Apostle's Mailbox

When we're told to be filled with the Holy Spirit, what does that even mean? Are we like a bowl that can hold things physically inside it? Is the Spirit like a ball, or a measure of water or air? A better analogy can apply.

Although the Bible is a truly priceless collection of God's self-revelation to humanity, the Words of his mouth are so much more than just ink on paper.

Not many people want to be known as greedy, but as far as undesirable character traits go in our society, this one gets pretty lenient treatment. After all, who can blame ya if you just want nice things? The apostle Paul wasn't so understanding about greed--he called it idolatry. And idolatry's got to go.

If you've ever wanted someone to suffer because of what was done to you... ...so did God.

In Baptistic circles, "getting Saved" is a pretty big deal. An eternally big deal, in fact. But is fire insurance salvation true to the Scriptures?

In Chess, the most important piece on the board is not the most powerful piece. In Christianity, the most important part is not necessarily exactly what we might expect. There is a King, and Kings require obedience! https://apostlesmailbox.com

When your life is cruising along nicely according to worldly standards, the hardest thing to ask God to do is give you a different one. But that's exactly what we need... https://apostlesmailbox.com

If we build, bake, or break in the wrong order, we know that bad things are going to happen. When it comes to our relationship with God, sometimes we forget that order is important.

Modern society runs on advertising: from politicians to salespeople to social media, the simple truth just doesn't seem like enough. Christians also justify the distortion of truth in pursuit of "noble ends." The "end" we ought to be pursuing is the end of using deceptive methods for the purposes of "spreading the truth" of the Kingdom.

John 6 is packed with very flexible language that can be read in a variety of ways. Today we discuss reasons why it's vital to be gracious and patient with other Christians when trying to interpret the meaning of any Scriptural text. Links --------- Soteriology 101: * https://soteriology101.com/home/ * https://soteriology101.com https://apostlesmailbox.com/

What are you working for? Food that perishes, or food that lasts forever? And who's going to give you such food? The Son of Man.

So you say you're a part of a church? Perhaps you've been forgetting about some of her members.

John 6 contains a lot of material that is used in arguing for or against advanced doctrinal topics. While it's not wrong to try to understand what Jesus was talking about in today's passage, it's more important not to miss one very key point he makes. https://apostlesmailbox.com/

If you're trying to rule a kingdom in the 1400's, good strong walls are a great asset. If you're trying to maximize profits, keeping competition at bay is very helpful. If you're part of a religious organization, chances are someone has (or will) try to build some walls to "protect" it. Is this good, or bad? Links: https://apostlesmailbox.com/ Photo of walled garden by user chris_j_wood at Wikimed...

When we're taught that the Bible is God's Word and we're given a copy of it written in English, we often assume that understanding its meaning should be a pretty straightforward task. As we see in today's episode, the nature of time, geography, culture, and translation warn us that it's very easy to misunderstand communication, even when its given to us in our native language. Today we'll learn mo...

Today we discuss the day when Jesus walked on water, and some of the Old Testament passages that have been suggested as the background context which helps interpret the passage. One suggestion is a possibility (Psalm 77), another is a perhaps more interesting option (Job 9), and the last is probably best considered an example of what not to do when interpreting Scripture (Isaiah 46). We'll talk ab...

The Bible teaches us many amazing things, and simple things, and complex things, and ... terrifying things. Today's episode is teaching on perhaps the most SCARY thing in the Bible for modern Christians. The ideas discussed herein just might leave you unable to carry on with life as you always knew it. Your pastor might never be brave enough to say these things out loud, but they're in your Bible....

Michael Heiser once said that it's the "strange" things in the Bible that are important. In today's episode on John 6, we consider the various "strange" details that show up in the feeding of the 5,000, and discover that they all point back to the Exodus, Moses, and the promise of a capital-p Prophet who Yehovah promised to raise up from among the Israelite people. We'll see everything from Manna...

In a world of AI, air travel, and microwaves, working hard to accomplish a task seems like such a waste of effort. We want our religion to be give to us pre-packaged, and we want to understand it without having to think very much. Bible study is indeed made far easier by leaning on the expertise of others. Nevertheless, understanding divine self-revelation written in ancient foreign languages to a...

To make sense of John 5, you've got to understand Agency. When you understand Agency, you might be surprised at where you end up. Links --------- (Note: Links to Amazon are Affiliate Links, for which I receive compensation if purchases are made using them) LutheranSatire "St. Patrick's Bad Analogies": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw Jewish Encyclopedia entry on Agency: https://www.jewi...

Everything is oversold these days. Hyperbole is the new normal. So when a friend lent me a book claiming my worship would be change in just 7 words, I was not very expectant. I did eventually read the book. Find out in today's episode if it lived up the the dust jacket's claims. It's dirt cheap on Amazon Kindle, and not much more costly in print, and if you use this link to make a purchase, Amazon...

Once again we return to Jesus' teaching about himself in John chapter 5, and what we discover about his exalted position might not match what you've always been taught (or what you've assumed to be true). Join us as we talk about the idea of Agency, and how this makes sense of the way Jesus talks about his own work, teaching, and authority as the one God sent. https://apostlesmailbox.com

There are a number of fairly common errors we make when we read Scripture, especially when we are new to the practice. However, every once in a while even the experts get it wrong. Today we find one such case as we discuss John 5. #christology #God #translation #interpretation https://apostlesmailbox.com/

When Jesus went back to his hometown, he didn't exactly get a very expectant welcome. However, that doesn't mean that nobody believed! And for those who did, he showed his great mercy and power. Today we look at the account of a desperate dad, and how his willingness to travel and beg led to the recovery of his dying son. There's a challenge here for our own faith, and also a subtle nod to the com...

Why do people believe in Jesus? The exact blend of reasons varies from person to person, but as with most things, we can make some generalizations. In today's return to the book of John, we see a few evident reasons why the Samaritans accepted Jesus as their Messiah, which also apply to us today. Come and hear why it's so important for us to bear witness to Jesus, and get a little bonus along the...