BeachCast.TV: Bible Exploration, Apologetics and Church History with Dr. Chase A. Thompson:

The disciples often had difficulty grasping what Jesus was saying to them - and particularly struggled with His parables, frequently asking Him for explanations. One woman, however - a pagan and foreign woman - actually immediately understood one of the most complex parables of Jesus, and gives us all a lesson in persistent and bold faith in the process.

3 topics today: #1 How did Jesus grieve when faced with His own death and the death of His relative John the Baptist? #2 Why did Jesus' disciples believe in ghosts - are ghosts real, according to the Bible? #3 The danger of staring at our trials and troubles and not staring at Jesus.

The Parable of the Sower is probably the most important parable in the Bible - mainly because Jesus seems to imply that this parable is the key to understanding the other parables. What does this parable - seemingly about gardening or farming - have to teach us about eternal life and following Jesus?

Our focus today is on prayer and intercession. Going on the example of Job interceding successfully for his sinful friends, we talk about how important intercession is, and read through some encouragements to prayer from spiritual giants.

In Job 1, a great man suffers a series of terrible tragedies, one after another. His response is incredible: He worships God wholeheartedly, even though his heart is broken. How can we go through tragedies and trials like this?

The Unforgivable sin: that there could be a sin that God will NOT forgive is quite shocking to us, and genuinely scary. There is great confusion about what the unpardonable/unforgivable sin is, but fortunately, Jesus explains it quite clearly and simply in Matthew 12, which we discuss today.

Doubt is not a topic that Christians talk about very much, but the Bible addresses it frequently, and probably in a more nuanced way than you might expect. Doubt is very common, and even some of the greatest saints in the Bible wrestled with doubts. How can we overcome doubt?

Two topics today: 1st: Should Christians bless houses and households when they enter them? (Jesus commands His disciples to do this!) Second: What does it mean that Jesus tells us that those who lose their life for His sake will have life, and those who hang onto their lives will not have life at all?

Today we discuss divine healing. Does God still heal? If He does, what role does faith play? Must I have great faith to be healed? Could my lack of faith be causing healing prayers to not be heard?

Today we see 2 pictures of great faith, and one example of a lack of faith. All of these will help us understand what faith looks like in our lives. We will also discuss the mysterious question that the demon possessed man asks Jesus.

Our focus today is on how the joy of the Lord is our strength and also the duty and privilege that pastors and parents have of teaching the Word of God.

Today we discuss two huge theological truths: God's sovereignty and providence, and have help understanding them from the Bible and an excellent illustration from pastor Tim Keller.

Two short topics today: How dangerous is hypocrisy, and why does Jesus preach so strongly against it? (Also: What is hypocrisy, exactly?) We will also discuss the scariest verse in the entire Bible, which is found in Matthew 7.

Today we discuss God's cure for anxiety- how we can walk in peace and run from worry when we are beset by difficult circumstances.

Today we are going to focus on light and grapple with a most important question: who is the light of the World? At first, Jesus is the light of the World, but then He assigns that title His followers - US. What does it mean that WE are to be the light of the world?

God led Jesus into a real desert, and the book of Luke tells us that when Jesus came out of the desert, He came out in the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes God will take you and I into a spiritual sort of desert. It can be lonely, and difficult, but today we discuss how the spiritual deserts of our life can be great for us.

John the Baptist warns the Pharisees in Matthew 3 of the dangers of trusting in their genetics - their relationship to Father Abraham - for their salvation. In "Christian" nations, many people make a similar mistake. Today our focus is on where salvation actually comes from.

For centuries, God's prophets had warned the residents of Jerusalem that judgment would come if they didn't follow God wholeheartedly - they ignored those commands, and were taken into captivity by the kingdom of Babylon. What can Christians learn about God and judgment from this event - will God judge the whole earth in the future?

A catastrophe is recorded in 2nd Kings 17 - 11 tribes of Israel are utterly defeated by the Assyrians and taken into captivity. Why did this devastating event happen to God's people, and what can we learn from this?

Two topics today: Was Jesus a refugee? If so, what does that mean for us? Also: Does God still speak to His people in dreams? How can we know a certain dream is from God, or not? What precautions should we take with dreams?

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary, who was wed to Joseph. The Catholic church further teaches that Mary remained a virgin her whole life, that Jesus' other brothers and sisters came from a prior marriage Joseph had, and that Mary lived her life without sin. Is there any biblical basis for these beliefs?

Today we hear an amusing anecdote about the time I made a face at a police officer (and rightly got pulled over!) as well as the danger of complaining about others when Jesus - the judge! - is right at the door, listening and watching.

Almost two thousand years ago, James warned Christians that they don't know the future, God alone does, so we should be careful about making long term plans - we should do so with humility and understanding of God's sovereignty. Spurgeon warned his congregation of the same truths in the 1800s, and in modern times those truths are just as needed!

Almost two thousand years ago, James warned Christians that they don't know the future, God alone does, so we should be careful about making long term plans - we should do so with humility and understanding of God's sovereignty. Spurgeon warned his congregation of the same truths in the 1800s, and in modern times those truths are just as needed!

The meaning of true biblical wisdom has become quite obscured over the years, so today we have a refresher on what the Bible teaches us about wisdom, focusing in particular on the fact that Godly wisdom is gentle and peace-loving.