Bible in Life

How to Grow in Faith   A regular listener to The Listener's Commentary asked me this question: do you have any resources to help me grow in faith? Or have you discussed it on the Bible in Life podcast? This is such an important question, so I wanted to offer a few thoughts on this episode.  Faith is confidence in and loyalty to God. It is based on who God is, what he has said, and what he has prom...

Living In Christ | A Reflective Walk Through Ephesians, pt. 2 Ephesians 1:3-14 In Ephesians 1:3-14, Paul praises God for all that He has done for us in Christ. He refers to it as "every spiritual blessing." In doing so, he highlights that our life as Christians is lived "in Christ." In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we reflect what it means to live an in Christ life and offer three sug...

Learning Theology Must Lead to Lived Theology | A Reflective Walk Through Ephesians, pt. 1 In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we begin a reflective walk through Ephesians by reflecting on what the structure of Ephesians teaches us about the relationship between theology and practical life.    Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:  https://www.johnwhittaker.net   Support...

Following Jesus is Not Complicated  The Lord has been reminding me again of late that following Jesus isn’t really complicated. It’s not easy... that's true. But it’s also not confusing and complicated. I think part of the reason this has struck me of late is because of all the books and all the podcasts and all the content I encounter that it seems like we’re muddying the waters and making follow...

Giving People a Chance to Love the Bible, with special guest Matt Whitman  This episode of the Bible in Life podcast features special guest Matt Whitman of the Ten Minute Bible Hour. In a free wheeling conversation, Matt and I talk about the church and ministry and teaching people the Bible.  And Matt's new book The Lightning-Fast Field Guide to the Bible (which you can find here ).  All of this d...

What was it like to be a Jew in Jesus' day? | Real World of the Gospels, pt.  In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we wrap up our series on the real world of the gospels by exploring a few key features of Jewish belief and practice in Jesus' day. Their religious identity gave them a strong social identity. Things like circumcision, clean and unclean foods, and ritual purity marked them ou...

Money, Finance, and Making a Living in Jesus' Day | Real World of the Gospels, pt. 5 What's a denarius? What's a drachma? What's a talent? How did people people make a living and what was the local economy like in Jesus' day? In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we look at the world of money, finance, and making a living the gospels. This episode was inspired by a question emailed in from...

Where in the world was Jesus? - Geography | World of the Gospels, pt. 4   Reading the Bible is like taking a trip to a foreign country in a time machine. And one of the things that means is that, whether we like it or not, we're going to have to learn some geography.  So in this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we consider the basic geography for the life and ministry of Jesus.    Free 30 Page...

Were the Pharisees really the bad guys?   Who were the Pharisees? Ask that question in a Bible study at pretty much any church and you’re likely to hear answers like: “Hypocrites.”  “Legalists”  “Self-righteous religious leaders who opposed Jesus.”  In short, the Pharisees are the “bad guys.”  In Christian circles to describe someone as a “pharisee” is no compliment. It’s usually a way of criticiz...

The Real World of the Gospels, pt. 2 | Roman Occupation   The Jewish world Jesus lived in was a world under foreign occupation. The Romans were in charge, and from the Jewish perspective, Roman occupation meant the exile wasn’t completely over. And that brought new realities and new tensions.  In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we explore both the blessings and curses of the Roman prese...

The Real World of the Gospels, pt. 1 | History and Backstory  When you turn the page from Malachi to Matthew, 400 years have passed. Much has happened to the Jews and life hasn't been easy. Centuries of foreign occupation. Generations have come and gone longing and aching for God to act. Yet the heavens seem silent. When will God fulfill his promise to Abraham and all his glorious promises in the...

Spiritual Drift - Doug's Story Spiritual drift is a real possibility for any one of us. Our faith becomes second nature. Then routine. Then blah. And then ... Apathy creeps in, slowly but persistently until we find ourselves distant and disconnected from God.  In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, I share the story of a regular listener who grew up going to church, was saved at 11, and nev...

Bonus Episode: Serving Jesus in Yukon Territory, with Jeremy Norton  In this special episode of the Bible in Life podcast John shares part of his conversation with Jeremy Norton, a pastor in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. Jeremy has seen many people come to Christ through his ministry in Whitehorse.  To learn more about Jeremy, visit https://www.leadbiblically.com/ And to check out his new b...

Why does it seem like the Spirit fails to transform some people?  In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we think through a question sent in by a listener who asked, why does it seem like the Spirit fails to transform some people? We explore: the tension of the already-not yet our need to partner with the Spirit the importance of recognizing that we all start at different places  the failur...

Set Your Mind on the Things of the Spirit | Life in the Spirit, pt. 6   One of the keys to life in the Spirit is what we allow to fill and occupy our minds. The apostle Paul writes, "For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the...

The Lord's Supper and the Last Supper  Christians of all kinds regularly celebrate the Lord's Supper or Communion or the Eucharist. Jesus instituted this commemorative meal during what has come to be known as the Last Supper, a Passover meal He celebrated with his disciples the night before his crucifixion. In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we look at the original setting and historica...

Praying in the Spirit | Life in the Spirit, pt. 5  How does the Holy Spirit help us pray? What does it mean to pray in the Spirit?  Ephesians 6:18 "With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints"   Romans 8:26-27  Now in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know wha...

Be Filled with the Spirit | Life in the Spirit, pt. 4 Ephesians 5:15-18 says, "15 So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit"  As we continue o...

How to Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16) | Life in the Spirit, pt. 3 Galatians 5:16 says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." This is the basic behavioral command for Christians. We can obey all other commands only insofar as we are obeying this command, because the Spirit's presence and power is what enables the transformation necessary to become...

The Christian Life is Life in the Spirit | Life in the Spirit, pt. 2 In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we explore how the coming of the Spirit was promised in the prophets and is one of the key things that is new in the New Covenant. We also show how all-encompassing the Spirit's role is in our Christian life. Jesus promised the Spirit to us in his absence -Jn 14:16-17 The Holy Spirit...

What is the Essence of Spiritual Growth? | Life in the Spirit, pt. 1   In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we start a new series on "Life in the Spirit." To do that, we explore what we, as human beings, are here for... why do we exist? And how does that relate to life in the Spirit and to Spiritual growth?  By the end of this episode you will understand what the main thing is that Spirit...

Why the Book of Revelation Matters Let's be honest... The book of Revelation is weird. It's hard. There are things that make you go "huh?" And many Christians (perhaps most) just avoid it because of that.  But Revelation is incredibly powerful!  And though we may struggle to figure all of it out, the overall message and purpose is quite clear. In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we explor...

5 Practices for Letting the Bible Shape Your Life The goal of our Bible reading is not merely to know the Bible. It's ultimately to have our life be shaped by the Bible so that we come to know God and image Him in the way we live. In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we explore the first two of five reading practices the help our life actually be shaped by the Bible.  1. Read Prayerfully 2...

5 Practices for Letting the Bible Shape Your Life The goal of our Bible reading is not merely to know the Bible. It's ultimately to have our life be shaped by the Bible so that we come to know God and image Him in the way we live. In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast we explore the first two of five reading practices the help our life actually be shaped by the Bible.  1. Read Prayerfully 2...

Loving Jesus and Keeping His Commands | John 14:18-21 Jesus says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." So what does that mean when we fail to keep his commands? What about someone who loves Jesus and desires to remain in Him, but doesn't always keep His commands? Do that person actually love Jesus?  In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, we explore the relationship between lovin...