Back to the Bible Canada with Dr. John Neufeld

What gives a leader real influence when no one is forced to follow? Studying Romans 1:8–10, Dr. John Neufeld finds in the Apostle Paul a Christ-like model of spiritual leadership that begins with thanking God for the grace evident in others and is sustained by constant, specific prayer. Before Paul condemns sins, we see his heart of deep love for Christ and those he is called to lead. The Heart of...

If the gospel isn’t a great church or a set of rules, what is it? Working through Romans 1:1–7, Dr. John Neufeld shows that Christianity is about a person: Jesus, promised by the prophets, fully human in real history, and declared the Son of God by His resurrection. Genuine faith invests your whole life in Him and produces the obedience of faith. The Heart of the Gospel:  This 25-message series on...

With so many voices defining Christianity, whom should you trust? From Romans 1:1, Dr. John Neufeld shows that Paul’s authority to define the gospel rests on three things: he was a servant wholly devoted to Jesus, an apostle called and taught directly by the risen Christ, and a man set apart to make the once-for-all message of the gospel plain. Jesus has given authority to the Apostles to teach Hi...

Why do so many believers try to build their faith without a foundation? And what is the foundation? Dr. John Neufeld outlines the book of Romans explains why it was written to a church divided between Jewish and Gentile believers. Romans is what Paul preached everywhere, beginning with the foundational truth of the Gospel and ending with its practical result in our lives. Discover why Paul's l...

How can the righteousness of God be good news to a sinner? Introducing Romans 1–4, Dr. John Neufeld tells how this book launched the Protestant Reformation when Martin Luther considered how the Cross was good news revealing the righteousness of God. The book of Romans will reveal the goodness of God displayed in the Cross, why Jesus died, and how we're reconciled to God. It will reveal the fou...

Who did Jesus die for? Did He descend into hell after He died? From Galatians 6:14, Dr. John Neufeld concludes this series by showing why the Cross stands at the centre of Christian faith and life and explaining how Christ’s death is a free offer to all and a debt truly paid for believers. The Mysteries of the Cross : Why did Jesus have to die, and what really happened on the Cross? “The Mysteries...

How could a humiliating death on a Roman cross be history’s greatest victory? Working through Colossians 2:13–15, Dr. John Neufeld traces Satan’s defeat from the promise of Genesis 3:15 to the Cross, where God cancelled our record of debt, disarmed the powers of darkness, and broke Satan’s authority to hold his captives. His only remaining weapon is the lie. The Mysteries of the Cross : Why did Je...

If God is love, how could the Father pour out wrath on his own Son? From Romans 3:25, Dr. John Neufeld answers the charge of “cosmic child abuse,” showing that God’s wrath runs through nearly every book of the Bible and that Jesus became our propitiation, fully satisfying God’s righteous anger against sin. For those who trust Christ, the Cross is where wrath and mercy meet. The Mysteries of the Cr...

How can anyone be sure God will accept them on the last day? From 2 Corinthians 5:21, Dr. John Neufeld explains the doctrine of imputation: Adam’s sin is reckoned to us, our sin was reckoned to the sinless Christ, and Christ’s perfect righteousness is credited to all who trust Him by faith. It’s the great exchange at the heart of the Gospel. The Mysteries of the Cross : Why did Jesus have to die,...

Why can’t we just tell God we’re sorry? From 1 Corinthians 15:3, Dr. John Neufeld traces sacrifice from Abel, Noah, Abraham’s ram, and the Passover Lamb to show that sin demands the shedding of blood, that animal sacrifices never took sins away, and that all of them pointed to Christ’s death as our substitute. Discover why Paul calls the Cross “of first importance.” The Mysteries of the Cross : Wh...

Closing the series, Dr. John Neufeld tackles the claim that 40,000 Christian denominations disprove Jesus' words about love. He then turns to Philippians 2:1–2 to unpack Paul's four conditions for genuine unity among believers: encouragement in Christ, comfort from love, participation in the Spirit, and affection and sympathy. Rediscovering the Holy Spirit:  The Holy Spirit is God, fully e...

When everything is shaking, where can you go for truth you can trust? Dr. John Neufeld makes the case that the Holy Spirit both inspired every word of Scripture and illuminates believers' minds to understand it. This means that the Bible, not our inner feelings, is the trustworthy instrument for navigating the Christian life. Rediscovering the Holy Spirit:  The Holy Spirit is God, fully equal...

