Bible in Life

What kinds of rewards are promised to us? | Rewards, pt. 2 In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, Steven and John explore the kinds of things promised to God's people as rewards. And the distinctive thing is that the rewards promised fit the person and their life. In other words, the rewards aren't arbitrary.    Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:  https://www.johnwhitta...

Is it Wrong to Hope for a Reward from God? | Rewards, pt. 1  In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven introduce the topic of rewards in heaven and explore if it's in some way less honorable to seek God for a good reward.  Bible Passages mentioned: Hebrews 11 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that H...

Safety, Security, and Assurance - Romans 5:1-11 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God.3 And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseveran...

Goodness and Gratitude   The basic human response to God as their Creator is gratitude according to Romans 1:21 (which Paul says humans typically fail to do). In this episode of the Bible in Life, John offers a reflection on what we can be grateful for and what ultimately that means for our life as followers of Jesus.   Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:  https://www.johnwhitt...

Why You (should) Love the Wrath of God God's wrath is a forgotten topic in many churches today. We prefer to talk about his love and mercy, not his wrath.  But God's wrath is part of the good news, and it is that in a couple different ways.  In this episode we explore why we actually want and need the wrath of God.  Romans 1:18 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlines...

How can we pray without ceasing and other questions On this episode of the Bible in Life podcast Steven asks John several lingering questions related to practicing the way of Jesus.  -How can we pray without ceasing? -How can we measure spiritual growth? -Besides the spiritual disciplines, what are some other factors that are important to spiritual growth?   Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and...

Can we really be holy?  This question derives from the reaction of a number of Christians who suppose that we’re so sinful we could never really ever be holy. Some have even said that to suggest that Christians can and should be holy by default indicates some sort of legalism or self-righteousness or works righteousness or something like that.  So in this episode of the Bible in Life podcast John...

The Mission of Jesus and Becoming Christlike  Being a disciple means arranging your life to be with Jesus in order to become like Jesus.  And being like him entails two aspects - becoming like him in character and like him in mission. So what does it mean to become like Jesus in mission?  On this episode of the Bible in Life podcast John and Steven explore how we can be involved in the mission of...

Our Body, the Holy Spirit, and Becoming Like Jesus   Why is it important to acknowledge the presence and role of our body in discipleship to Jesus and spiritual growth? How do we walk by the Spirit as disciples of Jesus?  Some key texts related to this episode: Romans 6:12-14 Romans 7 Romans 8:1-12 Galatians 5:16-24   Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:  https://www.johnwhittak...

God's Part and Our Part in Becoming Like Jesus  In this episode of Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven discuss this question: how do we cooperate with God to become like Jesus?  We explore Roman 6, looking at what God has done to make Christlikeness possible and what we need to do in order to embody that truth.    Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:  https://www.johnwhittake...

Creating a Culture of Discipleship in the Local Church  In this episode, we explore five keys for creating a culture of discipleship and disciple making in the local church.    Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:  https://www.johnwhittaker.net   Support this ministry: Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below. http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whitta...

Becoming Like Jesus In this episode of the Bible in Life podcast, John and Steven explore why becoming like Jesus is the very best thing we could ever do. It's good for us, good for our families, good for our communities and the world.  And it's right in sync with who we are as human beings!   Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:  https://www.johnwhittaker.net   Support this min...

Being with Jesus At the core of being a disciple is being with your rabbi. In our case that means being with Jesus. But it's different now than it was when Jesus physically walked the hills of Galilee with his disciples. So how can we be with Jesus today?  That's the question John and Steven explore in this episode of the Bible in Life podcast.    Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the B...

Being a Disciple of Jesus  Jesus' call to us is NOT to be a good church member. His call is to be his disciple. What is a disciple? What did Jesus picture when he calls us to be disciples?  On this episode, we begin a new era of the Bible in Life podcast by bringing in Steven Norris to cohost the show with John, and they begin by exploring this central them of discipleship to Jesus.  Free 30 Page...

What is the process by which people grow spiritually? What is a discipleship pathway and how do you create one? How can we grow spiritually and how can we help other grow as well? Nick Cady is the lead pastor at White Fields Community Church  in Longmont, CO. He served for 18 years on the mission field and is part of the leadership team for the Expositors Collective.  He's also the host of the The...

Disarming the Powers of Evil | Colossians 2:15 Jesus' death accomplishes much more than we often realize. Speaking of the benefits of Jesus' death and resurrection, Colossians 2:15 says, "When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him." In this episode we reflect on what this means for us. Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hea...

There's Meaning to Our Suffering | Colossians 1:24   In this present world, suffering is everywhere and pain is unavoidable. And western societies don't know what to do with this fact. Suffering is an interruption. It's always bad and has no value. But not in the Bible. Not to Jesus. And not to the Apostle Paul. He writes,  "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am fillin...

An Ode to Jesus | Colossians 1:15-20 -  15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. 18 He is also th...

Moving to a New Realm | Colossians 1:13-14   Becoming a Christian entails a rescue operation in which we are delivered from the realm where darkness reigned to the realm where Jesus is King.  13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.   Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed t...

Learning to Pray with the Apostle Paul | Colossians 1:3-12   Prayer is challenging.  One of the ways we can learn to pray is by reading and reflecting on the prayers of God's saints in the Bible. So I find Paul's prayers to be insightful and challenging. Colossians 1:3-12 3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ...

What kind of father is God the Father?   What is God like? What kind of Father is He? This sermon introduces the Trinity and reflects on God as Father, helping us see that knowing God as Father is good for us.    Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:  https://www.johnwhittaker.net   Support this ministry: Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below. http:/...

Four Final Reflections on Faith and Politics  On this episode we wrap up our series on Faith and Politics with four final reflections.    Free 30 Page eBook to help you Hear and Heed the Bible:  https://www.johnwhittaker.net   Support this ministry: Set up a recurring monthly or a one-time donation at the link below. http://worldfamilymissions.org/john-whittaker/   The Listener’s Commentary - In-d...

What's Better than Criticizing Culture?  Fact: it’s easier to criticize “them” - those people out there - than to do the hard work needed to offer something better. Post mocking memes. Ridicule on Reels.  Use spiteful or derogatory rhetoric.  That’s easy.  But the early Christians model a more powerful path. They show us what's better than criticizing the culture and what's more powerful for chang...

How to Live in Exile?   Since the New Testament, describes those of us who follow Jesus as foreigners and exiles, how does God want people to live in exile? In this episode, we look at Jeremiah 29 and 1 Peter 2-3 to answer that question.  Jeremiah 29:4-7 4 “This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 ‘Build hou...

Reflections on Healthy Detachment and Civil Disobedience  In this episode, I offer some reflections on two questions: 1. With all the anxiety, fear, and emotion around the political season, what should the disposition of disciples of Jesus be? 2. When should we disobey the governing authorities?  At the heart of this episode is this: as disciples of Jesus our deepest allegiance is to Jesus and His...