Context for Kids

What faithfulness means to us today and what the Greek word pistis meant to Paul are sort of the same but also very different. Fortunately, what Paul meant will teach us how much we can trust Jesus and how we want to become people who can be trusted by Jesus.    Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2024/01/23/episode-128-being-like-jesus-faithfulness/   YouTube: https://youtu.be/IcI7sxNeYmA

Mercy is a huge thing in the Bible and so we would expect Jesus to not only teach about the importance of being merciful but also that He would be merciful. Mercy is a big step up from showing self-control. To show how mercy works, we’re going to look at one of the funniest parables about the Ungrateful Servant. It doesn’t seem funny at first, but believe me, it’s really hilarious once you stop to...

It’s one thing to say that Jesus had every single fruit of the Spirit to perfection, but quite another to look at what that really means when you have the authority and power to do absolutely anything you want. It isn’t so much about what Jesus did but what He was capable of. That makes Him even more amazing! Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2024/01/11/episode-126-being-like-jesus-self-contr...

Have you ever been scared to pray because you don’t want to say the wrong thing or because you are afraid that you can’t trust God to do what is right or that He will be angry if you are honest? Today, we’re going to talk about why we can always be ourselves when we are talking to God. And not only that, but about how having to be perfect in our prayers comes from pagan religions and not from the...

Forgiveness is hard to understand and even harder to do. Grownups ask me all the time about what forgiveness is and isn’t, and if it means forgetting and acting like nothing happened or if we can still be careful when someone is dangerous. Learning about the forgiveness from God we have through our King Jesus, and what Jesus told us to do, and how He helps us grow from people who never want to for...

We are about halfway through the story of Abraham in the Bible. His life story in Genesis is traditionally divided into two "Torah Portions"--Lech Lecha and Vayera. As we just finished Lech Lecha, I wanted to toss out all the context and to just enjoy myself telling the first part of Abraham's story the way that extra-biblical Jewish writers did to tell the story more creatively.   Transcript: htt...

Special episode: Many kids feel (or are made to feel) that they are mistakes for this or that reason. It’s an issue near and dear to my heart so we are going to tackle it. Oh no! God has made it clear that it was always His plan to give a miracle baby through Sarai and now Abraham realizes that his beloved thirteen-year-old son Ishmael won’t be his heir. From now on, what was once just a mess is n...

This week we will be talking about one of the themes of Scripture—miracle babies! Sarai’s will be the very first of seven and that calls for a new name, new promises, and new problems for Abraham. Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/10/31/episode-121-sarais-new-name/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/vgnbqUGa-MY

God is going to tell Abraham to make a decision that can’t ever be taken back, by obeying a commandment that can’t ever be undone. And what does it tell us about how different our God is in how He feels about kids and slaves? And why weren’t women included?? Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/10/23/episode-120-circumcision-no-slave-or-free/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/vP_r2e-kiD8

When God makes a Covenant, He really makes a Covenant. In chapter 17, Abraham is given the promise of a permanent Covenant, which means it will be around as long as God is around. And you know, that’s forever! Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/10/18/episode-119-a-permanent-covenant/ YouTube:  https://youtu.be/2hACXSgYML0

The surprising new covenant promise is revealed and Abram gets a brand new name! I can’t tell you how relieved I am that I can write Abraham from now on because it’s easier to remember than Abram.   Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/10/09/episode-118-abrams-new-name/   YouTube: https://youtu.be/8tM3Rv98dyw

God appears to Abram for the first time in twenty-four years (I am not counting the vision appearance of the Word of the Lord in Gen 15), introduces Himself by a new mysterious name, promises a new covenant, and gives Abram a new command! Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/10/02/episode-117-el-shaddai/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/ifm-4Uo4whI

Sorry, parents--but in order to teach Genesis 17, we can’t avoid talking about circumcision—a subject that was absolutely normal and not at all embarrassing in the ancient world. It’s actually incredibly interesting! And not only that, but we have to talk about what holiness is and about the nine special signs in the Old Testament. I will also be posting an episode on my grown up show, Character i...

