Ezra Ministries Podcast

Enjoying Literary Styles Part 3

Caleb explores the depth and scope of wisdom literature. Proverbs and Psalms have much more than what meets the eye and in this episode of the Ezra Ministries podcast you will find yourself doing more soul searching than before. Click here to download...

Enjoying Literary Styles Part 2

The legal texts of the Bible are often thought by some to be boring. The reality is that these legal texts are filled with hidden wonders necessary for the whole of the Bible to make sense. Engage with the text and the mind of God becomes apparent! Join Caleb as he walks us through covenants and leprosy law.  Click here to download...

Enjoying Literary Styles Part 1

Newspapers, text books, poetry, law journals and love letters are all literature written in different styles. Each style is suppose to allow for the clearest meaning to come through the text. The Bible is no different. In this episode of the Ezra Ministries Podcast, Caleb will begin an exploration of the Bible's literary genre with the intent of getting further into the Mind of God. 

Which View of the End Times is Right? Part 2

In part two of this series on the end times Stephen will examine the teachings of the Preterist position. Be sure to catch part one before you take on part two and remember to get your hands on part three! Click here to download...

Which View of the End Times is Right? Part 1

Eschatology, or the study of the end times, is a contentious subject for many. Also, the fact that we're dealing with future events makes the topic open to all sorts of conjecture. Christian kicks off this three part series by examining two views of eschatology to set the stage for our study.  Click here to download...

Untangling the Bible's Threads

There has been a long discussion for a number of decades about what the main theme of the Bible is. In this Ezra Ministries Podcast Caleb explains what it means to have a grand storyline in the Scriptures and then proceeds to demonstrate an example of it. Getting to know the various themes will show how the Bible is one complete and well established book.  Click here to download...

How to Study Your Bible

It is relatively easy to sit down and read a few chapters of the Bible. But if you want to go that next step deeper into a new world of exploration you’ll want to hear this podcast. Stephen Dennett joins us in giving a beginners guide to deeper Scripture study. Be sure to listen with a pen and paper to jot down the resources he shares. Click here to download...

Grasping the Love of God

The word love is touted around today in some of the most lowly and shallow ways possible. So many people say 'I love you' at the moment of marriage and then a few short years later end up hating each other. We use this word for our boyfriends, our tacos, our favorite films and our children. How are we to truly understand love and most importantly, how are we to understand the Love of God toward us and us toward Him. Join us in this episode of the Ezra Ministries Podcast to enter into this ...

Bibles for China

Here in America, and in many other nations around the world, it is not difficult to get a Bible. Nor is it illegal to share what it says in a church setting. But this is not true in some countries. In this Ezra Ministries Podcast Caleb interviews Gladys, a lady who has been burdened with the great need for Bibles among the Chines church. Join us in this conversation, and may your prayers for this nation be increased and your love for God's Word expand as well.  Click here to download...

What to think about what you eat Part 2

In this second part of discovering the meaning behind the Levitcal dietary laws Caleb explores the concept of being unclean. Every day we end up a bit dirty. Let us be aware! Click here to download...

What to think about what you eat

Every day we eat. Every day we see other people eat. Every day people think about what they eat. This addition of the Ezra Ministries Podcast will take a trip through the Old and New Testaments to see how we should approach food, as well as some other less black and white issues.  Click here to download...

Tools for Interpretation

Christian will now tackle Mark 13:21 in this third part of our second interpretation showdown of the year.  Click here to download...

Step by Step Through the Text

Ezra Ministries likes to do Interpretation Showdowns on occasion. It is our way to demonstrating that the correct tools, when used properly, produce Biblical results. In this edition of the podcast Caleb will take a stab at Mark 13:21 and interpret it in light of some of the tools used for good interpretation as well as demonstrating a step by step approach to thinking through the text in a balanced way. Click here to download...

Expounding the Greek

Prophecy is a delicate subject full of speculation and conjecture from many camps. In this Ezra Ministries Podcast Stephen makes a clear and precise exposition of a verse in Jesus' sermon on the End Times. Where is Christ in His second coming? From the Greek we will demonstrate how it is important to get down to the very roots of the language for the fullest meaning.  Click here to download...

Unlock the Mysteries of the Bible Part 3

Sometimes the best way to get a clear definition of something is to look at its opposite. In this Ezra Ministries Podcast Christian looks at what mystery in the Bible is not. It is a whirlwind tour of church history with an emphasis on the various mystery groups that have popped up here and there.  Click here to download...

Unlock the Mysteries of the Bible Part 2

The Old Testament, to some, can be a mystery to understand and perhaps the New Testament makes more sense. Yet the New Testament contains a number of states mysteries that affect our lives and the lives of every person on the earth.  Join us as Stephen walks us through the essence of these mysteries, which ones have been revealed to us and which are still a bit of an enigma.  Click here to download...

Unlock the Mysteries of the Bible Part 1

The Bible is not actually the mysterious book at the History Channel tries to make it out to be. The Bible is from God and written for Man and is fully understandable for those who seek its meaning in the right way. Just like a treasure map, we need to follow it to get to the riches. On this edition of the Ezra Ministries Podcast we explore the Jewish idea of Sod and see how it opens to us the wonders of the Word of God. Click here to download...

