Be With Me: 7 Minutes of Biblical Wonder
1,571 episodes - English - Latest episode: 23 days ago -Be With Me is a daily 7 minute chronological walk through the New Testament hosted by Michael Smith. It is for everyone who is curious about what Jesus actually said and did in the gospels. Most episodes will leave you with at least one good thought to chew on for the rest of the day. We start with the Bible and hopefully end with Awe. We are walking through the chronological events of Jesus' life and then thoughtfully considering them. It is meant to spur the devotional life of the Christian and the not-yet-Christian. We occasionally venture into the Old Testament when it helps our understanding of the New Testament events. Everybody has 7 minutes. Everybody needs to wonder. Be With Me is hosted by Michael Smith who has absolutely no special qualifications to do a podcast. He is not a pastor. He has not been to seminary. He does not lead a mega-church. He is not a professional and he has no more credentials than you do. He does, however, follow a great God with an observant eye and a curious heart. Each day, he starts with a study bible and aims for astonishment. ‘be with him’ for 7 minutes as he sets out daily to discover the God who invites us to ‘Be With Me.’
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Episodes
Lord Of Sabbath & Scripture Mt12:1-8 s4e113
September 29, 2021 08:00 - 8 minutes - 5.56 MBSend us a Text Message. Who is boss of the Sabbath? Who has ultimate authority? What does Scripture say about honoring the Sabbath? What does Scripture say about Eating Grain as you pass by? How are we to behave as followers of a God who is a big fan of MERCY? These are like giant trains all heading for a big collision in yet another conflict with the Pharisees. The Pharisees have a firm position--so firm, that they feel it to be INSTRUCTIVE to others. Jesus has a different, more nuanced...
The AVALANCHE of Testimony Jn5:32 s4e112
September 28, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.03 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus says that an AVALANCHE of testimony bears witness about Him. The Trinity bears witness the works and miracles bear witness the Father bears witness the man John bears witness the man Moses bears witness the Old Testament writing bears witness the New Testament words of Jesus bears witness The response is summarized in one word: refusal. They set their hope on the wrong person, wrong thing, seek the wrong glory, won't come, don't believe, and don't rec...
Skipping the JUDGMENT Queue with WINNIE Jn5:24 s4e111
September 27, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.97 MBSend us a Text Message. A young woman by the name of Winnie met us at a foreign airport and WHISKED us through all kinds of scary authorities. She was our ADVOCATE. We skipped all the lines. Similarly, at the day of judgement everyone will be called (you may now unbuckle your seatbelt) and will obey arising from our tombs (everybody off this plane) and have to face judgement (customs, immunization checks and immigration) unless you get to SKIP THE LINE of judgement because you have an a...
Are You A Calvinist Or A Scripurist? Jn5:21 s4e110
September 26, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.46 MBSend us a Text Message. Lots of great men and women, smarter and taller than me, have addressed some of the tricky doctrines of God. We call them the DOG's. Dead Old Guys and Dead Old Gals of the faith. One's I am thinking of might be Jonathan Edwards, John Bunyan, Tyndale, Martin Lloyd Jones, Corrie Ten Boom, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther and John Calvin. "The Father/Son give life to whom He will." The noted cadre above all have things to say about our passage today. It is an openi...
Stay In Your Lane Mr. 3# Brain! Jn5:21
September 25, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.35 MBSend us a Text Message. A very humble podcaster takes a crack at the doctrine of ELECTION. Good luck with that. It all started out just dandy: God (Yea! somebody is in charge) God gives (I like this so far) God gives LIFE (this still sounds good) God gives LIFE to whom (people. Great! I am one of those!) God gives LIFE to whom He CHOOSES (just hold on one second) Now I start to bristle. Wait, not everybody? If I was God...Oh no, there really is JUDGMENT? God I might be shaking my f...
