Dewey Bertolini's podcast

"Let There be No Doubt." As you are about to hear in this PODCAST , If you were going to compose a title for this, only the second sermon Peter ever preached, you could not do much better than this: "Let There be No Doubt." By the time Peter draws this homiletic masterpiece to its rousing conclusion, there will be no doubt in the minds of his hearers. No doubt about who Jesus is. No doubt about wh...

We may not know his name. But as you will hear in this PODCAST , we surely know his story. As did some 5000 men plus countless women and children, whose lives—after hearing this man's story—would never be the same again. This one story—the first of fourteen separate and specific miracles recorded in the book of Acts—exemplifies why I sometimes refer to God as "The God of the surprise." Both then a...

"For more than forty years." As you will hear in this PODCAST , five simple words, easily missed if we hastily read the account as recorded for us by Dr. Luke. Five astonishing words that unlock this entire episode in the life of the first early church in Jerusalem. "For more than forty years." For more than forty years, everywhere this man went someone had to carry him. For more than forty years...

While I am away speaking at a Junior High/Middle School Camp at a place near and dear to my heart--Hartland Christian Camp--may I welcome to the Upper Room, and Jesus' farewell address to His beloved disciples. As you are about to hear in this PODCAST , as we break the seal on this, Jesus' final night before the crucifixion, I do so with something of a lump in my throat and the pinkish hue of emba...

These were exhilarating times indeed for that original company of committed Christ-followers. In this PODCAST , and in the upcoming weeks, it will be our privilege to relive these salad days of the first ekklesia —in Jerusalem—as we join in a virtual sense these first precious believers, our ancestors in the faith. Last week, we looked at the four foundational dynamics that characterized this firs...

After a wonderful week ministering at Hume Lake, it's so good to be home. And so glorious to be back in the amazing book of Acts. As you are about to hear in this PODCAST , the elegant simplicity of what God intended His local churches to look like and how He intended for them to function, coupled with unencumbered sincerity of His biblical blueprint for every local church ministry, is breathtakin...

While I am away speaking at Hume Lake, please enjoy this encore PODCAST . You are about to hear an amazing story about a remarkable man, AND an encounter with Jesus that includes one of the most important and practical biblical principles that you will find anywhere in the pages of the Bible. Quite a claim, I know. One that I will absolutely prove in this PODCAST . A principle that I will be presu...

It is an elegantly simple, straightforward, non-controversial statement (at least in original language). Yet, as you will hear in this PODCAST , one that has led to nearly 2000 years of confusion. Confusion over things like: What is the proper mode of baptism? (Sprinkling? Immersing?) Should babies be baptized? Is baptism a sacrament? An ordinance? What's the difference between the two? And what d...

It is time for us to celebrate. That's the tone with which I want to share this PODCAST with you tonight. A tone of celebration. A celebration of a day unlike any other. A day that began so ordinarily; but one that ended so spectacularly, in the Holy City, on the southern steps of the Holy Temple Mount. So many miles from this place (McMinnville); so many years from this year (2017). Yet this was...

As you are about to hear in this PODCAST , to our Western sensibilities, Acts 2:23 plunges us into a theological quagmire of staggering proportions. The age-old debate between God's Sovereignty and Human Responsibility. But trust me. When Peter introduced this indictment of that Day of Pentecost crowd, he didn't even flinch. And therein lies the story. Consider this: It's verses like Acts 2:23 tha...

It was proof undeniable. A reality on the ground about which every person in that vast crowd on this most significant Day of Pentecost knew. As you are about to hear in this PODCAST , Peter triumphantly trumpeted to that crowd, and to us, "As you yourselves know." Boy, did they know. How could they not have known? Fact is, reports of this wonder-working man from Galilee had circulated far and wide...

Welcome to Peter's first-ever sermon. As you will hear in this PODCAST , this fisherman-turned-preacher's initial foray into the world of sermonizing is memorable in extreme. And whether you realize it or not, Peter's first sermon out of the gate is all about… Grasshoppers. As in locusts. Lots and lots of locusts. A plague of locusts. A past-plague of locusts. A coming plague of locusts. And a fut...