Why did God make snowflakes instead of ice cubes? Working through 1 Corinthians 12, Dr. John Neufeld shows that spiritual gifts are grace-gifts distributed by the Spirit for the good of others (never a ranking of who's more spiritual) and that using them is how an invisible Spirit becomes visible in the life of the church. Rediscovering the Holy Spirit:  The Holy Spirit is God, fully equal wit...

Old Testament saints had power too, so what did Pentecost actually change? Dr. John Neufeld unpacks four kinds of power the church received that no one had known before: power to win converts at an unprecedented scale, power over indwelling sin, power over Satan and the demonic, and power for spiritual gifts. Rediscovering the Holy Spirit:  The Holy Spirit is God, fully equal with the Father and S...

Old Testament saints had power too, so what did Pentecost actually change? Dr. John Neufeld unpacks four kinds of power the church received that no one had known before: power to win converts at an unprecedented scale, power over indwelling sin, power over Satan and the demonic, and power for spiritual gifts. Rediscovering the Holy Spirit:  The Holy Spirit is God, fully equal with the Father and S...

This topic has divided churches for years, so Dr. John looks at every place the Bible talks about the "baptism of the Holy Spirit" to figure out what it really means. His answer: every believer receives this the moment they trust in Christ — it isn't a separate experience reserved for some Christians. He also explains why the Bible talks about being "filled" with the Spirit aga...

Dr. John argues that most believers tell their conversion story while quietly leaving out the Holy Spirit — the one who actually raised their spiritually dead heart to respond to Christ. Drawing on Ephesians 2, Ezekiel 36, and the story of Lazarus, he traces how regeneration, sanctification, and ongoing growth in holiness are all the Spirit's work, and why giving him credit matters for guardin...

Dr. John explores the meaning of Pentecost — the Jewish Feast of Weeks — and the momentous events of Acts 2, where the Spirit descends with wind, fire, and tongues. He explains what made this day genuinely new compared to the Spirit's Old Testament activity: a fuller indwelling, a deeper understanding of Christ, and unprecedented power to draw people to salvation, evidenced by 3,000 conversion...

Dr. John traces the Holy Spirit's work throughout the Old Testament — sustaining creation, empowering judges and kings, and inspiring prophets — then tackles a key question: did Old Testament believers actually have the Spirit dwelling in them, or only resting on them temporarily? Drawing on Romans 8 and the lives of Enoch, Abraham, and David, he argues the Spirit was already at work within Go...

Dr. John opens a two-week series on the Holy Spirit by tackling the doctrine of the Trinity — how Scripture insists on one God while also revealing Father, Son, and Spirit as distinct, equal persons. Drawing on passages like Acts 5 and John 14, he shows the Spirit is a true person, not merely a force, and why understanding him rightly transforms how we relate to God. Rediscovering the Holy Spirit:...

Dr. John closes out the Gospel of Luke with Jesus' ascension from Bethany (Luke 24:50-53), arguing that heaven is a real, physical place rather than a purely spiritual state, and that Jesus' ascension was a genuine bodily journey there. He explores what it means that Christ is now seated at the right hand of the Father — his finished work, his present reign, and his ongoing priestly interc...

During his final 40 days, Jesus reviews Scripture with the apostles, teaching that his suffering, death, and resurrection stand at the center of everything Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms foretold (Luke 24:44-49). Dr. John pushes back on modern attempts to recast Jesus as a political revolutionary or social reformer, insisting his real message — repentance and forgiveness through the cross — i...

Jesus appears to the assembled disciples (Luke 24:36-43), inviting them to touch his hands and feet before eating broiled fish to prove he is bodily raised. Dr. John explores why physical resurrection matters — against ancient Docetism and spiritualized views of heaven — and what it means that we are, and always will be, both flesh and spirit. The End of the Beginning:  Everyone knows how this sto...

Dr. John continues the Emmaus road story (Luke 24:28-35), tracing the moment the two disciples recognize the risen Jesus in the breaking of bread. He reflects on hearts "burning" over Scripture, the inseparability of knowing Jesus and knowing the Bible, and why the disciples couldn't wait until morning to share the news. A moving look at how encountering the risen Christ changes everyt...

Dr. John explores Jesus' rebuke of the Emmaus disciples (Luke 24:25-27) for being "slow of heart" to believe all the prophets said about the Messiah. He argues Scripture — better called the First Testament — is too often flattened into morality tales rather than read as one story of a suffering, then glorified, Savior. Using Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, he shows why the cross wasn't a d...