Raising The Dead. You’re Kidding Right? 1 Cor 15:19 s4e108
September 24, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.17 MBSend us a Text Message. Our official passage in John 5:21 makes an audacious claim: God raises the dead. Either He does or He doesn't. Everything rests upon this power. Jesus puts it out there like a big stumbling block. Paul makes an argument FOR God raising the dead by arguing AGAINST it in 1 Cor 15:12-26. If Christ is not raised from the dead and there is no RESURRECTION, consider the implications: We have a false savior. a non-savior. We then don't have a savior. All the preach...
Letting God Be God. Jn5:21 s4e107
September 23, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.36 MBSend us a Text Message. We must let God be God. In other words, He is revealing Himself in a certain way. He is active in certain ways and not in others. We cannot pick and choose. We really need to stand back and marvel. In 1 Samuel 3:18 it says that Eli, after hearing about what God was up to, said, "It is the Lord, let him do what seems good to Him." Today, Jesus reveals stuff about Himself that we should start with marveling, and then head to LETTING HIM be as He chooses. He re...
How Is “God @ Work?” Jn5:17 S4e106
September 22, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.25 MBSend us a Text Message. We've been considering WHO is the BOSS, and today, OVER WHAT? Who gets to be "Lord of the Sabbath?" Though the external fight is over paralysis, there is an inner war. There is an internal war over SIN. After the Sabbath and healing battle subsides, Jesus tells this person to change INSIDE. Stop sinning. Whatever the sins you were committing up there in the colonnades of the pool of Bethesda, probably INSIDE YOUR HEAD, you need to STOP it. So apparently, this gu...
Getting A BIGGER View Of SIN Jn5:14 s4e105
September 21, 2021 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.78 MBSend us a Text Message. I got some very bad theology in a song at church last week. The songwriter used the phrase that we have "regrets and mistakes" as we come to the altar. As if it didn't offend anyone else. As if there was not a heavenly offense. As if just by pulling up your bootstraps and doing a little bit better it would fix this problem. I think it is not what is regularly in the Bible. Jesus talks frequently about the ugly, unpalatable uncomfortable word S-I-N. Jesus has a...
Who Is BOSS Of The Sabbath,etc.? Jn5:10 s4e104
September 20, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.31 MBSend us a Text Message. Who is BOSS of Sunday's? Who is boss of sexual morals? Who is boss of what I do with money? These are all questions that are in play throughout history, even today. Primarily, they ask who gets to decide? The funny thing is, is that Jesus is right there giving them a big heads-up as to what He likes. They ignore HIM and tell Him what they-think-He-would-want. It is a ridiculous scenario. They say what HE just DID, as all-time-rule-maker, is WRONG. The theolog...
I DON’T Want To Be Healed Jn5:6 s4e103
September 19, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.21 MBSend us a Text Message. Though I know it sounds crazy, there are people who do NOT want to be healed. The gain of their infirmity is greater than the pain of their changing. This applies to some people with physical, social, moral or even spiritual infirmities. So when Jesus asks the question, "DO YOU WANT TO BE HEALED?" it is a real question. There are even psychological pathologies in which a person PRETENDS to be sick for some secondary gain. Sometimes the gain is financial, other t...
Intermittent FASTING Endorsement Mt9:14 s4e102
September 18, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.21 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus endorses INTERMITTENT FASTING. At, least, SPIRITUAL intermittent fasting. Here's a definition to consider: fasting is an affliction you do to yourself to prepare yourself for a possible future benefit. He says that it is like making a new wineskin. Getting it ready. Preparing the vessel. Then, HE is in charge of the possible filling. The whole process denotes a humbling, a coming down, a physical mourning that hungers for His filling. He is in charge of...
Mercy=moving TOWARDS Little People Mt9:13 s4e101
September 17, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.95 MBSend us a Text Message. Do you move TOWARD or AWAY from the little people of our society; to the outcasts; to the needy; to those one inch more sinful than you; to the undesirables; to the knuckleheads; to those who broke one more rule than you? These are EXACTLY the people that God moves towards. He reclines with them. He shares a meal. And...gets criticized for it. But this just allows Jesus to bring HESED, His favorite Old Testament characteristic into the New Testament with a shiny...
