith.  On this episode we're going to look at Jesus as a shepherd and the sheep who follow him. Shepherding the sheep is rooted Biblically after mankind's expulsion from the Garden of Eden. But to get the significance we start at the beginning. Gen 1:26-31 –  Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.Gen 3:17-19 – … cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”Gen 4:2-5 – “Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.Why this isn't just a passage to breeze over and blow off is found in Matt 23:34-35 – Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, 35 so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Jesus calls Abel righteous. This would indicate Abel was righteous in his life, in his offering to God, and his subsequent conversation with Cain in the field. That life, offering, and conversation resulted in his brother Cain killing him. Does this remind you of something Jesus said of himself and to his disciples who “follow him.”

Welcome to Episode #124 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our fourth of eight episodes in our sixteenth mini-series, The Obedience of Faith.  On this episode I hope to encourage believers to break through barriers to sanctification that read, “THIS FAR ONLY.”I opened with episode with a strawman to shed some light on the lack of discipleship for sanctification within the church that is in accord with how Paul described Jesus equipping his church. Ephesians 4:11-13 – So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.Let's take this a bite at a time…What did Jesus give to his church? Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachersWhy did Jesus give these to his church? To equip his people for works of service.Why equip people for works of service? So that the body of Christ may be built upFor what purpose? Until we all reach unity in the faith                                     And, in the knowledge of the Son of God                                    And, become mature                                                Attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of ChristToday in the church those “works of service” may be identified as being a Sunday School teacher or to work in the nursery. Or perhaps to be parking lot attendants and/or welcome guests. To help set-up the sanctuary for the upcoming Christmas program, and whatever else needs done around the church.While all these are well and good, I do not believe these were in mind when Paul wrote this in the first century. Well before the organization of denominations and mega-churches. While these service areas within the church are helpful for people attending worship, Paul is addressing a much larger service mandate for all believers. Let's look at the purpose for building up the body of Christ again,Until we all reach unity in the faith                         And, in the knowledge of the Son of God                        And, become mature                                    Attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of ChristAttaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ is Union with God. One with the Father, and with the Son by the Holy Spirit in this life you are currently living. It is what Jesus prayed to his Father for us in John 17:20-21 – I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.Why would Jesus want believers to be One with the Father, the Son through the Holy Spirit? Ephesians 2:10 – For we are his [God's] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. And by our doing these works of service the world would believe the Father sent Jesus into the world.Those darned Scriptures, they keep saying the same thing. An often-repeated encouragement in the New Testament is for believers to be discip

Welcome to Episode #123 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our third of eight episodes in our sixteenth mini-series, The Obedience of Faith.  On this episode we're going to explore what it means to be “Like the Teacher.” Jesus' dropped a Truth bomb in Luke 6:40 - A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. We'll see as we progress, being a disciple and discipleship in general can be problematic and touchy in certain Christian circles of faith. For this reason, and many more, most just ignore being fully trained to be like Jesus, our teacher! I'd ignore it as well, but I care about the Truth that Jesus gave us. That truth was witnessed by countless male and female disciples over the history of the church who endured persecutions and martyrdom to preserve and prolong the truth. This truth Jesus gave us leads to intimacy and into Union and Fellowship with God our Father through Jesus Christ. In today's post-modern church, many have given up even drinking the spiritual milk mentioned in Hebrews 5:11-14 - About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.The writer of Hebrews tells us what was considered spiritual milk in Hebrews 6:1-2 – Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.What is not preached in most churches today includes: Going on to Maturity in the faith, Repentance from dead works, Washings, Laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Now that I look at it, the only universal [I use this term very loosely] elementary doctrine taught in the church as a whole is faith toward God. I'd call 1% fat free milk. Others may consider it almond or coconut milk based upon negligible faith in the God of the Bible preferring rather faith in a god of their own understanding.I believe we are living in what Jesus considered the age of the church of Laodicea. He instructed the Apostle John to write to that church in Revelation 3:15-19 –“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.Jesus IS going to spit the church out of his mouth; it's just a matter of time. At the time that happens, the church's claim to fame will be I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing. Certainly not God or Jesus… That's all the world needs is an intolerant God who claims there is only one way to Himself, through Jesus, in a world filled with gods, all with an equal voice and equal standing. In this world of tolerance, all religions are the same and lead to the same place. Disagree with that and be canceled. God and Jesus, you're both canceled.Jesus says of the church, you are wretched, piti

Welcome to Episode #122 of Way of the Bible podcast. This is our second of eight episodes in our sixteenth mini-series, The Obedience of Faith.  On this episode we're going try and discern the Way of VIBRANT LIFE in the SPIRIT Jesus was inviting people into when he told them to: “Follow Me.” What did following mean and what would be the cost? When we overviewed Jesus' insights of the Parable of the Sower on our last mini-series we encountered Luke 8:18 – “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” Although I've read this passage well over 100 times in the past, I never “heard” what Jesus said in this passage – “Take care then how you hear!”Most have likely heard the euphemism, “In one ear, out the other.” That applied to my own readings of the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8:4-21, and misappropriation of the context of Luke 8:18. It was not until this year that it was revealed to me “taking care how I hear” was being applied to the word of God and my response. Game Changer.This was a HUGE revelation that is still unfolding in my life. It is illuminating the importance of meditative and inductive reading of scripture rather than just devotional reading. Plowing as I did through the Bible in overview mode of major thematic elements for our first fourteen mini-series I was shown once again the WAY of VIBRANT LIFE in the SPIRIT. It is not that I didn't know the WAY existed or that I haven't encountered the WAY. Rather, I rediscovered Jesus WAY of VIBRANT LIFE in the SPIRIT today, right now, as I'm recording this podcast. Right now, as you are listening to this podcast episode.