Learning the Skill of Midrash Part 2

Midrash is an interpretive skill that, when learned, will allow you to discover wonders in the Scriptures that were never noticed there before. The Bible is God's Book and it is as deep as the ocean and yet shallow enough for a small child to play in.  In this episode Caleb takes you from the Old Testament to the New and ties together some threads that lead us to the wonderful Mind of God.  Click here to download...

Learning the Skill of Midrash

A deeper level of interpreting the Bible is using the technique of Midrash. Doing Midrash requires a good bit of brain work and jumping around the Bible. It's kind of like a marathon and you better jolly well have a pen and paper with you to jot down all the ideas you will have.  This Ezra Ministries Podcast is a demonstration of Midrash using the Feast of Trumpets as a basis.  Click here to download...

Getting from Infancy to Adulthood

Everybody begins life as a baby. The big question is whether or not we stay babies throughout our life. In this episode of the Ezra Ministries Podcast, Stephen challenges us with the reality of spiritual growth. It is through proper understanding and application of the Scriptures that we mature in the spirit life.  Click here to download...

Getting from Lightweight to Heavy Lifting

In this episode of the Ezra Ministries Podcast Caleb takes us through the Jewish interpretive technique of Kal va Homer, or Light to Heavy. Here lies the key to working out what God considers most important when it comes to not only interpreting the Scriptures but also applying them to our lives.  Click here to download...

How to Spot a Hint Part 2

This is part 2 of our topic on how to spot hints in the Bible. God is the kind of person who doesn't want to just get people off the hook. He wants to make detectives of us all and seek Him with a whole heart. Join us in this episode of the Ezra Ministries Podcast and see where God has placed a few hidden treasures in His Word.  Click here to download...

How to Spot a Hint Part 1

Whenever anyone tells you a riddle eventually you may say, "Give me a hint." You don't want to know the full answer but you do want just enough information to get to the conclusion. Remez is a Jewish method of revealing meaning in a text. It is a way of opening up greater meaning to a passage without actually stating it directly. In this Episode of our podcast we will examine why this principle is not used so much today.  Click here to download...

God's Eye View of Scripture Part 3

Doubt is everywhere. This can be seen very clearly in the foundational human relationship of marriage. How many people do we all know who have married and then only a few years later are divorced. Marriage has become a fragile aspect of human life, and something which few expect to until death do they part.  In this episode Christian takes on the topic of marriage and examines it using the tool of Biblical Theology in order to get the fullest possible interpretation of what the Bible says ...

God's Eye View of Scripture Part 2

The Bible is a book that on the surface can look complicated and confusing. In this episode Christian seeks to discover a central theme to the Bible, one that will be able to unify the whole of the text and create the right results in the lives of those who read and apply it.  Join us as we explore this important tool of interpretation, and if you haven't heard part one of this three part series we encourage you to being there.  Click here to download...

God's Eye View of Scripture Part 1

Commentaries are a good way to understand certain passages of Scripture. They will microscope down into a verse and plow through a chapter one phrase at a time in order to give a good explanation of what the author wrote. But there is another way to read the Bible that is macroscopic. It is called Biblical Theology. Here one takes a broader, or higher view, encompassing whole books and the grand sweep of the whole Bible's narrative.  Join us as Christian explains this vital tool of Bible i...

Interpretation Showdown Part 2

This episode of the Ezra Ministries Podcast is part 2 of our Interpretation Showdown between Christian and Caleb using 1 Samuel 11. For best results please back up and listen to part 1, then you will be ready and able to get the full effect of what is being presented.  Click here to download...

Interpretation Showdown Part 1

Interpretation of Scripture is often considered to be a subjective activity, based more on the opinions of the person doing the interpretation more than the objective truth of Scripture itself and the faithfulness of God.  In this Ezra Ministries Podcast Christian and Caleb each expound the text of 1 Samuel from quite different interpretive angles, and yet the final conclusions are both firmly Biblical. How is this possible? Because the interpretive techniques used are sound and rooted in ...

Called to Interpret

As believers of the Word of God we have a responsibility to correctly handle the Word of Truth. It is a sad state when the church misrepresents God. We don't like to be misrepresented ourselves and God doubly does not like to be misrepresented.  In this Ezra Ministries Podcast Christian takes up the standard of faithful hermeneutics and lays out all the vital points necessary to do God's Word justice. You will be encouraged and challenged to be ever diligent in your reading of the Word of ...

Why a Jewish Perspective? Part 2

This Ezra Ministries Podcast is part two of Why a Jewish Perspective? In this episode Caleb goes through the passage on the crossing of the Red Sea and explains it using the interpretive method of PaRDeS in order to demonstrate that a Jewish approach gives a deeper understanding of the text of Scripture than modern Western methods do.  Click here to download...

Why a Jewish Perspective?