Most Important Word You’ve Never Heard Mt9:13 s4e100
September 16, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.49 MBSend us a Text Message. Hesed is the most important word in the Bible that you have never heard of. It is in the Bible more than 200 times, but we almost always miss it. It is kind of hidden. It is the DNA-level characteristic of God that is detailed over and over in the Old Testament. Here's the problem: It is a HEBREW word. the Bible I read is in ENGLISH. The Hebrew word HESED is usually translated as two words in my English Old Testament: Steadfast love, or covenantal love. Watc...
Reclining At Table With Knuckleheads Mt9:10 s4e99
September 15, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.2 MBSend us a Text Message. Matthew is politically abhorrent, financially treacherous, collaborative with the enemy, and is a social outcast. Jesus kind of says, "You are EXACTLY the kind of guy we need in the body of Christ. Let me give you an opportunity to rub shoulders with my other 11 disciples. It will be good for you and them to start a little church together." That is, the church is for the UNHOLY; for the SIN-FILLED; for the MOST needful; for the SICKEST. I am not sure that I have...
Your INVISIBLE vs. VISIBLE real needs Mk2:10 s4e98
September 14, 2021 04:00 - 6 minutes - 4.82 MBSend us a Text Message. A busted spinal cord, the most complex system in the universe, is a pretty impressive VISIBLE need. Jesus trumps it with an even more impressive INVISIBLE need. That is SIN. Who possibly can fix either problem? Well, stick around, He'll show you. He fixes the VISIBLE problem to emphasize that He is the fixer of the INVISIBLE problem. How do I sign up for this impressive fixing? What WORK do I do for this? How long will it take for me to EARN it? That's the...
Naming The Invisible REAL NEED. Mk2:5 S4e97
September 13, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.15 MBSend us a Text Message. Paralysis is an impressive, visible, dramatic, overwhelming problem. Jesus says that it is not the REAL Primary problem. What could be more debilitating? More lasting? You almost don't want to know the answer. You almost don't want to hear what comes next. Why can't we just leave the "elephant in the room" unseen and unmentioned, just like always. Jesus just won't let this die quietly. He gives word to the offense. He gives culpability to the offender. He gi...
Friends REMOVE ROOFS Mk2:4 s4e96
September 12, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.32 MBSend us a Text Message. 4 friends from another town carry a paralytic to Capernaum to get to Jesus. It is too crowded to get close, so they REMOVED THE ROOF. Of a house. Of a house THEY DIDN'T OWN. Of a house who they didn't know the owner. They come with problem-solving, commitment, friendship, community and one more: FAITH. They share a faith. This is a charge to Christian Fellowship. This is shared purpose. Shared work. Shared service. Being a joy to each other. Being joyful at the...
Filling/defending The DESOLATION LK5:16 s4e95
September 11, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.02 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus gets desolate to be intimate, close and in conversation with the Father. Then people come "from every quarter" to inject themselves into that desolate place. On one hand we too have to 'defend' the desolation and get thoughtful, quiet and alone. On the other hand, Jesus FILLS the desolation. The leper comes and has a real need. It is physical, it is spiritual, it is emotional. what are we full-of that we'd come? what might you "face-fall" before the Lord...
Make Prayer NECESSARY Mk1:38 s4e94
September 10, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.06 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus chose PRAYER when He had the world to Himself. He could have chosen anything. Why choose prayer? Because the tasks ahead for His day made the prayer part NECESSARY. He got desolate, so He could be CLOSE He got alone, so He could be INTIMATE He got quiet, so He could be in CONVERSATION He got ready, so He could be on PURPOSE. His day was of such difficulty and complexity, His morning prayers were NECESSARY. What do you do when you could do anything? Is your...