It is one of the great ironies of Christian life. As you are about to hear in this PODCAST , the Holy Spirit came to this earth in Jesus' absence in part to bring a supernatural unity to committed Christ-followers throughout the world. For example, we read in Ephesians 4:3, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." That phrase "the unity of the Spirit" notwiths...

Ready to hit the ground running? This is so exciting. And just remember, I Love this stuff! As you will hear in this PODCAST , in the culture of Jesus' day, the agricultural cycle of sowing and reaping, planting and harvesting, was absolutely central to the existence of the Jewish people. So much so that the agricultural calendar was an essential part of the day-in and day-out rhythm of their live...

His name was Matthias. I wouldn't blame you a bit if you had no recollection of this selfless servant of Christ. As you will hear in this PODCAST , Matthias is mentioned only twice in the NT, both times here in Acts 1 (verses 23 and 26). At first blush, Matthias may appear to be just a footnote in the ever-developing drama of redemption. But I can assure you that he is anything but. Please remembe...

Today is Easter Sunday. BUT, as you are about to hear in this PODCAST , today is infinitely, eternally so much more than that. A day of incomparable significance.  "Christ IS risen. He is risen INDEED." But that is only half the story. Ready to hear the other half? Please remember that depending upon your web browser and connection speed, it might take up to 60 seconds for this podcast to begin to...

Such incredibly dramatic moment, on multiple levels. That is what you are about to hear in this PODCAST . Finally, the time had come for Jesus to go home. He had been away from home, more specifically, away from His beloved Father, for some thirty-three years. Jesus, who from eternity past was according to John 1:1 face-to-face with His Father, enjoying from eternity past an unbroken, undiminished...

So it is with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye that in this PODCAST we bid adieu to Jesus in HD . Lest you regret that we will now no longer hear all-things-Jesus-related, fear not, my friends. For as we now break the seal on the amazing book of Acts and our study of Peter in HD , which of course will then pivot to Paul in HD somewhere around ch 13, and as I will demonstrate in mere moment...

Welcome to the conclusion of Jesus in HD! It's been 205 podcasts in coming, but here it is. On deck, Peter in HD and the bright and beautiful book of Acts. That will be next week. But for now, it is universally referred to as "Great Commission." As you are about to hear in this PODCAST … Yes, I will readily agree that Jesus' words here at the tail-end of Matthew's glorious gospel are indeed "great...

The angel said to the women, "But go, tell His disciples — and Peter…" As you will hear in this PODCAST , kudos to Peter for allowing Mark to include this rather inglorious detail about this darkest hour of Peter's storied life. If the trajectory of Peter's faith journey was filled with ups and downs, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, here Peter hits rock bottom. What was the significan...

As you are about to hear in this PODCAST , Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 referenced what he called the single most important event of human history. And it all centers upon that one-telling-three-word-phrase, "the third day." Quite a statement that: "I passed on to you what was most important." Most: πρῶτος, a superlative in Greek. A word that means the best, the chief, the first and foremost of all. M...

Think of it. As you will hear in this PODCAST … Promptly at 3 PM… Exactly at That. Very. Moment when Jesus breathed His last… Precisely to the second when Jesus exclaimed, "It is finished. Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit"… This happened: "Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." Do you have any idea what that means? It will take the remainder of this discussion f...

They say that "For every sigh, there's a psalm." As you are about to hear in this PODCAST , they are 100% correct. What an absolutely, beautifully inspired collection of very real, honest, soul-soaring, gut-wrenching human expressions is contained within its 150 chapters. So many verses of its 150 songs are profoundly personal prayers that you and I can pray right back to God, giving us an immedia...

Caiaphas, the high priest that year, must have been fit to be tied. Well, somewhat so. As you will hear in this PODCAST , it was Passover. The Holy City, Jerusalem, was teaming with pilgrims. The all-important 3 PM Passover sacrifice at the Temple was fast-approaching. It was arguably single most financially-flourishing day of the year (second only, perhaps, to the Day of Atonement) as far as the...

Welcome back to the foot of the cross. In this PODCAST , we are now in that six-hour window of time — between 9 AM and 3 PM. 9 AM when the Romans nailed Jesus to His cross; 3 PM, that moment when Jesus finally succumbed to His brutal beatings, His massive blood loss, and the tortures of crucifixion — finally and mercifully to die. Within that six-hour window, Jesus spoke seven times. The final wor...