There are numerous perspectives to Bible study. Some people only read it to prove their own personal point of view on some issue. Some read it in an attempt to disprove it. Others have only been taught it from their own denominational perspective. This Ezra Ministries Podcast give three reasons why we should read the Bible from a Jewish point of view. This, of course, is quite a foreign concept to many, but with dedicated effort this approach is highly rewarding.  Click here to download...

It's All Greek Part 2

This Ezra Ministries Podcast is part two of Greek culture and rhetoric as understood in the pages of the New Testament. If you haven't already listened to part one then don't waste anymore time, go and get it! Click here to download...

It's All Greek Part 1

We all know that the Bible is a Jewish Book, written BY Jewish men ABOUT the Jewish Messiah. But the bulk of the New Testament was written TO Greek speaking people from Greco/Roman lands around the Empire. These next two episodes of the Ezra Ministries Podcast will shed some light on this important background to the New Testament. Join us as we open up the tool box of the Greco/Roman world and explore the mind of Paul in the New Testament.  Click here to download...

Using Reason to Interpret

Car Mechanics need logic skills to work out engine problems and electricians needs logic to troubleshoot wiring issues. Doctors must reason through the symptoms to determine the correct diagnosis, while a teacher must lead students down logic steps of discovery in order to fully understand a subject. This Ezra Ministries Podcast will be focused on correct interpretive reasoning that is a must for coming to the correct conclusions for any Biblical topic under investigation.  Click here to ...

Typology Part 3

The Tabernacle is packed with potential typological gold. Now digging out gold is hard work. It is always at the bottom of the river in cold water and surrounded by rocks. Sometimes digging out the gold from Scripture is a the same challenge. A passage may be read a dozen times and it may be on the 32nd reading that gold shines forth and your life is illuminated by God's Spirit. Don't keep what you learn to yourself, but pass it on to others who will benefit from what God has shown you. God ...

Typology Part 2

This Ezra Ministries Podcast is part two in our series on Typology and for best results you jolly well ought to listen to Part One because that way you will get more out of Part Two. Also, there is a Part Three coming, so don't think that this is it, because it's not.  Click here to download...

Typology Part 1

Typology has long been used by astute Bible teachers because it is clearly demonstrated in books like Hebrews. It is our desire at Ezra Ministries to go deeper with typology and show how phrases like, "I am the door" or "He shall be like a tree" are just beginning to scratch the surface of the depth and majesty of the Scriptures. Click here to download...

Interpreting Prophecy Pt. 2

This Ezra Ministries Podcast is part two in a pair of teachings on interpreting prophetic texts using good hermeneutics. Please take the time to listen to part one in order to get the most complete picture.  Click here to download...

The Intent of the Author Pt. 2

This Ezra Ministries Podcast is part two of "The Intent of the Author". We encourage you to listen to that podcast first and if you have time to make a comment about these teachings on iTunes. Help get the word around that Ezra Ministries is here to help enhance your reading of Scripture that you may stand in awe of God! Click here to download...

The Author's Intent

"Say what you mean and mean what you say." Have you ever heard that before? If we all spoke like this our lives would probably be much simpler in terms of interpersonal relationships. When we read the Bible there is always this idea, "What does that mean?" Some people say that all women must where head coverings all the time and others would say that everyone should speak in tongues. And both groups are getting this from the same book of the New Testament! So what was Paul's actual intent w...

Sweeping Bible Themes

Whenever we read the Bible there is only ever one verse we can read at a time. Yet as we read that one verse we need to remember that the whole of the Bible is laid out before us and is playing a part in giving meaning to that one verse. This Ezra Ministries Podcast will open up this subject of multiple Bible themes that shed light on every other verse in Scripture and how they interrelate.  Click here to download...

Jewish Culture

When we travel from any one culture to another there are always elements of that new culture that jump out at us first, but it could take years to identify many of the finer elements. The same is true of the Bible, written thousands of years ago in a land that many us are not familiar with. At first glance we will not notice the finer nuances of the culture, but with time and study the Word of God will open up to us and will see the Lord more clearly. Click here to download...

Interpreting the Bible in a Jewish Way

Using the tools of Midrash we can find deeper meaning in the text of Scripture, just like the Apostles did. Caleb takes us through the some of the tools used by the disciples of Jesus in order to see the Word of God in the way they did. Jesus is the end of Law for righteousness unto all who believe. Click here to download...

The Healing of the Leper

The nation of Israel in the early 1st century was waiting for a Messiah to come and rescue them from the occupational forces of the Roman Empire. They knew that when the Messiah came He would perform very specific miracles to validate His Messiahship. In this teaching from Ezra Ministries, Christian examines the circumstances around the miracle of the healing of the leper. We hope this session will deepen your faith in God and His wisdom and power.  Click here to download...

God's First Language

More and more we are all living in a multilingual society. In America Spanish is becoming a dominate language. In nations like South Africa there are 11 official languages. In Hong Kong the people speak Cantonese while in mainland China it's Mandarin. Every English Bible has behind it the author's written language of Hebrew and Greek. It can sometimes be necessary to explore these languages to determine what really is being said. Join us as we crack the outer layers of our English text and ...

Context is Vital

Should You Tithe?

What is Your Presupposition?