Jesus Joins The 5am Club. Mk1:35 s4e93
September 09, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.42 MBSend us a Text Message. What would you do if you had the world to yourself? More specifically, what DO YOU DO when you have the world to yourself? Almost everybody answers this question everyday, when they get out of bed. Jesus is human and gets tired and needs to sleep. But then, with the early morning, He sets and enacts His priorities by getting desolate. The disciples are going to be getting up and disturbing Him soon. Then He prays. Jesus won't always pray. He needs this inte...
Appeal On Their Behalf Mk1:29 s4e92
September 08, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.11 MBSend us a Text Message. Everybody gets healed in Capernaum. Everybody. The doctors get put out of business there. This fulfills a prophesy in Isaiah: He took our illnesses and bore our diseases. Apparently, these are physical, spiritual, and I think emotional too. God is doing the heavy lifting, but people are bringing the sick. Even for Peter's mother-in-law, it says that they "appealed to Him on her behalf". Today let's consider who we can appeal to Jesus on their behalf. Who do w...
How To Have A Spiritual Encounter Mk1:27 s4e91
September 07, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.18 MBSend us a Text Message. The people of Capernaum, at least initially, have a pretty good effort towards having a spiritual encounter. They are first AMAZED, then they WONDER, then THEY THINK for a while, then the LISTEN, then they QUESTION, then they RECOUNT what they have experienced. Finally, they work for the FAME of Jesus. I'm calling that a step towards worship. This is an above-average touch with the Almighty. It ends shy of BELIEF, but that is for another day. Sadly, most of the...
Who Does Salvation NOT Come For? Mk1:24 s4e90
September 06, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.41 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus comes to SAVE. But not to save everybody. We find today a whole group of beings that have missed the salvation train. They are the unclean spirits, the demons. They are volitional beings whose die has already been cast. They appear to be not affected by death, but are under the ultimate authority and ultimate destruction of Jesus. In His short ministry, Jesus has already included in His invitation to His kingdom: Jews, scardy-cat religious officials, fo...
AUTHOR-ity = I Was There. I Wrote That. Mk1:22 s4e89
September 05, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.13 MBSend us a Text Message. Everybody is amazed at Jesus' AUTHORITY in His teaching. That is, expounding the truths of the SCRIPTURES. It all makes perfect sense, because He is the ultimate AUTHOR of all those truths, and HE WAS THERE. So Jesus knows both the description of the event in writing, but also with His primary experience. That is, He is an eye-witness, a participant, and the main character of all the Old Testament accounts. This is what gives Him the surprising-to-us-but-not-to-...
Hunter Of Fish, Hunter Of Men Mt4:19 s4e88
September 04, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.1 MBSend us a Text Message. I will make you FISHERS of men. That is, you are going to HUNT them and I am going to help. What does it take to be a good fisherman? First, Know you are doing it. This is a universal call to all. If you have been CAUGHT, then you are a CATCHER. Everybody. For many today, this will be a loud call to GET BUSY. Second, value it. These are souls that we are talking about, not just fish. Third, He's gonna help. Fourth, think like a fish. Do some planning. Wh...
What Repentance Is NOT MT4:17 s4e87
September 03, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.38 MBSend us a Text Message. Repentance is a lot of things. It is ancient. It is universal. It is for salvation. It is necessary. It is inconvenient. It is hard. It is grievous. It is all over the Bible. What struck me today is what repentance is NOT: That is, it is NOT IN THE FUTURE. For example, if you poke your head into a church today, it is full of the REPENTED and the REPENTING. It is just a part of our walk with the Lord. Welcome to the human condition. Welcome to agreeing w...
