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

Some friends of a blind man bring him to Jesus and ask Jesus to touch the man, assuming that the touch of Jesus will somehow heal their friend. Amazingly, Jesus does not comply with their request, but takes the man out of town and SPITS in his eye, which ultimately results in the man's complete healing. Great story - but WHY did Jesus SPIT in the man's eyes?

Guardian angels - heavenly protectors assigned by God to each one of His children. It's a romantic and comforting idea, but could it possibly be true? Today's passage in Acts 12 demonstrates that many people in the church believed in something like a guardian angel (though that term is never used in the Bible.) What did Jesus say about guardian angels?? Listen in to find out!

Some people have the false idea that a Christian is incapable of being depressed. This idea vanishes upon a close examination of Scripture and church history which shows that saints like King David, Paul the apostle, Moses, Elijah, Jeremiah, Charles Spurgeon, Job, Hannah the intercessor and many others struggled with despair and depression. Can a Christian be depressed? Absolutely. Is there hope?...

The Israelites are in big trouble. The nation of Midian - far larger and mightier - keeps invading and taking their food, burning their crops, and taking their cattle. Israel is powerless to resist them, so they turn from their idolatry and cry out to God for help. God raises up Gideon - the youngest man in the weakest family in Israel. Why?!

Human kingdoms come by force and power, human philosophies take hold by coercion, rhetoric, charisma and brilliance, but not so with the Word of God. The Gospel - the message by Jesus and about Jesus - does not come by coercion or force like a boulder or grenade, but it comes with transformative and organic power like a seed. How does the Word of God bring change, and why is that change more power...

People often talk about Mighty MEN of God, but rarely discuss mighty WOMEN of God. When you look in the Bible, however, you see some wonderful examples of brave and bold women who were mighty in the Lord, and on today's podcast we discuss five of them: Jael, Deborah, Jehosheba, Ruth and The Syrophoenician woman.

A dramatic scene in Mark 2 - 4 friends of a very ill paralyzed man cut a hole in the roof and lower this man down in front of Jesus, hoping that the Master will heal their friend. Jesus, however, does something remarkable and surprising: He forgives the sins of he paralytic. Why does Jesus do this FIRST?

Jesus - on the most important mission in the history of missions - and able to heal and cure all who were hurt, sick or dying - had the habit of withdrawing to lonely/deserted places in order to pray and seek His Father. Did Jesus simply do this because He was introverted and needed a break, or is something deeper at work here?

Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus as we read the last chapter of Matthew. Most skeptics of Christianity believe that the resurrection of Jesus couldn't possibly have happened, because people don't just come back from the dead. A careful analysis of the historical record, however, shows that belief in the resurrection is both rational and reasonable and likely the best explanation for th...

The government of the US and most nations are right now issuing many new and inconvenient and controversial laws and commands. Are Christians obligated to obey governing authorities and commands, or can they simply 'go with their conscience.' Are there any cases in Scripture where civil disobedience is allowed? What is a Christian to do when he or she is commanded to do something that makes them u...

When faced with a difficult decision, most Christians endeavor to 'hear from God' so that they can know which direction to go. While it is true that God sometimes spoke to His people in the Bible, it appears that He usually guided them in far more mundane and normal ways. Today we discuss how Christians should make decisions, and whether or not they need to 'hear from God' before deciding what to...

Many Christians believe that the right way to make a decision is to pray until you "feel peace" about a certain direction. The net result is that some are led by their feelings. As we look at how people made decisions in the Bible, we find that they employed a vastly different decision making process than most Christians do today.

The traditional view of Christian decision-making basically boils down to attempting to discern God's secret will on a particular matter, and then going that direction. Is that the way that people in the Bible made decisions? Today we discuss decision making from a biblical context, and also whether or not it is a sin to cast lots, as the disciples did in Acts 1.

The Anakim and Rephaim are two mysterious foes of the Israelites mentioned in several books of the Old Testament. They were apparently extremely tall (possibly giants) and were also very fierce. Who were these strange people, and what association do they have with Goliath of Gath and the Nephilim?

Some translations Psalms 148 in the Bible indicate that 'dragons' or 'sea monsters' are worshipping God. Could such a thing be possible? Does the Bible genuinely teach that dragons and sea monsters are real creatures?!

Can you picture Jesus getting angry? There are a few episodes in Scripture where Jesus does indeed get angry (and He didn't sin when He was angry, see Ephesians 4:26) Perhaps the angriest that Jesus ever got was when merchants and moneychangers were turning His Father's house into a den of thieves and a marketplace. Why did this offend Jesus so much, and what application does it have for us today?

Jesus - the greatest to ever walk the earth...the most powerful...the richest...the most authoritative came to be a SERVANT. What a mind-boggling thought! Further, He tells His followers that being a servant is the ONLY way for them to be great. How does that work - how is serving others the only way to eternal greatness?

Many have attempted to explain Jesus' metaphor about the camel going through an eye of a needle and the impossibility of rich people getting saved. What did Jesus mean by this metaphor? Was there really a 'Needle' gate in Jerusalem that camels had to stoop down low to get through? Will NO rich person ever be saved?

Conflict is inevitable, even among Christians, because Christians are still sinners and haven't fully tamed their tongues. Jesus, however, mandates a particular process that Christians MUST follow when somebody has sinned against them - what is that divine process for handling conflict and making peace?

In Jeremiah 3, God condemns the pretense of the people of Judah. They pretended to be sorrowful for their sins, and pretended to want to follow God, but it was an all act - a grand display of outward religion, that was meaningless on the inside. Today we discuss what real repentance does - and does not - look like.

A most humorous moment happens in Matthew 16 when Jesus challenges His disciples to avoid the yeast of the Pharisees, and they assume that He is literally talking about bread. It turns out that Jesus was actually talking about the teaching the Pharisees, which raises our big question. What did the Pharisees teach, and what made it so bad? 

Everybody knows that Jesus did not have a high view of the religious leaders of His day, as He was constantly challenging the Pharisees and Scribes about how they handled God's Word. Today's episode is a discussion of one of Jesus' strongest challenge to those leaders about how they elevated human traditions to the level of God's commands. 

The last chapter in Isaiah reveals that there is a certain kind of person that God looks with favor on. It is not a confident person, nor a successful person, nor a courageous person, or a prideful person. Who does God bless and look favorably on? Also: What is the worst that death can do to a Christian?

Imagine the scene: The warriors of Israel are preparing for what is likely their biggest battle in the history of their country - the first major battle of the conquest of the Promised Land against the mighty and fortified city of Jericho. God instructs Joshua to have ALL of the soldiers of Israel CIRCUMCISED. BEFORE THE BATTLE! Why would God command such a seemingly preposterous thing?

How important is unity in the church? Jesus notes that a divided house can't possibly stand, calling His people to be united and avoid disunity. How can this happen? Also: Is Beelzebul that same entity as Satan?