Life Lessons with Dr. Steve Schell

Have you ever wondered why Jesus chose Judas? It was a choice He made after intense prayer. Luke tells us, “He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named apostles (Lk 6:12-16). Eleven of these worked out very well, but one ended badly. Does that mean a mistake was ma...

When God promises us something He’s revealing His heart. He’s showing us what He wants to do in our lives, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will actually take place. When God gives us something it’s ours, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we will actually receive it. There are forces within and without that can prevent us from receiving what God has given us. Not understanding this fact causes...

There is a place called heaven. It’s a real place, not some “fairy-land” tucked away in another “dimension.” Way too much philosophical speculation has gone on here, until some descriptions of heaven begin to sound more like the land of Oz than the beautiful place the Bible describes. Yes, of course, it’s a spiritual place, but we need to keep in mind that the spiritual realm is real, not imaginar...

Between his gospel and the Book of Acts, Luke has given us enough information to recreate in our minds a rough sketch of the Lord’s final day with His disciples. When we go back to the carefully chosen words Luke uses, a beautiful picture emerges of our risen Lord preparing to leave. We know what He talked about during the 40 days following His resurrection, and we know what He said, and probably...

How far did God have to go to reach you? Some of us came to Him quickly and easily as children, others not until late in life. But taking that first step toward God was not the end of the matter. However and whenever we came to Him, as life progressed, we found that holding on to Him is a challenge. Events happened that caused us to question God’s goodness or power. Doubts arose about the historic...

Welcome to the Book of Acts! Today we begin an adventure. We will regularly be traveling back in time, nearly 2000 years, to watch our forefathers and mothers live out their faith. Many of them actually knew Jesus. They had watched Him minister and had listened to Him teach. And what we read in this book is their obedience to what they heard Him tell them to do. He had been a good teacher, and the...

A profound inner change takes place when a person is born-again. Not only are our sins forgiven, but our spiritual capacities are radically increased. After being born-again a person is not the same person as they were before (2Co 5:17). This does not mean that all our attitudes and behaviors are instantly “Christ-like.” But our potential to become Christ-like has changed dramatically. Probably th...

As Moses interceded for his rebellious nation he made a remarkable statement. He told the Lord that if He would not forgive Israel for its sin of worshipping the golden calf, he wanted his own name removed from God’s book. His words surprise us and make us want to ask, “What book?”, because up until now the Bible has not mentioned such a book. But Moses had a level of relationship with God which i...

Humans can live without food much longer than without water, but to survive 40 days without water is inconceivable apart from a miracle. When Moses failed to return from Mt. Sinai the nation naturally assumed he had died, either from thirst or possibly he’d been burned to death by the fire which still could be seen on the mountain’s peak (24:17,18). Considering themselves leaderless they turned to...

Oil had been used symbolically since at least the times of the patriarchs. In Genesis 28:18, 22 (also: Ge 31:13; 35:14) Jacob poured oil on a stone which had been his pillow during a vision of God. In this way he acknowledged that the place was filled with God’s presence. Elsewhere in the Bible the “anointing” with oil is used as a symbol of receiving the Holy Spirit (1Sa 16:13; Ac 10:38; 2Co 1:21...

Jesus Christ has called us to be priests of God. So, as we read the instructions for the priests of Israel we find many basic principles which apply to us today. In fact, we discover that each article of the priests garments, each form of their worshipful service and each object in the tabernacle holds a remarkably clear prophetic meaning. Over the past weeks we’ve looked at the ark of the covenan...

The subject of repentance tends to bring to mind certain troubling questions. We’re always grateful to hear the truth that God forgives us when we repent, but somewhere in the back of our minds questions may lurk about certain sins or passages of Scripture we’ve read which may have left us confused. Last week we asked the questions: What is repentance? How does God convict us of sin? And, if Chris...