Where Does Jesus Live? Mt4:13 s4e86
September 02, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.2 MBSend us a Text Message. What would your city give to have an Amazon Fulfillment Center call your city home? Tens of millions of dollars is the answer. What would your city give to have Jesus come and live there? Be careful here, there are benefits, but there is also some increased responsibility. With increased revelation and exposure is increased answerability. Nazareth, said no, we don't want Jesus here. In fact, we tried to throw Him off a cliff. Jesus then chooses the city of Ca...
I Feel RAGE And WRATH = God Is Near Lk4:28 s4e85
September 01, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.49 MBSend us a Text Message. If you have ever heard something about God and felt RAGE or WRATH well up within you, you are in good company. You are not the first in the company of most of humanity. There is all kinds of stuff about God where our first reaction is that I don't like it. But too, you are also likely in the company of God Himself. It probably means that God is near. God was near to the Nazarenes literally and opportunistically. They responded in WRATH and tried to throw Jesus ...
This Widow Makes Me Want To Kill You Lk4:26 s4e85
August 31, 2021 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.71 MBSend us a Text Message. The Hometown folks of Jesus are filled with WRATH and want to throw Him off of a cliff because of...wait for it...a story about a WIDOW. Unfortunately, she is not one of us. She demonstrates God's activity and favor to a people group that is not US. This widow is outside the borders of Israel geographically, racially, and religiously. But she is not outside the purview of God. She is not outside the FAVOR of God. She is not outside the activity of God. So this ...
Things Go REALLY BAD In Nazareth Lk4:22 s4e84
August 30, 2021 04:00 - 7 minutes - 5.29 MBSend us a Text Message. By the end of this encounter with Jesus, His hometown crowd wanted to throw Him off of a cliff to kill Him. It starts all sunny, but this goes bad in a hurry. Really bad. Jesus has been elsewhere in the region doing healings. Certainly when He gets to His hometown, He'll give us as least as much as them. It's Joseph's kid. He OWES it to us. Reading the Old Testament in Synagogue. All Good so far. Picking Isaiah to read from. All Good. Proclaiming healings, fo...
Pain Points Of Belief. Jn4:50 s4e83
August 29, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.02 MBSend us a Text Message. There are PAIN POINTS of this life that cause us to give Jesus a try. For the man with a child near death it was his hardest thing. Jesus challenges him by asking for BELIEF before the rainbow; Faith before the miracle. And he DOES believe BEFORE seeing. I think everybody will believe AFTER seeing someday. Every knee is going to bow eventually. So why bow now? Relationship with God. Being at home with Him all these years until THAT DAY when everybody is belie...
BEFORE You Eat Again… Jn4:38 s4e82
August 28, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.25 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus tells the disciples to wake up and uses food as a marker for it. He wants them to open their eyes to what is happening on an evangelical plane. People are ready to be brought in the kingdom. People are ready to start being prepared to be brought into the kingdom. Some can be harvested. Some can be planted. This should be such a frequent process, that between now and their next meal, they should be doing something in this field. ie: constantly, fervently,...
Cracker Jack Surprises In Every Verse Jn4:39 s4e81
August 27, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.32 MBSend us a Text Message. There is a Cracker Jack SURPRISE in every verse today. That Jesus reveals the big secret to the Samaritan Woman The disciples are surprised Jesus would talk to a woman That she leaves her water jar (her key to water for the "living water" trade) That her testimony of, "He told me everyone I ever slept with" actually WORKS That MANY Samaritans believe based on her testimony That they want this enemy of Samaria, a Jew, to stay and share for two days That many m...
Yup,these KNUCKLEHEADS Are My People Jn4:26 s4e80.mp3
August 26, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.02 MBSend us a Text Message. The fact that Jesus reveals Himself to the Samaritan Woman should give everyone of us some comfort. She wasn't even seeking God. Even worse, she thought she already possessed Him; already knew Him. The bad news was she was wrong in many categories. And further, she was boldly confident in her knucklehood. So here is the whammy: Jesus picks her, specifically, to reveal Himself to. Of all people in history up to that point, she gets the prize of: "Most direct ...