For Yom Kippur this year, the Day of Atonement when the Temple would be cleansed from the sins of the people of Israel, I want to talk about invisible sins and how they mess everything up. Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/09/18/episode-115-yom-kippur-why-does-god-hate-lies-so-much/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/cOHEZ_YyV8o

Hagar is unique and important in the Bible for a lot of reasons. We’ve already talked about some of them but perhaps her most important contribution to our faith is when she gave God a name. No one else ever does. What does that name tell us about Hagar, about God, and about her son Ishmael? Plus, we’re going to explore another “what if” story to try and make sense of what happens later. Transcrip...

Who is the first person to actually see AND talk to the Angel of the Lord? It’s Hagar! In this episode, we’re going to see how much God loves Hagar and even calls her by name when Abram and Sarai don’t. God has some amazing promises for Hagar that would eventually mean a completely different and better life for her. In fact, God makes Hagar a promise that He has only ever made to Abram at this poi...

Genesis 16 isn’t a good chapter for Abram, Sarai, and especially for Sarai’s Egyptian slave Hagar. Sarai comes up with an idea to get a child for herself by following ancient Near Eastern custom, and Abram goes along with it. The result is one huge mess and a whole lot of pain for everyone. Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/08/30/episode-112-taking-matters-into-their-own-hands/ YouTube:...

Today we are going to learn about a very important young lady in the Bible. Her name is Hagar and even though the people in her life treated her badly, God treated her like a VIP, a Very Important Person. All of chapter sixteen is about Hagar, so she deserves her own story “before the story”. We will be learning about Egyptians, slavery, and about how important it is to treat others as though they...

This is an episode designed to address a serious issue for both adults and kids—what does it mean to honor mother and father, and how does one obey their parents “in the Lord” as per Eph 6:1? There isn’t anyone in Christian or Jewish leadership who hasn’t been asked these questions—generally by adults suffering under the weight of abusive and irresponsible parents. So, I thought it would be a good...

We talked about this a bit back in episode 107, but this episode is actually about a lot more than it looks like on the surface. When we know what to look for, this is the most powerful promise yet about the Messiah, Jesus. God made a promise to Eve, and now He makes an even greater promise to Abram! This will be the last lesson in Gen 15. Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/07/10/episode-...

In Gen 15, God gets really specific about the scary future of Abram’s descendants, some good news for Abram, and the reason why he can’t have the Land of Canaan yet. We’re also going to talk about why Jesus’s disciples are just like fruit trees. Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/06/27/episode-108-the-bad-news-and-the-good-news/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/l4Zz2ice3sY

In Genesis 15, Abram asks God for a sign and God tells Him to do something so utterly bizarre that it will require quite an explanation! We’ll also be talking about the prophet Jeremiah and the time the citizens of Jerusalem made a very big mistake. Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/06/21/episode-107-cutting-critters-super-gross-but-super-cool-too/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/qIEtQXxZtfU

Gen 15:4-6  Abram has been promised that his kids and grandkids and great grands will be as many as the stars in the sky! God says that Abram is going to be a daddy but what about Sarai? This week we will talk about great faith in the Bible—from Abram to the people who surprised Jesus with their faith! Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/06/13/episode-106-look-at-the-stars-abram/ YouTube:...

Continuing with Gen 15, this week’s lesson is a lot about relationship building with the God who wants all of us, even our complaints! We’re going to learn about Ethan the priest’s complaint in the Psalms and about adoption in the ancient world and how the Gospel of Matthew tells us that Jesus was adopted by Joseph. Transcript: https://contextforkids.com/2023/06/06/episode-105-abrams-complaint/ Yo...

Genesis 15 is one of the most important chapters in all of the Bible! It is where God finally makes His covenant with Abram, promises to deal with the sins of humanity Himself, gives someone a vision, and says “Fear not!” This week, I will explain the difference between dreams and visions, talk about what the “word of the Lord” might be, and the difference between when God, the angels, and Jesus t...