Beginning at the moment a child first recognizes right from wrong each of us enters into a lifetime of choices: choices whether or not to tell the truth when the truth will get me in trouble; choices to be generous or selfish; choices to indulge harmful bodily impulses or control them; choices to let my temper flare or control it; choices to play by the rules or break them; choices to promote myse...

Sometimes God’s grace may seem too good to be true. Our ears hear sermons and songs about His forgiveness, but doubts still linger in the back of our mind. Is that really the way God is or are people merely telling me what they hope is true? Maybe these promises of mercy have been taken out of context and really don’t mean what we think they mean. After all, it’s hard to believe anyone could forgi...

God never asks us to do anything He will not empower us to accomplish. Christians are not simply people who are trying in their own strength to do good things for God. At least that is not what God intended. His plan has always been to work miracles through people of faith. In other words, He’s the One who does the real spiritual work. Our part is simply to obey. Not only did He give such power to...

  It’s beautiful to watch someone minister in the power of the Holy Spirit. Everything seems to flow so easily and naturally, as if that man or woman effortlessly knew just what to say or do. But ministry is never as easy as it looks. There are many personal sacrifices and inner struggles that must take place before God can consider us fit for His service. Today as we look at the garments He desig...

Now that Israel had entered into covenant with God He ordered Moses to prepare a portable tent so He could travel with the nation and dwell in their midst. But the tabernacle was not to be a normal tent. God designed it down to the smallest detail so it would teach His people essential spiritual lessons. In all there would be seven major pieces of furniture and each symbolized a truth about God, a...

Rather than slowing down, the demands seem to be increasing. At times I look ahead at all I have to do and fear rises up telling me there’s no way I’ll have the strength to do what’s being asked of me. But more and more I also hear the Holy Spirit, just as the panic starts to accelerate, telling me, “Don’t look at all that’s ahead. Just take matters one at a time and turn to Me for help before you...

A covenant is fundamentally a commitment to a new relationship.  After a covenant has been formed a brand-new relationship exists.  Those who have taken part in the ceremony have been bonded together like the members of a family.  And one of the most ancient ways of expressing this new level of love and trust was to eat a meal together.  Somehow the very act of breaking bread together has always c...

Verse 7: The prayer tent Ex 38:8 the women serving in hosts • Laver from their mirrors • “Hosts” military term: ranks

What is a covenant? A solemn promise enforced by a curse one invokes on oneself. Obedience is also encouraged by promised blessings. When did the Old Covenant begin? Previous covenants: Adam, Noah, Abraham But when we speak of the New Covenant this is the covenant which has been replaced. The nation of Israel entered into a covenant with God. “All that the Lord has spoke we will do and we will be...

It’s one thing to ask me to not make an idol, or profane the Lord’s name, or work on the sabbath, or dishonor my parents, or murder, or break my marriage covenant, or steal, or lie, but it’s quite another when you look at the hidden motives of my heart and command me to be content with my lot in life. Now you’re in an area inside of me I hardly understand myself. You’re asking me to control someth...

  The ninth commandment: “You shall not lie about your neighbor”   Since the Ten Commandments are lessons designed to teach us to love, this commandment says simply that if I love someone I will not lie about them, nor will I lie to them. I won’t: testify against them falsely in court; destroy their reputation through slander; alienate those who love them by gossip.   In other words, I will not us...

When it comes to stealing, the human mind can be so creative it would be impossible to write enough laws to prevent it in all its forms. There are flagrant, aggressive ways to steal and subtle, passive ways. Some types are obvious while others could never be proven in a court of law because they depend on hidden attitudes of the heart. Who’s to say a misleading statement was intentional, or that a...

Today it’s not uncommon to hear the term “sexual revolution” applied to the dramatic changes our society is undergoing in its thinking about sexual behaviors. Those who use this term assume that a new view of sex is emerging out of the uninformed bigotry of our cultural past. But that’s not what’s happening at all. The only real sexual revolution in human history has been produced by the Bible. Wh...