What If Needle-in-the-Haystack SEEKS US? Jn4:23 s4e79
August 25, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.36 MBSend us a Text Message. We think maybe that 'we'll never find God.' He's like a needle in a haystack. He's unfindable. He's unknowable. I can never triangulate with the unknowable. That is not the God of the Bible. Surprisingly we find out that the God of the Bible has all along been seeking US. He's showed up. He has been pursuing all along. That is, the "Needle-in-the-Haystack" has been seeking us. Stop right here and picture that for a moment. The needle has been moving toward ...
Let’s Talk About Your Sex Life Jn4:13-19 s4e78
August 24, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.03 MBSend us a Text Message. In the context of offering a relationship with Himself (living water and right worship) Jesus interrupts the flow of the conversation and basically says, "Let's talk about your sex life!" He uses the sexual history of our spunky Samaritan Woman to expose her need for this living water. Of all the encounters with people, I cannot think of another similar event where Jesus went right at someones zipper. He says that sex is for marriage. He says that "having another" ...
God Seeks Worshippers Who Are WRONG Jn4:23 s4e77
August 23, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.92 MBSend us a Text Message. God has a pool of people that He seeks to worship Him. They are either a little wrong, medium wrong, or severely wrong. Just to emphasize the point, we meet the Samaritan Woman. Two big points: She is very very very wrong in her religious practice and thinking. The second is that God is basically saying, "You are EXACTLY the kind of worshiper that I want for my kingdom." What a kind God that we serve. His people group is the group that starts so very wrong: Wr...
You Don’t Even Have A Bucket! Jn4:11 s4e76
August 22, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.41 MBSend us a Text Message. The Samaritan woman is feisty, full of life, curiosity, and questions. She'd be fun at a cocktail party. She is also wrong in just about everything she says and thinks and accuses God of. But that is OK. Jesus has a divine appointment with her. (You know it is a divine appointment because of this fact: Jesus sends 12 guys to the grocery store, so he can be alone with his initial interaction with her). She is stuck on the separation of Jew to Samaritan and of Ma...
If You Knew The Gift And The WHO Jn4:10 s4e75
August 21, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.24 MBSend us a Text Message. If you only KNEW what God has been up to. He's been preparing a gift. It is preplanned, thought out and is ready to be delivered. You however, have been oblivious. You'll be surprised about all that went into the GIFT. You'll be humbled as to the cost and the preparation. The woman at the well, the Samaritan woman receives this gift for us. Spiritual people have LONGED for this moment for thousands of years. She gets it in a way that from her perspective is S...
What Is Your WOUND/WEARINESS? Jn4:6 s4e74
August 20, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.96 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus steps into a spiritual wound that is 750 years old. And, my favorite, He is WEARY. It is noon and this semi-outcast has to draw water in the heat of the day. So, there is a big wound. There is personal weariness. Similarly, we get a choice when we have a wound and a weariness. Do we just give up? Do we engage. Do we entrust and recommit to serve? Of Course, Jesus gets it right with the WHO of the story: the Samaritan Woman. This is such a cultural fau...
Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People? Jn4:3 s4e73
August 19, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.44 MBSend us a Text Message. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. We can all agree on that IF we clarify the timeline. On this earth, it happens all the time. Later, it will never happen. Not once. John the Baptist won the Humanity Olympic Medal of people born to women. He was the best of the best here on earth, of all people ever born on earth. No one ever did it better. World record holder in being a great man. Do bad things happen to good people here now? Yes. Just read th...
You Are My JOY! A:No! Jn3:34 s4e72
August 18, 2021 08:00 - 6 minutes - 4.79 MBSend us a Text Message. The Lord says to us in many ways, "You are my JOY"!!! We answer, "No, I'm not!" The Lord says to us again, "You are my JOY"!!! We answer, "No, I'm not!" The Lord says to us again, "You are my JOY"!!! We answer, "No, I'm not!" The Lord says to us again, "You are my JOY"!!! We answer, "No, I'm not!" x 97 Finally, then we say, "God, You are MY JOY!" I think this picture is pretty accurate as the Lord throws Himself and His blessings upon us. The good Book says that...
Why Does John Still Have Disciples? Jn3:25 s4e71.mp3
August 17, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.38 MBSend us a Text Message. What in the world is John the Baptist still doing with disciples? Some of John's disciples, namely Andrew and probably John have left John to follow Jesus after John said, "Behold the Lamb of God". John still has a few hangers on. But John is doing everything to point to Jesus in this passage. God is true. He is above all. He must increase. He is the bridegroom. He's the big cheeze He is the Christ of Israel and the World The Spirit is at work and with out Him...
The Courage Of The VELVET BRICKS Of God. Jn19:42 s4e70
August 16, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.13 MBSend us a Text Message. Nicodemus turns out to be one of the most courageous men of the Bible, though we don't find out about it in Jn 3. It is a bit of a cliffhanger until Jn 19. It is worth the wait. A characteristic of the Christian walk is courage. We need courage to face the stuff that God has for us personally. That is hard enough. "But wait! there's more!" We also need courage to help the friends around us walk their Christian walk. It is nicely called "Christian Fellowship" i...
Breaking The Trinity Jn3:19 S4e69
August 15, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 4.92 MBSend us a Text Message. Uncomfortably, the Word says we LOVE the DARKNESS. How much? A little? Or enough to cost a really valuable thing? In a sense, our death-grip on our affection for the regular old way I am costs in return THE TRINITY. The Trinity is beyond value, you have to give me that. Our death-grip on our evil ways then is exchanged for this: The Father giving His Son. Your commitment to evil costs a divine family member. Which of your own children would you give to keep y...
That Whoever Believes. Jn3:16 s4e68
August 14, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.37 MBSend us a Text Message. Nicodemus the "night guy" that comes to Jesus gets a personal invitation that is eventually extended to the whole world of every tribe. The question is, how does Mr. Nighttime ACCESS the wonders that God promises? How does he get something super valuable: peace with God, forgiveness from sin, and eternal life? By something almost impossible: He has to believe. He has to change his mind. He has to change mental history. He has to break with his favorite way of t...
Most Famous Verse In My SOUL? Jn3:16 s4e67
August 13, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.49 MBSend us a Text Message. Is the MOST FAMOUS verse in the Bible also the MOST FAMOUS verse IN MY SOUL? Maybe it should be. I probably should think about its' value in general, and especially its' value to me and my soul. With that in mind, let's soberly consider it. For God: It starts with Him; is sourced in Him; is initiated with Him. Without this, we'd all be lost. This is the foundation the rest of this great wonder rests on. So Loved: God has lots of great qualities. Hesed, faith...
Snakes On A Plane, I Mean POLE Jn3:14 s4e66
August 12, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.08 MBSend us a Text Message. God is familiar with sin and rebellion. He made a way to escape its' consequences. It involved looking to a substitutionary-being on a part of a tree. This is all in NUMBERS chapter 21. This is probably one of the things the Lord was rebuking poor Nicodemus for not getting his arms around. Why? Because Jesus is going to turbo that exact concept with HIMSELF. Yes, Jesus relates Himself to a serpent on a pole in Moses' day. I suppose both are equally crazy and...
Where Opportunity Meets Preparation s4e65 Jn3:10
August 11, 2021 08:00 - 7 minutes - 5.11 MBSend us a Text Message. Jesus rebukes Nicodemus in a good way. He says, your PREPARATION has not been up to the OPPORTUNITIES that I have given you. You could have been doing better. You can do better now. You potentially can do better in the future. (spoiler alert: HE DOES!) Rebukes are always hard and people often don't do very well with them. Usually, they just double down on their original position and don't leave any room for God. Here, Nicodemus takes a rebuke right down his ...